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Dillon Boucher

Leading Basketball personality, Dillon is a former Tall Black and stalwart of the SkyCity NZ Breakers

Dillon played over 100 games for the NZ Mens Basketball Team (Tall Blacks) between 1989 and 2008. These include an Olympics, a Commonwealth Games and three World Championship including the memorable tournament in 2002 where NZ finished fourth. He has had 16 international tours with the team. With the NZ Breakers he has won the NBL three years in a row from 2010-11 through to 2012-13.

Dillon started his basketball career in 1994 playing in the NZ Basketball League. Since 2003, Dillon has played in the Australian National Basketball League – for the NZ Breakers 2003-5 and 2009-present and in between for the Perth Wildcats and Bribane Bullets. The Breakers were NBL Champions in 2010-11 (Dillon was named Defensive Player of the Year) and NBL Champions, again in 2011-12 where Dillon was named Players Player for the SkyCity NZ Breakers and scored a hat-trick in 2012-13.

After 20 years of professional basketball, 7 years of travel and tourism, and 3 years of running his own coaching business, Dillon feels like he’s had success in many different aspects of life. On top of all this, he has a balanced a family life with a wife and four wonderful children. You could say he is a busy man, but he wouldn’t have it any other way as he thrives on challenges. He calls it a healthy balance of lifestyle!!

Dillon is a very motivated and hard working individual. He enjoys networking and has met many people through his profession and also through various speaking engagements.

He has a motto, which he uses - “To be the best, you have to face your hardest opponent – yourself!!” He believes if you believe in yourself 100% then nothing can come between you and success.

Dillon was made a member of the New Zealand Order or Merit for services to basketball, a sport with which he's been involved for more than half his life in the Queens Birthday Honours List of 2014.

Presentations:

Dillon is no stranger to the media, public speaking and motivating corporates and kids alike.

TELEVISION APPEARANCES

  • Sports Shows – Deaker Profiles, Suzuki Sportzone, Code, NZOOM Sideline Show, Sportzah, Favourite Olympic Moments, The Crowd Goes Wild
  • Kids Shows – What Now?, Studio 2, Freaky TV
  • News – Holmes, Breakfast, Goodmorning, TV 1, TV 3, Sport 365, Crowd Goes Wild, Close Up, Campbell Live, Sunday
  • Celebrity Shows – Ready Steady Cook, Game of 2 Halves, Lion Red Sports Café, Pulp Sport, Road To Athens (12 week documentary), Homefront
  • Music Shows - Pepsi Chart Show, Space

OTHER APPEARANCES

  • Charities - Big Brother Mentoring (Christchurch), Sports Patron for Manukau Special Olympics, Leukaemia and Blood Foundation promotion at Botany Town Centre and face of the “Give us 5” campaign. (included collection boxes, posters, commercials and collection envelopes), Cystic Fibrosis Charity / Celebrity Cricket game in Christchurch vs Canterbury Crusaders Rugby Team, Special Olympics Sports Patron - presenting awards at the Special Olympics
  • Magazines - Player Magazine, Handle Magazine (Australian Basketball Magazine), Woman’s Weekly , Womans Day x 3, Metro, Campus
  • Openings and Launches - “Fearfall” ride at Rainbows End, AJ Hackett Bungy Jump off the Harbour Bridge, Adidas concept store at Lifestyle Sports Newmarket, Launched Adidas new shoe with Jonah Lomu, Bevan Docherty and Chris Donaldson, Microsoft X Box Launch, New outdoor basketball court in Otara, New library in Otara, New gym/hall at Randwick Park Primary School, Blockbuster Manukau Video shop , Adecco West Auckland , Bunnings Glenfield
  • Award Presentations - Halberg Awards – overall sports award presenter, adidas Auckland Marathon,
  • Advertising - Burger King advertisement promoting Tall Black Stack, Burger King – ‘ALL FIRED UP’ promotion – feature on trading cards, and packaging. Sky Television Commercial (“Whoa”), Leukaemia and Blood Foundation Commercial, Fair Go “add awards” , Panasonic Roadshow Promotional DVD
  • Appearances - Grand Marshall of 2002 Auckland Santa Parade (Queen St), Fresh -up “Have a go day” 2001 / 2002, Sports Expo 2001/2, SPARC Sponsorship awards, Papakura Town and Country Day Opening of “Work it out” gym and fitness centre, Several 3 on 3 tournaments at Easter Show, Ngati Otara Park, Otara, Belt Up Campaign – Fringe Festival 2002 (Wellington), Reading in Schools, Counties Manukau Sports Convention and YARNZ (Youth at Risk) Basketball Competition, Fresh Up Have a Go Day 2002 – Wheelchair basketball, Pacific Games 2002, Pasifika 2003 , Coke Gig 2003
  • Radio Appearances – 1ZB with Murray Deaker, Radio Sport, Mai FM, The Rock, 91 ZM, Niu FM, Solid Gold

BASKETBALL CAMPS OR HOLIDAY PROGRAMMES
ATTENDED & COACHED OVER 100 SCHOOLS IN THE AUCKLAND AREA

  • Member of the Lunchtime Superstars who toured Auckland and Hamilton Schools and shopping centres promoting Road Safety in a fun and interactive way through basketball.
  • Bay of Islands, Nelson, Invercargill, North Shore YMCA, St Kentigern College, Howick College, Kelston Boys College, Rosmini College, Waitakere Stadium, Auckland College of Education, Macleans College
  • Blue Light Hamilton – Church College

Testimonials:

“I rate Dillon as the best swing-man in NZ basketball today. He does so many things for a basketball team on and off the court. He is extremely intelligent, and as tough a competitor as we have in NZ. He does play a high-risk brand of basketball, but is intelligent enough to adapt his style to the teams needs. Dillon makes players around him better players.” - Tab Baldwin (NZ Men’s Coach)

"He brings an attitude of doing whatever it takes to win, and has been a strong defensive presence on the teams he's been part of - both in our league and internationally. His skills and attitude are things we think we'll really benefit from. Dillon Boucher is a player that you will not see up in lights, everyone I’ve spoken to about him likes him as a player and don’t like playing against him. He was one of the main reasons we lost against Perth in the finals last season, so we are looking forward to him being with us, rather than against us.” - Jeff Van Groningen - (Brisbane Bullets General Manager)

“The importance of his addition cannot be underestimated. He hustles his backside off, he gets woodburn diving on the floor for loose balls, he makes plays all over the court. The rest of the team has followed his lead, and Brisbane has suddenly become a much tougher team defensively.” – Matt McQuade - (Australian NBL Media)

Dillon Boucher is the kind of player that is booed at the loudest in opposition arenas but cheered for the loudest at home. He is a long time New Zealand tall black and is the ultimate team-first player, always putting his body on the line for his team-mates and doing every he can at both ends of the floor to help his side win.He is always amongst the league leaders in steals and is often mentioned as a player other teams hate to play against because of his defensive intensity. – Brisbane Bullets website

"He demonstrates strength on defence, has good knowledge on the offensive end of the floor, and more importantly than all that, does the little things that make a team better. During his career he has shown strong leadership and we are really excited that he's a Bullet now," - Joey Wright (Brisbane Bullets Coach)

On why Dillon should be captain of the Auckland team – “The obvious choice was Dillon, given his experience and his natural leadership quality. Dillon is someone who has long held the respect of his teammates and opponents through his competitive spirit, basketball knowledge and hustling style of play. His game is characterised by speed and aggression, which enables him to lift the tempo of a game. He is one of the best one-on-one defenders in the league, is a great passer of the ball and has an uncanny ability to slash his way to the basket.” – Auckland Programme – 2000