Ben Adamson

Position: Forward

Height: 206cm

Born: 17 February, 2002

Junior Association: Counties Manukau

High School: Howick College

Previous NBL clubs – Hawks (2022)

A Hawkes Bay Hawks squad member in 2022.

Played for Elias Titans in Darwin 2021 averaging 15.5 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.

Grant Anticevich (Import)

Position: Forward

Height: 203cm

Born: 14 April, 1998

High School: Newington College, Sydney

Previous NBL clubs – Rookie

Played his rookie pro season at South East Melbourne Phoenix (2022-23) – made 18 appearances.

Played 139 games, with 86 starts, in 5-years at the University of California, Berkeley – the most games played at Cal. Averaged 9.5 points and 6.8 rebounds in his final season with the Golden Bears (2021-22).

A musician who can play multiple instruments.

Alonzo Burton

Position: Wing

Height: 193cm

Born: 4 October, 1993

Junior Association: Hawkes Bay

High School: St John’s College, Hastings

Highest Representative Honour – NZ Select (2018)

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

Averaged 10.8 points per game in 17 appearances for the Sharks in 2022. In the opening game of the season against the Saints he made 8 from 8 threes – shot the 3-ball at 39.6% (42/106) overall.

Has made 160 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.

Tom Cowie

Position: Guard

Height: 184cm

Born: 5 March, 2001

Junior Association: Southland

High School: James Hargest College/Westlake Boys High

Highest Representative Honour – NZ U18 (2018)

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

Played 14 games for the Sharks in 2022. Also a member of the Sharks title winning Schick 3×3 Cup team.

Playing for Southland Cowie was the leading scorer at the 2022 U23 National Championships – named to the Tournament Team.

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.

Josh Cunningham (Import)

Position: Forward

Height: 203

Born: 11 August, 1996

High School: Morgan Park High School, Chicago

Previous NBL Clubs – Southland Sharks (2021)

Cunningham returns to Southland after playing 19 games for the Sharks in 2021. That year he averaged 14.7 points and 8.1 rebounds per game.

He played the following season in Bosnia and most recently (2022-23) in Rumania where he averaged 10.4 points and 5.5 rebounds for Arges Pitesti.

Cunningham has also played in Holland and for the Westchester Knicks in the G League.

Played three years at the University of Dayton following his freshman year at Bradley University. In his senior year at Dayton (2018-19) he averaged 13.3 points and 6.2 rebounds – finished his Flyers career with 964 points in 73 games.

Ben Hall

Position: Forward

Height: 196cm

Born: 14 June, 1999

Junior Association: Canterbury

High School: Rangiora High School

Previous NBL clubs – Canterbury Rams (2021)

Made a strong impression at the 2022 Schick 3×3 Cup playing for West Coast Rapids

Played 7 games for the Canterbury Rams in 2021.

A member of the 2019 Canterbury U23 National Championship winning team.

Attended Lincoln University on a basketball scholarship, Hall graduated with a Masters in Finance.

Johnny Helu

Position: Guard

Height: 188cm

Born: 18 June, 1999

Junior Association: Wellington

High School: Wellington College

Previous NBL clubs – Wellington Saints (2019 and 2022), Southland Sharks (2021 and 2023)

Played 10 games for the Wellington Saints in 2022 averaging 3.6 points per game.

Played 19 games for the Southland Sharks in 2021 averaging 6.3 points per game.

Attended University of West Florida (NCAA Division II) in 2019-20.

Jeremy Kendle (Import)

Position: Guard

Height: 186cm

Born: 15 March, 1988

High School: Jeffersonville High School, Indiana

Previous NBL clubs – Canterbury Rams (2017), Auckland Huskies (2021), Southland Sharks (2019)

In addition to playing in Australia in the ANBL for Brisbane Bullets, Sydney Kings and Adelaide 36ers Kendle has played in Morocco and Switzerland.

He has played the last two seasons for Logan Thunder in NBL 1

Played three years at Bellarmine University (NCAA Division II ( 2009-12).

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-present)

Played 17 games for the Sharks in 2022 averaging 11.9 points and 6.2 rebounds per game – scored a season high 22 points against the Nuggets.

Career high is 27 points v Giants in 2021.

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.

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), Southland Sharks (2022-present)

Played all 18 games for the Sharks in 2022 averaging 9.7 points per game – scored a career high 19 points against the Nelson Giants.

Named Schick 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.

Alex Pledger

Position: Centre

Height: 215cm

Born: 27 March, 1987

Junior Association: Waikato

High School: Hamilton Boys High School

Highest Representative Honour – Tall Blacks (Debuted in 2022)

Previous NBL clubs – Waikato Pistons (2009-11), Auckland Pirates (2012), Southland Sharks (2016-21)

Played 73 games for the Sharks prior to taking a break from the game to recover from illness. Last played in July 2021.

Won NBL Championships with the Pistons (2009), Pirates (2012) and Sharks (2018).

A 4-time Australian NBL championship winner with the New Zealand Breakers – played 238 games for the club accumulating 1,762 points (8^th highest all-time) and 1,293 rebounds (3^rd highest all-time). Played a further two ANBL seasons with Melbourne United.

Has made 70 Tall Blacks appearances since debuting in 2008.

Played on the Tall Blacks bronze medal winning team at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Riley Snow

Position: Forward

Height: 198cm

Born:

Junior Association: Southland

High School: Southland Boys High School

Previous NBL clubs – Rookie

A Year 13 at Southland Boys High he only began playing basketball a couple of years ago after converting from rugby.

A Southland U17 and U23 representative in 2022.

Quake Webster

Position: Guard

Height: 178cm

Born: 25 June, 2005

Junior Association: Southland

High School: Aparima College, Invercargill

Previous NBL clubs – Sharks (2022-present)

2023 is the second season as a Development Player for Webster.

Played for Southland at 2022 U23 National Championships.

Guy Molloy (Head Coach)

Andrew Wheeler (Assistant Coach)

Connor Coll (Assistant Coach)