Day: 23 March 2016

HAWKE’S BAY KEEPS HAWKS’ STAR

HAWKE’S BAY KEEPS HAWKS’ STAR

Mataeus Marsh – taking time out from training with the Hawks.
Mataeus Marsh – taking time out from training with the Hawks.

Rising basketball star Mataeus Marsh’s future as a player for the Indigo Bay Hawks has been secured, with the talented 19-year-old now studying at EIT on a newly-launched Hawks sports scholarship.

In his second year of playing point guard for the regional basketball team, Mataeus is enrolled in EIT’s Bachelor of Recreation and Sport programme. His fees, amounting this year to $6229, are fully covered by the scholarship programme which EIT recently established with the Hawks.

Hawks’ general manager Jay Bratschi, who has benefitted himself from scholarship programmes, is delighted to have secured Mataeus for the regional squad.

“He is the future of this team,” the American says. “He is just a natural talent, one of these kids that have those qualities coaches look for. He’s a highly valued athlete in the Bay.”

A former Hastings Boy’s High School student, Mataeus had been planning to leave Hawke’s Bay to study outside the region. He’s delighted, he says, to have been awarded the EIT scholarship, which means he can continue living at home.

He’s not ruling out going flatting next year, however, as he progresses through the three-year degree.

EIT operates a similar sports scholarship programme with the Hawke’s Bay Rugby Union, enabling approved Academy players to study fees-free while continuing to play high-level rugby.