In a thrilling comeback, the New Zealand’s Deaf men’s basketball team defeated Australia 72–68 to qualify for the XV World Games for Deaf in Los Angeles 1985. Coached by Aussie-born Jeff, who had just five days to prepare with the team, New Zealand overcame a rocky start and halftime deficit. After a fiery team talk, they rallied in front of a packed crowd – securing their ticket to Los Angeles just 10 months out!
NZ Deaf Basketball Qualifies for 1985 World Deaf Games
2025 •
- Deaf Sports
In a thrilling comeback, the New Zealand’s Deaf men’s basketball team defeated Australia 72–68 to qualify for the XV World Games for Deaf in Los Angeles 1985. Coached by Aussie-born Jeff, who had just five days to prepare with the team, New Zealand overcame a rocky start and halftime deficit. After a fiery team talk, they rallied in front of a packed crowd – securing their ticket to Los Angeles just 10 months out!
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Relevant Links
Taonga source:
Jeff Went
Reference number:
SignDNA – Deaf National Archive New Zealand, JWADS-08-STO25
Copyright status:
This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
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