Alonzo Burton

Position: Wing

Height: 193cm

Born: 4 October, 1993

Junior Association:

High School: St John’s College Hastings

Highest Representative Honour – NZ Select (2018)

Previous NBL clubs – Southland Sharks (2021-present), Hawkes Bay (2012-13 and 2015-16, Manawatu (2014), Taranaki (2017-19)

Averaged 13.3 points per game in 17 appearances for the Sharks in 2021 before a serious hand injury ruled him out of the back part of the season.

Has made over 150 NBL appearances since debuting in 2012.

Played 7 games for the NZ Breakers in 2013-14 as a Development Player.

Son of Tall Black and NBL Legend Willie Burton.

Connor Coll

Position: Forward

Height: 198cm

Born: 17 November, 1998

Junior Association: Waikato

High School: Southland Boys High School/Te Kuiti High School

Previous NBL clubs – Southland Sharks (2017-19 and 2021-present)

Played 9 games for the Sharks in 2021

Tom Cowie

Position: Guard

Height: 184cm

Born: 5 March, 2001

Junior Association: Southland

High School: James Hargest College/Westlake Boys

Highest Representative Honour – NZ U18 (2018)

Previous NBL clubs – Southland Sharks (2019-present), Canterbury Rams (2020)

Played 19 games for the Sharks in 2021.

Played for New Zealand at the FIBA 2018 U17 World Cup in Argentina.

Cowie spent all but Year 13 (when he attended Westlake Boys) at James Hargest College, Invercargill.

Jaylen Gerrand

Position: Guard

Height: 183cm

Born: 30 June, 1996

Junior Association: Hibiscus Coast

High School: Westlake Boys HS

Highest Representative Honour – NZ U18 Men (2013)

Previous NBL Clubs – Franklin Bulls (2021), Auckland Huskies (2020), Taranaki Mountain Airs (2017), Super City Rangers (2019)

Played all 18 games for the Bulls in 2021 averaging 8.2ppg – Scored in double figures on nine occasions.

Gerrand played for Westlake Boys in three Secondary Schools National Championship Finals. In 2012 they beat Rosmini College, in 2013 named MVP at that Tournament after the victory against Rangitoto College. Also in the Tournament Team that year were Tohi Smith-Milner, Sam Timmins, Hyrum Harris,  Izayah Le’afa and his good mate Jack Salt. In 2014 they were defeated by Sam Timmins and Otago Boys High School.

Played at Umpqua Community College, Oregon for one year after high school.

Romaro Gill (Tier 2)

Position: Centre

Height: 2.18m (7’2”)

Born: 2 October, 1994

High School: Saint Thomas Technical HS, Jamaica

Previous NBL Clubs – Position: Centre

Averaged 8.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 9 games for the Saints in 2021.

Played for Raptors 905 in the 2021-22 G League.

Played at Seton Hall University – named to the Big East All-Academic Team in 2018 and 2019. As a senior he averaged 7.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.2 blocks per game.

Played cricket, volleyball and football at school.

Brayden Inger

Position: Wing

Height: 203cm

Born: 18 March, 1999

Junior Association: North Harbour

High School: Rangitoto College

Highest Representative Honour – Tall Blacks (Debuted in 2022)

Previous NBL clubs – Southland Sharks (2021)

Played 19 games for the Sharks in 2021 averaging 14.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per game – shot 40% (56/139) from the 3-point line.

Played for Cairns Taipans as a Development Player in the 2021-22 Australian NBL season.

Inger spent 2019 and 2020 playing in the Western Australian State League for Geraldton Buccaneers. Averaged 13.3 points and 5.8 rebounds in 2020.

Enjoyed an outstanding junior career winning U15 and U17 National titles with North Harbour and back-to-back Secondary School titles with Rangitoto College in 2015 and 2016.

Dom Kelman-Poto

Position: Forward

Height: 201cm

Born: 11 December, 1994

Junior Association: Counties Manukau

High School: Mount Albert Grammar School

Highest Honour: NZ Select (2018), Tall Blacks 3×3 (2022)

Previous NBL Clubs – Southland Sharks (2019 and 2021-present), Super City Rangers (2018), Franklin Bulls (2020)

Led the Sharks in scoring and rebounding in 2021 averaging 18 points per game and 8.4 rebounds per game in 19 appearances.

Playing alongside Tai Wynyard, Taylor Britt and Nikau McCullough won the FIBA 3×3 World Cup Qualifier Asia in March 2022.

Attended Adelphi University (NCAA Division II) for two years (2015-2017) after completing high school in the States.

Kelman-Poto was a Breakers Development player in the 2018-19 ANBL season.

Mojave King

Position: Guard

Height: 196cm

Born: 6 November, 2002

High School: Brisbane State High School

Previous NBL clubs – Rookie

Played in the Australian NBL, on the Next Stars Programme, for Cairns Taipans (2020-21) and Adelaide 36ers (2021-22).

Trained at the NBA Global Academy in Canberra in 2019.

Family links to basketball:

• Otago born, he is the son of BBNZ High Performance Manager and ex-NBL player Leonard King.
• Mum Tracey Paul, played 37 games for the Tall Ferns.
• Sister Tylah played NCAA Division I basketball at the University of Pacific.
• Maternal grandfather, the late John Paul, coached basketball in the Otago region for over 50 years – he coached the Tall Ferns from 1972-1977.

Daishon Knight (Tier 2)

Position: Guard

Height: 185cm

Born: 30 April, 1991

High School: Maine Central Institute

Previous NBL clubs – Manawatu Jets (2018-19, 2021)

In addition to playing three seasons for the Jets Knight has previously played in Lithuania, Turkey, Kosovo, Bulgaria, Qatar, Israel and Switzerland.

Played two years at Illinois State University (2013-15).

Dru-Leo Leusogi-Ape

Position: Guard

Height: 190cm

Born: 14 October, 2001

Junior Association: Waitakere West

High School: Liston College and Shawnigan Lake School, Vancouver

Highest Honour – Samoan National Team

Previous NBL clubs – Franklin Bulls (2020), Taranaki Airs (2021)

Played 14 games for the Airs in 2021 averaging 6.6 points per game.

Named to the Tournament Team at the 2021 U23 National Championship team after helping Porirua to the title.

Averaged 19.8 points per game for the Samoan senior national team at the 2019 Pacific Games in New Caledonia.

Spent two-years attending high school in Canada.

Liam McRae

Position: Forward

Height: 207cm

Born: 11 July, 1995

Junior Association: Manawatu

High School: Palmerston North Boys High School

Previous NBL clubs – Manawatu Jets (2019), Southland Sharks (2021)

In 2020 played in Queensland for Gladstone City Power in NBL 1 North.

After high school attended Southeast Community College followed by two years at Minot State University.

Ethan Mitchell

Position: Guard

Height: 187cm

Born: 3 June, 2003

Junior Association: Southland

High School: St Peter’s College, Gore

Previous NBL clubs – Southland Sharks (2021-present)

Made 3 appearances for the Sharks in 2021.

Campbell Scott

Position: Guard

Height:

Born: 10 March, 2004

Junior Association: Manawatu

High School: Fielding High School

Previous NBL clubs – Rookie

Played for Manawatu at 2021 U17 National Championships.

Winston Shepard (Tier 2)

Position: Forward

Height: 203cm

Born: 22 September, 1993

High School: Findlay College in Henderson, Nevada

Previous NBL clubs – Canterbury Rams (2018)

Averaged 18.2 points and 8.9 rebounds in 18 appearances for the Rams in 2018.

Was most recently playing for BC Odessa in Ukraine but was forced to flee when the war with Russia broke out.

Played 137 games in 4-years at San Diego State University.

Graduated from San Diego State in 2016 and has since played in Hungary, Montenegro, Malaysia, Mexico, Israel and Dominican Republic. Also played 19 games for Santa Cruz Warriors in the 2017-18 G League.

Quake Webster

Position: Guard

Height:

Born: 25 June, 2005

Junior Association: Southland

High School:

Previous NBL clubs – Rookie

Played for Southland at 2021 U17 National Championships

Andrew Wheeler

Position: Guard

Height: 183cm

Born: 18 January, 1988

Junior Association: Southland

High School: James Hargest College, Invercargill

Previous NBL clubs – Southland Sharks (2010-13, 15-19 and 2021-present)

The senior member of the Sharks team, ‘Wheels’ is playing his 11^th season with the club.

A member of the Sharks Championship winning teams in 2015 and 2018.