The Iron Bridge Foundation helps young talent slam-dunk goals
by Adam Smith
The Iron Bridge Foundation is championing Kiwi talent and helping young people like basketballer Qaizden Stephano to slam-dunk their goals.
A student at Carmel College in Auckland, Qaizden is a basketballer with huge talent and potential.
The Iron Bridge Foundation supports and empowers young New Zealanders by providing financial assistance to fund the practical things needed to achieve success in their chosen field.
The Foundation assisted Qaizden earlier this year when she played in several of New Zealand’s biggest high school girls basketball tournaments, including the 2019 Under 17 Nationals, the Junior Premierships, Senior Premierships and the Secondary School National tournament.
When Qaizden’s team, the Carmel Junior Prems, was victorious at the 2019 Under 17 Auckland Champs at North Harbour stadium, Qaizden was able to play a key part in their success. Winning was no mean feat.
One of tournaments that Qiazden attended is New Zealand’s biggest high school basketball competition. Run over six days, it sees 24 high school girls’ basketball teams compete. It’s a big deal for the New Zealand basketball community as the competition attracts scouts from American colleges, who asses new talent to find players who could potentially go on to college teams in the United States.
Qaizden’s ability has also been recognised on an international level. In 2019 she was selected to represent Samoa in the country’s Under 17 team, although she was unable to compete due to injury.
We’re incredibly proud of what Qaizden has achieved on the court so far. We’re cheering her on from the side-lines, watching with excitement to see her basketball career develop further.
