Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

Claire Hamilton

About Me:​​​​​​​ Born in Golden Bay and raised in Northland, now based in Mahurangi. With a finance background in NZ, the UK, and Ireland, I’ve also served as Operations Director for the Graeme Dingle Foundation and have extensive football administration experience at club, regional, and national levels, including roles as Football Ferns International Teams Manager and FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 Competition Manager. Passionate about football but an avid basketball fan (just not a player!). My ideal day includes a walk or run, a good book on the beach, and a BBQ with loved ones. Married to Karl, with two grown kids, Scott and Olivia.

Position: CEO, working with the team, ABS Board and Associations to ensure we provide basketball opportunities at all levels across our Association regions. My role moves between strategy and operational management, we are a small team so I am involved in decision making across many areas of the business and support the team to be cohesive, innovative and successful.  

Claire's all-time favourite basketball player: Steven Adams, I love to see a kiwi do amazing things on the world stage and show our tamariki and rangitahi they can have big dreams.

Claire's favourite food: Chocolate, with a new almost favourite of steak with miso butter, delicious.

Claire's go-to hype song: Lose yourself, Eminem is hard to beat.

Finance Manager

Alwin Paul

About Me:​​​​​​​ Trained in accounting, through which I strive to serve basketball.

Position:  Responsible for providing insights into our financial position and performance, including accounting for the very generous funding that ABS receives from funders.

Alwin's all-time favourite basketball player: Steven Adams - seems to have single-handedly popularised basketball in New Zealand.

Alwin's favourite food: Tropical Fruits.

Alwin's signature move on-court or off-court: Scoring a slam-dunk, with off-court services to the frontline team.

Team Lead, Games & Officials

Jilly Harris

About Me:​​​​​​​ Initially from Counties, I’ve been involved in basketball for years, from playing, coaching to officiating and managing competitions. My passion lies in ensuring the game is played at its best—fair, competitive, and well-organised. With a strong background in sports administration and game operations, I thrive on the fast-paced nature of tournaments and working alongside officials, teams, and event staff to create top-tier basketball experiences. I am a grandma to 5 and mum to 4, and I have a granddog named Kujo.

Position: I'm the Auntie in the office and I oversee the management of games and officials, ensuring leagues and tournaments run smoothly and efficiently. From scheduling and rule enforcement to supporting referees and technical staff, I work to maintain high standards and consistency across all competitions.

Jilly's all-time favourite basketball player: My grandkids – their leadership and dedication to the game inspire me.

Jilly's favourite food: Panipopo.

Jilly's go-to hype song: HUMBLE - Kendrick Lamar 🙂 and hardcore DnB.

Leagues & Tournaments Officer

Ajiah Pepe

About Me:​​​​​​​  My name is Ajiah Pepe and I’m from Logan (South Brisbane), Australia. I love music ! Can’t live without it...I am proud of my Pacific heritage - coming from Samoa, Niue, and the Cook Islands. My 2 sons are my world 

Position: I am the Leagues and Tournaments Officer. I manage and deliver basketball leagues and tournaments across the Auckland region, catering to all age groups and skill levels—from grassroots youth development to competitive adult divisions. My role involves end-to-end coordination including scheduling, team registrations, venue bookings, referee assignments, results management, and communication with clubs, schools, and stakeholders. I ensure each league runs smoothly, safely, and in alignment with Auckland Basketball’s strategic goals, while continuously seeking ways to enhance the player and spectator experience. I also contribute to the growth of basketball in the community by supporting participation initiatives and fostering strong relationships with local partners and schools.

Ajiah's all-time favourite basketball player:  My favourite basketball player growing up was Natalie Taylor (Purcell). At the time, I was under 14s and she was playing for Logan Thunder in the WNBL. Natalie was the only Pacific Islander in the team, and I aspired to be like her.

Ajiah's favourite food:  My favourite food is Pasta.

Ajiah's favourite basketball memory: Representing the Cook Islands at the South Pacific Games 2019, 2023.

If Ajiah could play one-on-one with anyone it would be: Doesn’t matter, I’ll take anyone’s ankles.

Ajiah's go-to hype song: Leaked – Lil Tjay

Ajiah plays Point Guard (well).

Community Manager 

Mel Bennett

About Me:​​​​​​​ I am originally from Tauranga and have been immersed in basketball in many different roles including playing, operations, management, governance and coaching over the past 30 years. My whānau are also heavily involved in the sport which is a blessing to share our differing experiences and perspectives. 

Position: My role as Community Manager is to foster and promote the growth of grassroots and development aspects in schools, clubs, and the community. We have a team of community coaches who are guided by our Community Development Officers. An important aspect of my role is to work alongside and in collaboration with our external stakeholders including our NSO Basketball NZ, Iwi, neighbouring associations, Regional Sports Trusts, Funders and other sports codes. I also work with our Pathways and Performance team to deliver coach development opportunities. 

Mel's all-time favourite basketball player:  MJ. As a youngster growing up, he was my idol, because he dealt with adversity and challenges at a young age. I admired his work ethic and attention to detail, along with his incredibly talented creativity as an athlete. 

Mel's favourite food: Creamed paua. 

Mel's basketball positon growing up: PG.

Community Development Officer - South

Amanda Wayment

About Me:​​​​​​​ I grew up in a small town in Ogden, Utah (US) on a farm with 6 siblings and my parents. I played basketball at Brigham Young University, where I earned my bachelor’s in exercise and wellness. I also have my personal training license, which I obtained at AUT. I moved to New Zealand in 2019 and was first a live-in Au Pair from there. The rest is history.

Position: Developing sustainable participation in basketball and driving engagement at schools and clubs in the local communities of South Auckland

Amanda's all-time favourite basketball player: Male: Dirk Nowitzki Female: Breanna Stewart

Amanda's favourite food: Sushi

Amanda's favourite basketball memory: Playing in Madison Square Garden for the High School National Championship when I was a senior in High School

Amanda's signature move on the court: Left Hook on the Block

Amanda's go-to hype song: Pon De Replay by Rihanna

Community Development Officer - West

Kane Keil

About Me: I was born and raised in South Auckland. Basketball has been a massive part of my life, it has given me so many opportunities to study, see some more of the world, also make a lot of friends and some really good memories. I’ve always been a person that wants to help people and I’m really looking forward to sharing what I’ve learned from basketball.

Position:  Developing sustainable participation in basketball and driving engagement at schools and clubs in local communities throughout West Auckland.  

Kane's all-time favourite basketball player: Kevin Durant takes the top spot because of his effortless ability to score the ball.

Kane's favourite food: Chinese food.

Kane's favourite basketball memory:  Winning a NZNBL Championship with the Otago Nuggets

Kane's signature move on/off the court: Hesi Pull.

Marketing & Communications Specialist

Alex Nicholson

About Me:​​​​​​​ I have a communications and marketing background, with a Communications and Art History degree from the University of Auckland. I’m passionate about bringing the game to life through engaging content, strategic promotions, and creative campaign planning. I love the energy of live events, using my creativity to craft compelling experiences, and building connections through socialising, networking, and relationship-building within the basketball community.

Position: I run Communications and Marketing for ABS, covering everything from associations to clubs to leagues to events. That means creating engaging social media content, running effective promotions, and analyzing data to keep engagement strong. I’m also on-site for event coverage, ensuring ABS gets the visibility it deserves.

Alex's all-time favourite basketball player: Kobe Bryant 🐐 (Mamba Mentality, always).

Alex's favourite food: Maccies (chicken nugs <3).

Alex's go-to hype song: Chase & Status Boiler Room set. 

Performance & Pathways Administrator 

Draun Forbes

About Me:​​​​​​​ Kia ora I'm Draun, I started playing basketball in primary school and have been since. For the first few years playing I was in boys' teams because there were no girls' teams, although at the time I hated it, I now appreciate it. I'm now studying at AUT to become a sport therapist to help athletes with their mental barriers they face while playing their sport. 

Position: My role in the team is to help the rep programmes across the associations run smoothly.

Your all-time favourite basketball player:  My favourite player of all-time would have to be Steph Curry because his shooting abilities are crazy but also inspiring.

Your favourite food: Prawn dumplings, deeeeelish with soy sauce

If Draun could play one-on-one with anyone it would be: It would have to be Adam Sandler because he's a famous actor that's funny but also likes to play pick up, imagine how crack that would be!