Caleb Asberry (Import)

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)

Played all 18 games for the Sharks in 2023 – averaged 11.4 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. Scored a season high 20 points against the Nuggets, making 6 from 7 triples.

Played for the Sharks team that claimed bronze at the 2023 3×3 Cup. Also played on the gold medal winning team in 2022.

Has made 178 NBL appearances since debuting in 2012 scored a career high 29 points against Super City Rangers in 2018.

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)

Missed the 2023 season following ankle surgery.

Played 7 games for the Sharks in 2022 scoring a career best 7 points against the Jets.

Coll has made 24 appearances in total since debuting in 2017.

Ben Hall

Position: Forward

Height: 196cm

Born: 14 June, 1999

Junior Association: Canterbury

High School: Rangiora High School

Previous NBL clubs – Canterbury Rams (2021), Sharks (2023-present)

Played all 18 games for the Sharks in 2023 averaging 6.8 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. Scored a career high 19 points against the Nuggets in May 2023.

Played for the Sharks team that claimed bronze at the 2023 3×3 Cup.

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.

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)

Inger returns for a fourth season with the Sharks after playing for Hemel Storm during the 2023-24 English National Basketball League season.

Averaged 10 points and 4.5 rebounds across 15 games for the Southland Sharks in the 2023 Sal’s NBL season.

Career high is 27 points v Nelson 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. 

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

Matariki Kapea

Position: Guard

Height: 183cm

Born: 27 May, 2001

Junior Association: Hutt Valley/Wellington

High School: Palmerston Hutt Valley High School

Previous NBL clubs – Rookie

Missed playing the majority of 2023 due to injury.

Following high school spent two years in the USA at Bakersfield Junior College (2021-23). 

Trained with the Wellington Saints prior to leaving for the States.

Marcale Lotts (Import)

Position: Forward

Height: 203cm

Born: 25 December, 1994 in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

High School: Akins High School, New Orleans

Previous NBL clubs – Rookie

Played two years at Jacksonville Community College before transferring to Canisius College (NCAA Division I). Played 32 games in his junior  year but was limited to 17 games in his senior year (2018-19) due to an early season knee injury.

Following college played 3 games for the LA Clippers in the 2019 Eurobasket Summer League.

Lotts has subsequently played in Portugal, Spain and in 2023 for Georgian SuperLeague Champions Tkibuli Orbi where he averaged 13.6 points and 6 rebounds per game.

Callum McRae

Position: Centre

Height: 216cm (7’1”)

Born: May 18, 1999

Junior Association: Manawatu

High School: Palmerston North Boys High School

Highest Representative Honour – Junior Tall Blacks 

Previous NBL clubs – Manawatu Jets (2015 & 2018), Nelson Giants (2023)

Averaged 18.7 points and 9.4 rebounds in 7 games for the Giants in 2023. Enjoyed a strong debut for the Giants amassing 26 points and 8 rebounds in the win against the Canterbury Rams. Ironically his season best of 27 points was scored against the Sharks.

Following high school played four years at the University of California Riverside before reuniting with coach David Patrick at Sacramento State University for his final collegiate year (2022-23).

Finished his collegiate career as New Zealand’s second highest points scorer (1,265 points) in Men’s NCAA Division I basketball – only Kirk Penney (1,454) has scored more points. He is the all-time leading rebounder (875 rebounds) and 9th on the appearances list (124 games with 99 starts).

At PNBH McRae had 33 points and 17 rebounds in the epic 2016 National Secondary Schools Grand Final that was won on the buzzer by Rangitoto College.

Also in 2016 McRae played for the Junior Tall Blacks team that defeated Australia 57-51 in the gold medal game at the FIBA U18 Oceania Championships in Fiji to qualify for the U19 World Cup. 

That team was laced with future NBL and Tall Blacks talent boasting Sam Waardenburg, Taane Samuel, Quinn Clinton, Isaac Letoa, Tobias Cameron, Flynn Cameron, Dan Fotu, Taki Fahrensohn and Josh Aitcheson.

Brother Liam McRae is a former Sharks player.

Joseph Riwhi

Position: Guard

Height: 182cm

Born: 14 August, 2002

Junior Association: Southland

High School: Waitaki Boys High School

Previous NBL clubs – Rookie

Played for Waitaki Boys High in 2020 that won the Otago Secondary Schools competition. Qualified for the Secondary Schools National Championship but the tournament was cancelled due to COVID.

A Southland U23 representative.

Riley Snow

Position: Forward/Centre

Height: 198cm

Born: 12 September, 2005

Junior Association: Southland

High School: Southland Boys High School

Previous NBL clubs – Sharks (2023 – present)

Played a single game for the Sharks, debuting against the Tuatara in 2023. He became the 100th Sharks player when named as a Development Player in 2023.

Averaged 21.2 points per game for Southland at the 2023 U19 National Championships. Also played for Southland at the U23 National Champs.

Snow only converted from rugby to basketball in 2020. 

Scott Telfer

Position: Forward

Height: 196cm

Born: 23 December 1998

Junior Association: North Harbour

High School: Westlake Boys High School

Previous NBL Clubs – Super City Rangers (2019), Taranaki Airs (2021-23)

Invercargill born Scott Telfer joins the Sharks after three seasons and 54 games for the Airs. Played all 18 games for the Airs in 2023, averaging 5.7 points and 2 rebounds per game.

His career game highs in points (17) and rebounds (10) came in 2019 when playing for the Rangers. 

LaGerald Vick (Import)

Position: Guard

Height: 196cm

Born: 1 December 1997 in Memphis

High School: Douglass High School, Tennessee

Previous NBL clubs – Rookie

One of the most decorated college players to have appeared in the NBL. Vick played 117 games for the University of Kansas Jayhawks scoring 1,100 points. In his senior season in 2018-19 he made 66 from 145 three-point attempts at 45.5%.

As a Jayhawk he won three Big 12 Conference regular season titles, two Big 12 Tournaments as well as advancing to three NCAA Tournament Elite Eight appearances and one Final Four in 2018 (lost 95-79 against Villanova).

Signed to play for the Manawatu Jets in 2023 but that didn’t eventuate.

Has since played in Colombia, Venezuela, Dominican Republic and most recently in Mexico where he played three seasons for Astros de Jalisco.

Quake Webster

Position: Guard

Height: 183cm

Born: 25 June, 2005

Junior Association: Southland

High School: Aparima College, Riverton

Previous NBL clubs – Sharks (2022-present)

Played 2 games for the Sharks in 2023 making a three against the Tuatara in his debut game in April.

Averaged 18.8 points per game for Southland at the 2023 U19 National Championships. Also played for Southland at the U23 National Champs.

In 2022 Aparima College won the South Island ‘A’ Secondary Schools Qualifying Tournament to secure a first ever visit to the ‘A’ Secondary Schools NationalChampionships.

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 – present)

Wheeler returns for his 13th season with the club.

Played just 3 games for the Sharks in 2023 as Wheeler concentrated on his primary role as assistant coach. Has played a total 92 games for the Sharks.

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

Guy Molloy (Head Coach)