Remembering Tony Pompallier: Champion of the Basketball Community

The Sky Sport Breakers are remembering Tony Pompallier fondly and taking time to reflect on the tremendous influence he had at the club and on the wider basketball community.

Tony passed away suddenly this week, leaving behind Carlina, Chanel, Rochelle, Bobby and Cayden.  It has been a tragic 12-months for the family.  His passing coming less than a year after youngest daughter Hayley also passed away.

Breakers owner Matt Walsh says the club will miss Tony dearly, not only was he an integral part of the organisation helping teach basketball in the junior programmes, he was family.

A former Clubman of the Year, thousands of children have gone through programmes run by Tony, and for many youngsters, he would have been their first basketball coach.

Breakers General Manager Simon Edwards says Tony first introduced him to basketball when he was an 8-year-old, more than two decades ago.

At the time, he was a soccer player, but Tony came into his school as a basketball coach and inspired him to give soccer away and take up hoops.

Not surprisingly, he says Tony changed his life.

There is little doubt there are hundreds of similar stories like that about Tony because he had so much to do with junior basketball in the community.  

His death is not just felt in Auckland, but also by the Breakers players who are stuck in Australia because of COVID and cannot come home for the funeral.

Plans are already underway to stream the service so the players can pay their respects, and support assistant coach Chanel in particular.  Thankfully she was in New Zealand at the time of Tony’s passing.

Tony’s sudden passing is a tremendous loss to the sport, and he leaves a void impossible to replace.  

May he rest in peace.