Jamaal Brantley (Import)
Position: Forward
Height: 200cm
Born: 7 July, 1993
High School: Ridge View High School, Columbia
Previous NBL clubs – Franklin Bulls (2023-present)
Played all 20 games for the Bulls in 2023 averaging 9.3 points and 6.1 rebounds per game – scored a season high 25 points against the Jets.
Played for Portuguese club Sampaense Basket in the 2023-24 European season.
Played 2 games for the Sky Sport Breakers as an injury replacement in October, 2022.
Played 2 years at Cameron University (NCAA Division II) averaging 15.8 points and 7.2 rebounds in his senior year in 2015-16.
Subsequently drafted to the G League by Raptor 905 Missisauga.
Has played in France and Portugal.
Older brother of former Breaker Jarrell Brantley.
Noah Campbell
Position: Guard
Height: 1185cm
Born: 31 August, 2005
Junior Association: Franklin
High School: Pukekohe High School
Previous NBL clubs – Franklin Bulls (2023-present)
Played 2 games for the Bulls in 2023.
Played for the Pukekohe High School team that qualified for the Secondary Schools National Championships for the first time ever in 2023 – also graduated from high school in 2023.
Averaged 18ppg at Nationals with a top score of 27 points against Rotorua Boys High School.
Harri Coker-Grey
Position: Guard
Height: 194cm
Born:
Junior Association: Auckland
High School: Mt Albert Grammar School
Previous NBL clubs – Rookie
Played for the Mt Albert Grammar School team that, in 2023, won the Auckland Secondary Schools title and finished 7th at the Secondary Schools National Championships. Averaged 12.6ppg at the National Championships.
Played for Auckland at the 2023 U19 National Championships.
Isaac Davidson
Position: Small Forward
Height: 201cm
Born: 6 June, 1997
Junior Association: Waitakere West Auckland
High School: Rangitoto College
Highest Representative Honour – NZ U18’s (2014)
Previous NBL clubs – Bulls (2020-present)
Davidson returns for his fifth season with the Bulls for whom he has made a club record 58 appearances. Played all 20 games for the Bulls in 2023 – averaged 11.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.
Played for Lokoko Bisons in the 2023-24 Finnish League season.
Played 16 games for the Breakers in the Australian NBL over three seasons (2020-23).
After high school gained a four-year scholarship at Sonoma State University (NCAA Division II) and led the team in scoring in his senior year averaging 15.3 points per game. Played 93 games for the Seawolves scoring over 1,000 points.
A member of the Rangitoto College team that won Secondary School Nationals in 2015.
Sister Penina is a current Tall Fern. Mother Bronwen Davidson was named BBNZ Female Coach of the Year in 2023 and has led Westlake Girls High School to back-to-back Secondary Schools National Championships in 2022 and 2023.
Liam Davis
Position: Forward
Height: 196cm
Born: 6 June, 1997
Junior Association: Waikato
High School: Hamilton Boys High School
Previous NBL clubs – Rookie
Scored 5 points on debut against the Giants in the opening game of the 2024 season.
A Development Player for the Wellington Saints in 2023.
Played for Waikato Basketball at the 2023 U23 National Championships.
Played for the Hamilton Boys High School team at the 2022 Secondary Schools National Championships – averaged 13.2ppg.
Payton Hughes
Position: Guard
Height: 180cm
Born: 24 April, 2006
Junior Association: Franklin
High School: Pukekohe High School
Previous NBL clubs – Franklin Bulls (2023-present)
Played 1 game for the Bulls in 2023.
Played for the Pukekohe High School team that qualified for the Secondary Schools National Championships for the first time ever in 2023. Averaged 16.5 ppg at the tournament – scored 36 points against St Bede’s.
Jordan Hunt
Position: Forward/Centre
Height: 205cm
Born: 12 September, 1997
Junior Association: Hutt Valley
High School: Hutt Valley High School
Previous NBL Clubs – Wellington Saints (2016), Otago Nuggets (2020), Bay Hawks (2021-23)
Played 11 games for Surrey Scorchers in the British Basketball League in the 2023-24 season – averaged 8.3 points and 4.0 rebounds before he suffered a fractured fibula in January.
Played all 19 games for the Hawks in 2023 averaging 10.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.
Hunt won an NBL title with the Otago Nuggets in 2020. His 21 points in the 79-77 Grand Final win against Manawatu Jets earned him the Grand Final MVP Award.
In 2020-21 he was a Development Player with the Cairns Taipans.
Debuted for the Tall Blacks in 2021.
After high school Hunt headed to Southern Oregon University (NCAA Division II) on a four-year scholarship.
In his senior year (2019-20) he finished second in scoring (12.9ppg) and third in rebounding (5.6rpg) for the Raiders. He finished his career with 1147 points, the 11th highest scorer all-time at SOU, and 741 rebounds to place 8th in programme history.
Dom Kelman-Poto
Position: Forward
Height: 201cm
Born: 11 December, 1994
Junior Association: Counties Manukau
High School: Mount Albert Grammar School
Highest Honour: 3×3 Tall Blacks
Previous NBL Clubs – Southland Sharks (2019 and 2021-22), Super City Rangers (2018), Franklin Bulls (2020 & 2023-present)
Played 20 games for the Bulls in 2023 averaging 8.5 points and 4.2 rebounds per game.
Had played exactly 100 NBL games prior to the start of the 2024 season. Has scored a career high 31 points on two occasions. – against the Jets in 2018 and v the Airs in 2020.
A regular member of the 3X3 Tall Blacks DK-P was as a member of the team that defeated Australia to win the inaugural Trans-Tasman Cup in Invercargill in 2023. Also played for NZ at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and the 2022 FIBA 3×3 World Cup.
Also a member of the Southland Sharks Schick Cup winning team in 2021 and 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 and an injury replacement player in the 2023-24 season.
Harrison Kelso
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 & 2024), Taranaki Airs (2021), Southland Sharks (2022-23)
An injury plagued 2023 saw Leusogi-Ape play just 9 games for the Sharks – averaged 7.8 points per game.
Scored a career high 20 points against the Tuatara in 2023.
Played for Tavake Pasifika at the 2023 3×3 Cup. Named 2022 3×3 Cup MVP helping Southland secure back-to-back national titles.
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.
Dante Matakatea
Position: Wing
Height: 194cm
Born: 14 March, 2005
Junior Association: Auckland
High School: Mt Albert Grammar School
Previous NBL clubs – Rookie
Played for the Mt Albert Grammar School team that in 2023 won the Auckland Secondary Schools title and finished 7th at the Secondary Schools National Championships.
Played for Auckland at the 2023 U19 National Championships.
Played for the New Zealand U17 team at both the 2022 FIBA Asian Championship and the 2022 FIBA U17 World Cup in Spain – scored 19 points against Egypt.
Halasial Miale
Position: Centre
Height: 189cm
Born: 6 June, 1997
Junior Association: Waikato Country
High School: Fraser High School
Previous NBL clubs – Rookie
Debuted against the Giants in the opening game of the 2024 season. Scored a season best 5 points against the Jets in Round 3 of NBL ‘24.
Played for Fraser High School at the 2014 Secondary Schools National Championships.
Luther Muhammad (Import)
Position: Guard
Height: 191cm
Born: 17 June, 1999 in Newark, New Jersey
High School: Hudson Catholic High School
Previous NBL clubs – Rookie
Scored 34 points on debut against the Giants in the opening round of the 2024 NBL season and followed that with 31 against the Rams in Round 2.
Played two years at Ohio State University playing 64 games before transferring to Arizona State University where he played a further 64 games in two seasons – graduated in 2023..
Played his rookie professional season in Finland in 2023-24 where he averaged 21.7 points per game for Pyrinto Tampere.
Ezekiel Otunuku
Corey Perry
Position: Guard
Height: 185cm
Born:
Junior Association: Franklin
High School: Pukekohe High School
Previous NBL clubs – Franklin Bulls
Played 2 games for the Bulls in 2021. Also played for the Bulls, alongside brother Brody at the 2023 3×3 Cup.
Has been a squad member of the Bulls since the club’s inception in 2020.
Older brother of Brody Perry.
Brody Perry
Position: Guard
Height: 190cm
Born: 6 January, 2005
Junior Association: Franklin
High School: Pukekohe High School
Previous NBL clubs – Franklin Bulls (2023-present)
Played 4 games for the Bulls in 2023. Also played for the Bulls, alongside brother Corey at the 2023 3×3 Cup.
Played for the Pukekohe High School team that qualified for the Secondary Schools National Championships for the first time ever in 2023. Averaged 18ppg at the tournament with a top score of 28 points against Palmerston North Boys High School.
Played for the New Zealand U17 team at both the 2022 FIBA Asian Championship and the 2022 FIBA U17 World Cup in Spain.
Younger brother of Corey Perry.
Ethan Rusbatch
Position: Guard
Height: 1.96m
Born: 24 May, 1992
Junior Association: Canterbury
High School: Cashmere High School
Highest Honour: Tall Blacks – Debut in 2016 (Appearances 35)
Previous NBL Clubs – Southland Sharks (2012), Taranaki Airs (2013), Canterbury Rams (2014-17), Hawks (2018-19 & 2021-23)
Playing his 12th NBL season Rusbatch joins the Bulls after playing the last five seasons with the Hawks. Played 17 games for the Hawks in 2023 averaging 14 points per game – his least productive scoring season since 2018.
Won NBL Most Improved Player Award in 2019 after averaging 20.3 points per game – his three-point shooting percentage was an impressive 43.2%.
Played 16 games for the Breakers in the 2019-20 ANBL season.
Played both Asia Cup Qualifying games for the Tall Blacks in February 2024 – scored an international best 26 points against Chinese Taipei.
An ever present with the Tall Blacks during their qualifying campaign for the 2023 FIBA World Cup but missed the World Cup due to injury.
Rusbatch was a member of the bronze medal winning team at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and went on to play at the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China.
After a year at Lincoln Trail Junior College, Illinois, Rusbatch joined the Southland Sharks in 2012.
Nathaniel Short
Joshua Scott (Import)
Position: Point Guard
Height: 185cm
Born: 19 January, 1998 in St Petersburg, Florida
High School: St Petersburg High School
Previous NBL Clubs – Rookie
Following two years at Thomas University (NAIA) Scott began his professional career in North Macedonia.
Has since played in Austria, Bosnia and Slovakia playing for MBK Banik Handlova in 2023-24.
Scott averaged 17.2 points and 6.8 assists across 24 games for Handlova.
Sam Timmins
Position: Centre
Height: 210cm
Born: 23 May, 1997
Junior Association: Otago
High School: Otago Boys High School
Highest Representative Honour: Tall Blacks Debut – 2017
Previous NBL Clubs – Otago Nuggets (2013 and 2021-23), Canterbury Rams (2015), Franklin Bulls (2020 and 2024)
A championship winner with Otago in 2022 Timmins averaged 15.6 points and 9.5 rebounds per game with the Nuggets in 2023.
Timmins played for the Nuggets as a 15-year old in 2013.
Was a Development Player for the NZ Breakers in the 2021-22 Australian NBL season and a fully contracted player in 2022-23 before moving to the Sydney Kings for the 2023-24 season.
Played both Asia Cup Qualifying games for the Tall Blacks in February 2024 – scored an international best 16 points against Chinese Taipei.
Played in Estonia for Kalev during 2020-21 European season.
In 2014 he was named Tournament MVP as Otago Boys claimed the Secondary Schools National title.
In 2015 crowned FIBA 3×3 U18 World Champions in Hungary playing alongside Matt Freeman, Tai Wynyard and Nikau McCullough.
Following high school Timmins played 4-years NCAA Division I basketball at the University of Washington where he played 128 games for the Huskies – graduated in 2020.
Christian Vano
Position: Guard
Height: 190cm
Born: 2 April, 2005
Junior Association:
High School: Rotorua Boys High School
Previous NBL clubs – Franklin Bulls (2023-present)
Vano played 11 games for the Bulls in 2023 scored a season high 7 points against the Rams. Also played for the Bulls at the 2023 3×3 Cup.
Played for Rotorua Boys High at the 2023 Secondary Schools National Championships – Rotorua were semi-finalists.