Kerry Martin Boagni (born September 24, 1964) is an American 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. A native of

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, he played college basketball for the

Cal State Fullerton Titans The Cal State Fullerton Titans (also known as CSUF or Fullerton Titans) are the athletic teams that represent California State University, Fullerton. The Titans are a member of the NCAA Division I level. The Titans compete within the Big West Co ...

before being drafted by the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...

in the 1986 NBA draft. He then began a very successful career in New Zealand, playing the majority of his years for 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 ...

Early life

Boagni was born in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. He attended Serra High School in

Gardena, California Gardena is a city located in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 58,829 at the 2010 census, up from 57,746 at the 2000 census. Until 2014, the US census cited the City of Gardena as the plac ...

, where he played basketball. A star forward, Boagni averaged 24 points and 17 rebounds per game and shot 61% from the floor. He was named to the 1982 Sporting News' Top 10 prep list, the USA Men's U.S. Olympic Festival Roster, and made more than a half dozen All-America teams. Boagni played in the

1982 McDonald's All-American Boys Game The 1982 McDonald's All-American Boys Game was an All-star basketball game played on Saturday, April 10, 1982 at the Rosemont Horizon in Rosemont, Illinois. The game's rosters featured the best and most highly recruited high school boys graduati ...

, along with future NBA stars

Dell Curry Wardell Stephen Curry (born June 25, 1964) is an American former professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1986 until 2002 and retired as the Charlotte Hornets' all-time leader in points (9,839) ...

and Kenny Walker.

College career

A highly regarded recruit, Boagni selected the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. T ...

to pursue his basketball career. In his freshman year, he was the team's No. 2 scorer (14 points per game), scored in double figures 23 times, and was named to the Big Eight Conference all-freshman team. After playing 10 games for Kansas in his sophomore year, Boagni transferred to

California State University, Fullerton California State University, Fullerton (CSUF or Cal State Fullerton) is a public university in Fullerton, California. With a total enrollment of more than 41,000, it has the largest student body of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) ...

and excelled. The

subsequently picked Boagni with the 105th overall draft pick in the 1986 NBA draft.

Professional career

Boagni landed in New Zealand in 1988 where he began a successful NBL career with the

. Boagni and fellow American Kenny McFadden became club legends as they helped the Saints win the 1988 championship and both earned All-Star Five honors. Boagni played five seasons for the Saints, departing the club for the

Hawke's Bay Hawks The Hawke's Bay Hawks are a New Zealand basketball team based in Napier. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at Pettigrew Green Arena. For sponsorship reasons, they are known as the Taylor Hawk ...

in 1993. Between 1993 and 1998, Boagni played for the Hawks, had a second stint with the Saints, and had one season with the North Harbour Kings. In 267 career NBL games, Boagni recorded 6,929 points (ranked second all-time) and 1,870 rebounds (ranked ninth all-time). Then in 1999, he served as player-coach of the North Otago Penguins and helped them win the

Conference Basketball League The Conference Basketball League (CBL) was a second-tiered men's semi-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 th ...

championship.

Personal

Boagni's ex-partner, Jane McMeeken, was a former captain of the

New Zealand women's national basketball team The New Zealand's elite women's basketball team is affectionately known to their home fans as the Tall Ferns. The team has been coached by Guy Molloy since 2018. The assistant coaches are Aik Ho and Jody Cameron. The Tall Ferns have a FIBA worl ...

. His daughter, Tessa, has played in the Women's Basketball Championship, the top women's basketball competition in New Zealand.Boagni becomes a Matador
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References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boagni, Kerry 1964 births Living people African-American basketball players American expatriate basketball people in New Zealand American men's basketball players Basketball players from California Cal State Fullerton Titans men's basketball players Forwards (basketball) Hawke's Bay Hawks players Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball players McDonald's High School All-Americans Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Utah Jazz draft picks Wellington Saints players 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople