Basketball opportunities

Join a vibrant and supportive community offering a variety of basketball opportunities for both recreational and competitive players. Take your game to the next level and connect with fellow basketball enthusiasts.

Located on the Kelburn campus, the Recreation Centre's main gym serves as the hub for basketball at the University. Both the Wellington region and the University boast a rich history in basketball, both on and off the court, and even in administrative roles.

The University offers numerous opportunities for basketball enthusiasts of all levels. As the fastest-growing sport in New Zealand, basketball has quickly become one of the most popular casual, social, and competitive sports on campus.

Below is a summary of the Basketball opportunities here at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington.

  • Casual and Just play—pick up Basketball during free hours in the main gym.
  • Social basketball leagues—social leagues are held in trimesters one and two on the Kelburn campus, students can enter as an individual or as a team.
  • RC/ VUW Basketball Club—the club offers a vibrant and inclusive basketball community with social and competitive basketball teams that enter in University and local Wellington leagues.
  • UTSNZ  tertiary championships—trial for the University representative team to take on New Zealand's premier universities at the 3x3 and 5on5 tertiary Basketball Champs.

2026 JTT x VUW 3x3 Basketball day

Following the success of the 2025 event, we’re excited to bring back a fast‑paced day of 10‑minute 3x3 games, featuring round‑robin play and knock‑out finals. Whether you’re experienced or new to 3x3, it’s a great chance to get involved and contribute on court.

This year we are accepting team registrations only and all players must be current students of Vic Uni. If you’re an individual without a team, email sports@vuw.ac.nz and we may be able to connect you with a squad needing extra players.

Registrations close on March 22 2026. The tournament begins at 10 am and runs until all grades have completed round‑robin and finals games. Each team requires a minimum of 4 players, no coach, and should expect to play 4–6 games across the day. After registrations close, we’ll contact teams to confirm the next steps.

Justin Toebes Trust and VUW Basketball Partnership

University Recreation is excited to announce a new sports partnership with the Justin Toebes Trust (JT Trust).

The JT Trust helps young people who need assistance with getting into or advancing in the sport of basketball in the greater Wellington region. Named after Justin Toebes, a local legend in the Wellington basketball community and a distinguished alumnus of the University's law school, the Trust honours his legacy in basketball and both the legal and banking industries.

Together with the JT Trust, we believe that promising Victoria University of Wellington student athletes deserve to receive the support they need to pursue basketball opportunities. Over an initial period of two years, our partnership will offer the following:

  1. Basketball Cash prizes—Awarding to outstanding basketball students excelling on or off the court.
  2. Basketball Hardship fund—Providing additional funding for students pursuing basketball opportunities.
  3. 3x3 community day—Delivering a one-day 3x3 basketball tournament for the wider University community, scheduled for March/April 2025 in Trimester 1.

More details will be released in September 2024.