Jackson Ball

Position: Guard

Height: 192cm

Born: 10 March 2008

Junior Association: Hawkes Bay

High School: Napier Boys High School

Previous NBL clubs – Rookie

Played for the Hawks at the 2023 3v3 Cup where, despite being just 15 years of age, he was named to the All-Star 4.

Played for the New Zealand silver medal winning team at the 2023 FIBA U16 Asian Championship in Qatar.

Playing for Napier Boys High School he led the scoring (averaged 27.3ppg) at the 2023 Secondary Schools National Championships. Scored 38 points against St Bede’s College and 37 against Rosmini College.

Clifton Bush III

Position: Forward

Height: 195cm

Born: 7 August, 2002

Junior Association: Hawkes Bay

High School: Napier Boys High School

Previous NBL clubs – Hawks (2019 & 2021)

Has played 6 games for the Hawks.

Named to the extended Junior Tall Blacks squad in 2020.

Named to the Tournament Team at the 2019 Secondary Schools National Championships.

Father Clifton Bush is a former Hawks player.

Balin Casson

Position: Forward

Height: 191cm

Born: 7 July, 2007

Junior Association: Hawkes Bay

High School: Napier Boys High School

Previous NBL clubs – Rookie

A student at Napier Boys High School Casson was born on 7/7/07.

Casson has progressed through the Hawkes Bay age group system – he averaged 12.8ppg for Hawkes Bay at the 2023 U17 National Championships.

Averaged 18 points per game for Napier Boys High School at the 2023 Secondary Schools National Championships.

Isaac Cox

Position: Wing

Height: 178cm

Born: 4 February, 2003

Junior Association: Hawkes Bay

High School: Taikura Rudolf Steiner School

Previous NBL clubs – Rookie

Played for Hawkes Bay at the U23 National Champs in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

Assistant Strength and Conditioning coach with the Hawks while studying Sport Science at Eastern Institute of Technology.

Tommy Fergusson

Position: Forward

Height: 203cm

Born: 14 November, 2002

Junior Association: Hawkes Bay

High School: Napier Boys High School

Previous NBL clubs – Hawks (2021-present)

Made 11 appearances for the Hawks in 2022 and 8 in 2021.

Named to 2020 Junior Tall Blacks team but the international programmed was cancelled that year due to COVID.

Kobe Kara

Position: Forward

Height: 190cm

Born: 5 September, 2001

Junior Association: Hawkes Bay

High School: Napier Boys High School

Previous NBL clubs – Hawks (2021-present)

Has made 11 appearances for the Hawks since joining the club in 2021.

Played for the Hawks at the 2023 3v3 Cup.

Harry Keighley

Position: Forward

Height: 201cm

Born: 23 January, 2007

Junior Association: Hawkes Bay

High School: Napier Boys High School

Previous NBL clubs – Rookie

Played for Napier Boys High School team that won Hawke’s Bay secondary school title, came 3rd in zone 3 Regional Tournament to qualify for the Secondary Schools National Championships.

Non-travelling reserve for the U16 New Zealand team in 2023

Tanae Lavery

Isaiah Moore (Import)

Position: Guard

Height: 185cm

Born: 19 February, 2000 in Temple Hills, Maryland

High School: Flint Hill High School

Previous NBL clubs – Rookie

Played 8 games in the 2023-24 NBA G League for Iowa Wolves (affiliated to the Minnesota Timberwolves) averaging 6.5 points and 3 assists per game.

Moore played three years at Franklin Pierce University (NCAA Division II) before transferring to the University of South Alabama Jaguars for his senior year (2022-23). Started all 34 games for the Jaguars and led the team in scoring (18.9ppg) and assists (4.6apg).

Ryder Moore

Position: Guard

Height: 185cm

Born: 21 January, 2006

Junior Association: Hawkes Bay

High School: Napier Boys High Scool

Previous NBL clubs – Rookie

Played for the Napier Boys High School team, that in 2022, won the Hawkes Bay Schools competition – averaged 18.3 points per game. 

In 2023, his last year of high school, Moore played for St Bernards College, Wellington that qualified for the Secondary Schools National Championships.

Jacob Murphy

Position: Guard

Height: 188cm

Born: 19 March, 2002

Junior Association: Hawkes Bay

High School: Napier Boys High School

Previous NBL clubs – Hawks (2021-present)

Has played 17 games for the Hawks since debuting in 2021, a season when he scored an NBL high 6 points against the Airs.

Played 5 games in the 2023 season.

Murphy is a product of the Hawkes Bay age-group system.

Jordan Ngatai

Position: Forward

Height: 196cm

Born: 7 March, 1993

Junior Association: Porirua

High School: Mana College

Highest Honour: Tall Blacks – Debut: 2013 

Previous NBL Clubs – Otago Nuggets (2021), Wellington Saints (2012, 2014 & 2017-19 & 2022), Manawatu Jets (2015) Taranaki Mountain Airs (2016), Hawks (2023-present)

Played the 2023-24 European season in Finland for Pyrinto Tampere.

A veteran of 10 NBL seasons and 159 games Ngatai averaged 16.8 points and 3.3 rebounds in 19 games for the Hawks in 2023.

A four-time NBL Championship winner (three with the Saints one with the Nuggets), he missed the 2021 NBL season due to injury.

Named to the All-Star 5 at the 2020 NBL Showdown after guiding the Nuggets to a championship win.

Ngatai also played eight seasons in the Australian NBL including six seasons with the Breakers enjoying championship success in 2014-15. Played for Cairns Taipans from 2020-22.

Played all 13 games for the Tall Blacks in 2023 including all 5 games at the FIBA World Cup. Has played 78 games for the national team.

Following school Ngatai played one year at Sierra Junior College followed by another year at  Brigham Young University (BYU), Hawaii, in 2013-14.

Keanu Rasmussen

Position: Guard

Height: 188cm

Born: March 2, 2003 in Adelaide

High School: 

Previous NBL clubs – Rookie

Played the 2023-24 Australian NBL season with the Adelaide 36ers as a Development Player.

In 2023 played NBL1 Central for his local club Sturt Sabres averaging 16.5 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists.

A product of Basketball Australia’s Centre of Excellence Rasmussen spent two years (2021-23) at California Baptist University (NCAA Division I)

Has a Kiwi father.

Josh Roberts (Import)

Position: Forward

Height: 205cm

Born: 15 July, 1999 in Alabama

High School: Charles Henderson High School

Previous NBL Clubs – Rookie

Roberts spent the 2023-24 season, his rookie professional season, with Cairns Taipans.

He began his collegiate career with St John’s University in Queens, New York and then transferred to Manhattan College (NCAA Division I).

In his senior year (2022-23) at Manhattan he averaged 12.2 points and 10.1 rebounds while shooting 69% from the field. Named MAAC (Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) Defensive Player of the Year in 2023.

Zoram Smiler

Position: Guard

Height: 185cm

Born: 14 March, 2006

Junior Association: Hawkes Bay

High School: Hastings Boys High School

Previous NBL clubs – Rookie

Played for the Hawks at the 2023 3×3 Cup in Invercargill.

Played for the Napier Boys High School team that, in March 2024, won the Secondary Schools 3×3 Central Regional title to qualify for the 3×3 National Champs. 

A product of the Hawkes Bay age-group system, Smiler played for Hawkes Bay at the 2023 U17 National Championships.

George Stent

Position: Guard

Height: 184cm

Born: 22 June, 2007

Junior Association: Hawkes Bay

High School: St John’s College, Hastings

Previous NBL clubs – Rookie

A student at St John’s College, Hastings. In addition to basketball he is an accomplished canoe polo player preparing for his fourth nationals with St john’s.

Luke Sutherland (Import)

Sam Gruggen (Head Coach)

Kaine Hokianga (Assistant Coach)