Inexperienced Tall Blacks squad named
- NZ Sports Wire
- 4 hours ago
- 5 min read
Head coach Judd Flavell has included three debutants in a largely inexperienced Tall Blacks squad for next month's FIBA Asia Cup.
National Basketball League (NBL) standouts Mojave King, Jack Andrew and Dontae Russo-Nance were named on Wednesday among the 11 players for the continental championship in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from August 5-17.
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Just four players - Wellington Saints forward Jordan Ngatai (84), Canterbury Rams forward Tohi Smith-Milner (69) and guard Taylor Britt (34) and Franklin Bulls guard Flynn Cameron (28) - have made more than 10 games for the Tall Blacks.
The other members of the squad - Rams forward Max Darling, Taranaki Airs forward Carlin Davison, young big man Ben Gold and Brisbane Bullets guard Taine Murray - have played between four and 10 games.
Gold, out of Marquette University, has been named in the squad but will only play at the FIBA Asia Cup.
In what seems like a changing of the guard, there is no Shea Ili, Reuben Te Rangi, Finn Delany, Yanni Wetzell, Corey Webster, Izayah Le'afa, Sam Timmins, Sam Waardenburg, Sam Mennenga or Hyrum Harris.
How King, Andrew and Russo-Nance performed during the NBL seasons was pivotal in their inclusions.
“The form that they’ve played with in the NBL and the roles and responsibilities that they’ve had with their teams. All of their teams were successful this past season, and a large part of that was down to how these guys contributed.”
For the youngest of the three debutants, Dontae Russo-Nance is someone who Flavell’s has been keeping an eye on for quite some time.
“He’s been on the periphery the last few windows. We just needed to see him on the floor for a large period of time so that we could see him with the responsibilities of leading his team, and carrying a workload.
"If you look at the Jets success, they probably surprised a lot of people with how well they did. They only just missed out on the playoffs, and Dontae was a big reason for that.”
In Otago basketball, the last name King holds high significance. King's father Leonard played for the Nuggets, later turning to coaching and Mum, Tracey, also had a glittering collegiate career.
“We always knew that Mojave was very talented. When you look at the Tall Blacks in the past, we’ve had to have a guy that can score, shoot the ball and get hot. And we know Mojave can put on 10-12 points in a short period of time.”
With an already well-travelled start to his young professional career, King has shown the ability to score the ball in numerous ways.
In first most recent Australian NBL season with the NZ Breakers, King averaged 8.5 points. Alongside his recently completed NBL season with the Tauranga Whai, King averaged 22.2 points, shooting a tidy 38 percent from beyond the arc.
“His role for us is going to be scoring. Mojave has that unique skillset that I think past Tall Black teams have really leaned on to carry some of that scoring load.”
Andrew’s debut inclusion has come from a lot of grit, hardwork and determination. Especially impressive was his 13.9 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.2 blocks per game averages during a breakout season with the Airs.
“Jack has had a phenomenal jump this season. He just really seemed to grow in confidence as well. For a big man to actually run and have a high activity rate that’s something that we really like about them.
"He’s been the first man down the floor, he’s been active on the glass, and he’s had great success in tandem with Carlin off the pick and roll. I think those two have been one of the most dynamic duos.”
The number of debutants in the squad could increase to four, when a 12th player is added after two warm-up tournaments in China.
Bulls forward Jordan Hunt, Nelson Giants guard Hayden Jones, the son of Tall Blacks legend Phill Jones, and Bay Hawks centre Luca Yates will travel to China for the FIBA Solidarity Cup and Four Nations tournaments, with one to be selected for the FIBA Asia Cup.
Hunt has made 12 appearances for the Tall Blacks, while Jones made his senior international debut earlier this year.
Yates, 21, still holds a development player contract with the ANBL champion Illawarra Hawks squad.
“I first saw him playing for the Illawarra Hawks and then got to see him up close and personal playing in the NBL.
"That gave us a great opportunity to see him perform each week, and playing against a lot of guys that were competing for these positions – and we just really liked what he had to offer.
“We’re just really excited to have another quality big man that has good size and good level of skill. He shoots the ball well from outside, it may not be his known quality but that’s a skill we really like when it comes to playing international basketball.”
New Zealand topped Group B in the qualifiers, finishing with an impressive 5-1 record, including memorable wins over Chinese Taipei and a split series against the Philippines. The home victory at Spark Arena against the Philippines was a standout moment, showcasing the growing passion for basketball across Aotearoa.
At the Asia Cup, the Tall Blacks will compete in Group D, facing Chinese Taipei, the Philippines, and Iraq. Having already faced Chinese Taipei and the Philippines during qualifying, the team is well-prepared for the challenge ahead.
In preparation for the tournament, the squad will travel to China for a series of warm-up games. The Tall Blacks will play three games at the FIBA Solidarity Cup against Brazil, Guangdong and Montenegro, before playing at the Four Nations Tournament, again against Brazil and a to-be-determined opponent.
Tall Blacks fans in New Zealand can catch all FIBA Asia Cup action live on TVNZ+.
TALL BLACKS SQUAD
C - Jack Andrew* (Taranaki Airs), debutant
G - Taylor Britt (Canterbury Rams & New Zealand Breakers), 34 games
G - Flynn Cameron (Franklin Bulls & Adelaide 36ers), 28 games
F - Max Darling (Canterbury Rams & New Zealand Breakers), 9 games
F – Carlin Davison (Taranaki Airs & New Zealand Breakers), 4 games
F – Ben Gold (Marquette University), 7 games (Only for FIBA Asia Cup)
G – Mojave King* (Tauranga Whai), debutant
G/F – Taine Murray (Brisbane Bullets), 10 games
G/F – Jordan Ngatai (Wellington Saints), 84 games
G – Dontae Russo-Nance* (Manawatū Jets), debutant
F/C – Tohi Smith-Milner (Canterbury Rams & Brisbane Bullets), 69 games
Additions for FIBA Solidarity Cup and Four Nations
F – Jordan Hunt (Franklin Bulls & Surrey 89ers), 12 games
G – Hayden Jones (Nelson Giants & University of Wisconsin), 1 game
C – Luca Yates* (Hawke’s Bay Hawks & Illawarra Hawks), debutant
TALL BLACKS SCHEDULE
FIBA Solidarity Cup (Guangdong, China)
July 26: Tall Blacks vs Brazil
July 27: Tall Blacks vs Guangdong
July 28: Tall Blacks vs Montenegro
Four Nations Tournament (Shenzhen, China)
July 30: Tall Blacks vs Brazil
July 31: Tall Blacks vs TBC
FIBA Asia Cup 2025 (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia)
August 5: Tall Blacks vs Iraq
August 8: Tall Blacks vs Philippines
August 10: Tall Blacks vs Chinese Taipei