What was to be a five-year role ended early amid a dearth of wins, but Daly-Taylor endures and still helps with the Hawks.
It’s been a long time since New Zealand last had a national women’s league side, or even a serious top women’s tournament contender, and Daly-Taylor doesn’t see that situation changing soon.
“Not in the next five years,” she said, telling Hawke’s Bay Today her focus is now in coaching girls – “from 8 to 10, or even 20”.
There has been talent in Hawke’s Bay, such as Pahlyss Hokianga, who at 18 has played 14 matches for the Tall Ferns after becoming the youngest Tall Fern when used as an injury replacement in the Olympic Qualifier Tournament in Xi’an, China, in February 2024.
Daly believes her focus for the foreseeable future will be developing players with Hawke’s Bay as a feeder to Wellington regional side Tokomanawa Queens, who play in the five-team Tauihi Basketball Aotearoa, which revived the national women’s league in 2022.
Away from the court, the career school teacher is now a real estate agent with Tremains and was in the car around town a fortnight or so ago when she answered a call – not from a potential vendor or buyer, but from Basketball New Zealand asking if she could be available on May 23 in Wellington to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
She was the only one in the latest induction, with the hall celebrating 45 individuals and three teams across four divisions, covering coach, player, technical official and contributor, since it was inaugurated in 2016.
Over a 32-year career in education, she served as assistant principal and director of basketball at Napier Boys’ High School, helping build a strong basketball culture while mentoring generations of young athletes.
Daly-Taylor said she felt humbled and grateful but secretly “stoked” to have been inducted.
“It’s pretty special when you look back on the journey and all the people who have been involved along the way,” she said. “Hawke’s Bay people need to feel that they are a part of this.
“Basketball has made me who I am and given me so many opportunities, friendships and experiences over the years, and I’ve always loved being able to give back to the game, especially here in Hawke’s Bay.”
Her recent step away from education to begin a career in real estate was inspired by a desire for a new challenge and the strong community values of the Hawke’s Bay company.
Long-time friend Simon Tremain supported and encouraged her transition into the industry. “After 32 years in education, I felt ready for something different,” she said.
Doug Laing is a Hawke’s Bay Today reporter with more than 50 years’ fulltime in journalism, including covering a national women’s basketball tournament in Napier for the Daily Telegraph, Napier, when women’s basketball was in its heyday in the region in the late 1970s.