Jeremy Brian Kench (born 27 April 1984) is a New Zealand former professional
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
player who played 12 seasons in the New Zealand
National Basketball League (NZNBL).
Playing career
Kench attended former powerhouse
Christchurch
Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon Rive ...
basketball school, Middleton Grange, and represented New Zealand Under 18, New Zealand Under 19 and the Junior
Tall Blacks. He made his NBL debut in the 2003 NBL season averaging 3.4 points a game from 14 appearances. In the 2004 NBL season, Kench gained more maturity with experience, eventually replacing Ben Jeffrey as the Rams' starting point guard, starting in 15 out of 18 games. His average was slightly up from his debut season, averaging 4.2 points a game, and just under 3 assists a game.
In 2005, the Rams brought in American point guard, Michael Gardener who became the team's starting point guard, which severely cut into Kench's playing time. Kench did not start any matches in 2005 and only averaged 2.2 points from ten minutes a game.
For the 2006 NBL season, the Rams brought in new American coach Chris Sparks and a
shooting guard Dennis Trammell
Dennis Trammell (born February 6, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball at New Mexico University and Ball State University. At , he played shooting guard.
In 2005, he signed with Union Athletic ...
from the United States. This meant that Kench was able to assume his starting position at point guard. On 28 April 2006, Kench scored a career high of 30 points, while dishing out 5 assists, in a loss to the
Auckland Stars
The Auckland Stars were a New Zealand basketball team based in Auckland. The Stars competed in the National Basketball League (NBL) and played their home games at ASB Stadium.
Team history
The Auckland Stars, then known as Auckland Metro, were ...
at Cowles Stadium, in Christchurch. Two games later Kench followed this performance up with an equally inspiring 26 point game in a win against the
Taranaki Mountainairs
The Taranaki Airs are a New Zealand basketball team based in New Plymouth. The Airs compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at TSB Stadium. For sponsorship reasons, they are known as the Steelformers Airs.
T ...
. Kench's strong play continued on in the second half of the season where on 9 June 2006, he had another outstanding game posting 27 points in a victory over the
Otago Nuggets
The Otago Nuggets are a New Zealand basketball team based in Dunedin. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at the Edgar Centre. For sponsorship reasons, they are known as the Night 'n Day Otago ...
in
Dunedin
Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...
. In the final game of the regular season on 24 June 2006, Kench broke his career high, scoring 36 points against the
Wellington Saints
The Wellington Saints are a New Zealand basketball team based in Wellington. The Saints compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at TSB Bank Arena.
Team history
The Wellington Saints were founded in 1981. In 1 ...
. He finished the 2006 NBL season with an average of 18 points a game.
His strong play in 2006 was rewarded on 11 May 2006 when he was selected in the New Zealand Tall Blacks squad to prepare for the 2006
Basketball World Championship in
Japan.
On 15 July 2006, Kench signed a contract to play for the
Singapore Slingers
The Singapore Slingers is a Singaporean professional basketball team that currently compete in the ASEAN Basketball League. The Slingers were known as the JobStreet.com Singapore Slingers between 2009 and 2014, due to sponsorship ties with Job ...
in their debut season in the Australian NBL. After the Australian NBL season, he returned to the Rams for the 2007 NBL season. Kench appeared to be much more of a marked man in the 2007 season. His overall numbers were down on his breakout 2006 year. Half-way through the 2007 NZNBL season, Kench signed to play for the
Wollongong Hawks
The Illawarra Hawks (formerly the Wollongong Hawks and The Hawks) is an Australian professional basketball team based in Wollongong, New South Wales. The Illawarra Hawks compete in the National Basketball League (Australia), National Basketball ...
of the Australian NBL for the 2007–08 season.
Kench was selected in the 2008 New Zealand Tall Blacks squad. He made the final team to play Australia.
In 2010, he joined the
Christchurch Cougars
The Christchurch Cougars were a New Zealand basketball team based in Christchurch. The Cougars competed in the National Basketball League (NBL) and played their home games at Cowles Stadium. The Cougars pulled out of the NBL in 2011 after just ...
. At the end of the season he was selected for the Tall Blacks trials for the 2010 FIBA World Championships and subsequently made the twelve-man squad.
As a consequence of the
Canterbury earthquake in February 2011, the Cougars disbanded and Kench was forced to find another team to play for in the 2011 NBL season, subsequently joining the
Manawatu Jets
The Manawatu Jets are a New Zealand basketball team based in Palmerston North. The Jets compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at Central Energy Trust Arena. For sponsorship reasons, they are known as the Pro ...
. His season was abruptly cut short after an ankle injury against the
Southland Sharks
The Southland Sharks are a New Zealand basketball team based in Invercargill. The Sharks compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at Stadium Southland. For sponsorship reasons, they are known as the SBS Bank S ...
early on in the season, which needed surgery. This subsequently kept him out of the 2011 Tall Blacks Olympic qualifying squad.
In 2012, after moving to Wellington to attend Police College, he joined the Wellington Saints for the 2012 NBL season.
In November 2013, he signed with the re-established Canterbury Rams for the
2014 season. On 5 December 2014, he re-signed with the Rams for the
2015 season.
On 14 December 2015, Kench retired from elite basketball, confessing his heart was no longer in the sport, calling it quits after 12 years in the New Zealand NBL and 194 games.
Career to Date
Personal
In 2012, Kench attended the
Royal New Zealand Police College
The Royal New Zealand Police College (RNZPC) is the central training institution for police recruits and police officers in New Zealand. It is located at Papakowhai, approximately 2 km north of Porirua City.
Recruits at the college under ...
. In 2013, after graduating, he worked as a constable for the Christchurch Police Department.
Canterbury’s Kench fired up for Rams' return
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References
External links
Australiabasket.com profile
Canterbury Rams player profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kench, Jeremy
1984 births
Living people
Canterbury Rams players
Christchurch Cougars players
Hawke's Bay Hawks players
New Zealand men's basketball players
Sportspeople from Wellington City
Point guards
Singapore Slingers players
Wellington Saints players
Wollongong Hawks players
2010 FIBA World Championship players
Manawatu Jets players
New Zealand expatriate basketball people in Australia
People educated at Middleton Grange School
People educated at Royal New Zealand Police College
New Zealand police officers