Sean Bairstow

Position: Small Forward

Height: 203cm

Born: 30 November, 2000 in Brisbane

High School: Churchie High  School, Brisbane

Previous NBL clubs – Rookie

Played 4 years and 117 games at Utah State University before taking advantage of the additional Covid year to play his final collegiate year (2023-24) at Virginia Commonwealth University where he averaged 10 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.

Played his inaugural pro season with BNZ Breakers – played 26 games averaging 4 points per game

Has six siblings – eldest brother Cam played for the Chicago Bulls, Jarred plays for the Brisbane Bullets and sister Steph played the 2024 Tauihi season for Northern Kāhu.

Jayden Bezzant

Position: Guard

Height: 187cm

Born: 9 January, 1996

Junior Association: Tauranga

High School: St John’s College, Hamilton

Highest Representative Honour – Tall Blacks (debuted 2022)

Previous NBL clubs – Manawatu Jets (2020-21), Franklin Bulls (2022-23), Tauranga Whai (2024-present)

Played 19 games for the Whai in 2024, averaged 11.6 points and 2.8 assists per game.

Has played 84 NBL games. Scored a career high 31 points against the Nuggets in 2022.

Played one game for the Sky Sport Breakers in December 2022 against Tasmania Jack Jumpers.

Played two seasons with the Jets helping them to the NBL Showdown Grand Final in 2020.

Played for the New Zealand 3×3 team at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

After school gained a four-year scholarship at Northwest Nazarene University (NCAA Division II), graduating in 2020 after playing 91 games for the Nighthawks. Averaged 14.0 points and 3.9 assists per game in his senior year.

Jayden Boucher

Position: Forward

Height: 190cm

Born: 30 May, 2001

Junior Association: North Harbour

High School: Rosmini College

Previous NBL clubs – Tauranga Whai (2024)

Played 15 games for the Whai in the 2024 season – scored a season high 3 points against the Rams in Round 8.

Also played 16 Rapid League games – scored season best 10 points against Franklin Bulls.

Won back-to-back Secondary Schools National Championships with Rosmini College in 2017 and 2018.

Played alongside Sam Mennenga, Taine Murray and Dylan Wilkie on the North Harbour team that won the 2019 U19 National Championships.

Son of former Tall Black Dillon Boucher.

Denhym Brooke

Position: Forward

Height: 204cm

Born: 7 July, 1996

Junior Association: North Harbour

High School: Rangitoto College

Highest Representative Honour – 3×3 Tall Blacks

Previous NBL Clubs: Super City Rangers (2019), Taranaki Mountain Airs (2020), Franklin Bulls (2021-22), Hawks (2023), Tauranga Whai (2024)

Played 17 games for the Whai in 2024 averaging 6.4 points  and 4.6 rebounds per game.

Also played 6 Rapid League games in 2024 – scored a season best 8 points against the Sharks.

Played 95 NBL games prior to the 2025 season. Has scored a career high 23 points on two occasions.

Was a member of the 3×3 Tall Blacks team that defeated Australia to win the inaugural Trans-Tasman Cup in Invercargill in 2023.

Following high school Brooke spent four years at colleges in Hawaii. Initially he attended BYU Hawaii and then transferred to Hawaii at Hilo (both NCAA Division II colleges).

CJ Flavell

Position: Guard

Height: 190cm

Born: 22 October, 2007

Junior Association: Te Aroha 

High School: Te Aroha College then Aquinas College, Tauranga

Previous NBL Clubs – Rookie

A Year 13 at Aquinas College – a member of the Aquinas team that won the 2024 3×3 Secondary Schools National Championship and A Secondary Schools National Championship.

Named MVP at the A National Championships – scored 36 points in the Grand Final win against Ngā Taiātea Wharekura. .

Averaged 22 points per game for Tauranga City at the 2024 U18 National Championships.

Named to attend the New Zealand U16 National Team Selection Camp in April 2023.

Maioro Greensill

Position: Guard

Height: 180cm

Born: 12 September, 2004

Junior Association: Waikato

High School: Ngā Taiātea Wharekura, Hamilton

Previous NBL Clubs – Tauranga Whai (2024)

Played 17 Rapid League games in 2024 – scored a season high 8 points against Wellington Saints.

Named to the Tournament Team at the 2022 ‘A’ Secondary Schools National Championship – he scored 19 points in the Grand Final loss to Opunake High School.

Carter Hopoi

Position: Forward

Height: 205cm

Born: 14 April, 2006

Junior Association: Tauranga City

High School: Mount Maunganui College

Previous NBL Clubs – Tauranga Whai (2024)

Recently committed to play NCAA Division I basketball at Valparaiso University, Indiana.

Played 12 games in the 2024 season – scored a season high 8 points against Southland Sharks in Round 13. Also played 16 Rapid League games – scored season high 10 points against Franklin Bulls.

Called into the Tall Blacks squad in November 2024 for the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers. Played 2 minutes in his debut game against Taiwan.

‘24 sea

A member of the New Zealand team that claimed silver at the 2024 FIBA Asia Cup in Jordan to qualify for the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup. Hopoi had an outstanding tournament averaging a team high 10.3 rebounds to go with 17.0ppg.

Averaged 15.6ppg for Mount Maunganui College at the 2024 Secondary Schools National championships.

Father David Hopoi is a former NBL player who was also a Development player with the Breakers in their inaugural season in 2003-04.

Chris Jones

Position: Point Guard

Height: 182cm

Born: 3 July, 1991 in Memphis, Tennessee 

High School: Melrose High School, Memphis

Previous NBL Clubs – Rookie

Joins the Whai after most recently playing for London Lightning in the Canadian League where he averaged 19.8 points, 7.4 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game.

Jones has also played professionally in Germany, Greece, Qatar, Mexico, Iceland and Dominican Republic.

Following high school played two years in Junior College at Northwest Florida State.

Then played two years at the University of Louisville with the Cardinals reaching the Elite Eight at the NCAA Tournament in his senior year (2015). Averaged 13.7 points and 3.6 assists per game. 

Ky-Mani Kaumoana

Position: Forward

Height: 190cm

Born: 

Junior Association: Te Aroha

High School: Te Aroha College then Aquinas College, Tauranga

Previous NBL Clubs – Rookie

A Year 13 at Aquinas College – a member of the Aquinas team that won the 2024 3×3 Secondary Schools National Championship and Single A Secondary Schools National Championship.

Named to the All-Star 5 at the Single A National Championships – scored 28 points in the Grand Final win against Ngā Taiātea Wharekura. 

Led the Tauranga City scoring at the 2024 U18 National Championships averaging 25.4ppg.

Named to attend the New Zealand U16 National Team Selection Camp in April 2023.

Te Tuhi Lewis

Position: Guard

Height: 195cm

Born: 10 May, 2003

Junior Association: Waikato

High School: Nga Taiatea Wharekura and then Te Aroha College

Previous NBL clubs – Franklin Bulls (2023), Tauranga Whai (2024)

Recently named to the 3×3 All Blacks team to contest the 2025 3×3 FIBA Asia Cup in Singapore.

Played all 20 games for the Whai in 2024 – scored a career high 23 points against Manawatu Jets in Round 9 of NBL’24. Made 29 from 70 3-pointers at 41.4%.

One of only 7 players to play in all 20 Rapid League games in 2024 – scored 187 points with a top score of 19 points against Wellington Saints.

Xanda Marsters

Position: Guard

Height: 188cm

Born: 15 February, 2006

Junior Association: Rotorua

High School: Rotorua Boys High School

Previous NBL Clubs – Tauranga Whai (2024)

Played 6 games in the 2024 season – scored a season high 3 points against the Hawks on debut.

Also played 14 Rapid League games – scored season high 11 points against Canterbury Rams.

Playing for Rotorua Boys High, Marsters was the leading scorer at the 2024 Secondary Schools National Championships averaging 34 points per game – Rotorua placed 7th..

Selected to the New Zealand team to attend the 2023 FIBA U17 Oceania Championships in Papua New Guinea but was forced to withdraw due to injury.

Led the Rotorua Boys High School scoring at the 2023 Secondary Schools National Championships averaging 27.0ppg – scored 46 points against Christ’s College.

Kruz Perrott-Hunt

Position: Guard

Height: 190cm

Born: 23 November, 2000

Junior Association: North Harbour

High School: Rosmini College

Highest Representative Honour – Tall Blacks (Debuted 2018)

Previous NBL Clubs – Nelson Giants (2019), Auckland Tuatara (2023), Tauranga Whai (2024).

Played all 20 games for the Whai in 2024.

Scored an NBL career best  27 points against Canterbury Rams in the first game of the 2025 season.

Has played 42 NBL games prior to the 2025 season.

Has played 9 games for the Tall Blacks.

Enjoyed an outstanding 4-year career at the University of South Dakota scoring 1,104 points in 108 games for the Coyotes. Kirk Penney, Callum McRae, Tai Webster, Craig Bradshaw and Flynn Cameron are the only other Kiwis to have scored over 1,000 points in NCAA Division I Men’s basketball.

Averaged a team high 14.3 points per game in his senior year (2022-23). Shot 42% (58/137) from beyond the 3-point arc and 84% (66/79) from the free-throw line.

Prior to college won back to back Secondary Schools National Championships with Rosmini College (2017 and 2018).

Jett Thompson

Position: Guard

Height: 188cm

Born: 25 February, 2003

Junior Association: North Harbour

High School: Westlake Boys High School

Previous NBL clubs – Otago Nuggets (2020), Franklin Bulls (2021-22), Tauranga Whai (2024)

Highest Representative Honour – NZ U17 Team (2018)

Played 19 games for the Whai in 2024 averaging 2.3ppg – Scored a career high 14 points against the Hawks in Round 4

Also played 18 Rapid League games – scored season high 13 points against Wellington Saints.

Joined the 2020 NBL championship winning Otago Nuggets team as an injury replacement making a single appearance against Manawatu Jets. 

Has played a total of 53 NBL games.

Played for South Australian club Noarlunga City Southern Tigers in NBL1 Central in 2023 averaging 9.8 points and 3.7 assists in 17 appearances.

Played for NZ at the 2018 FIBA U15 Oceania Championship in Port Moresby where New Zealand beat Australia 59-57 in pool play.

Talib Zanna

Position: Forward

Height: 206cm

Born: 1 October, 1990 in Kanduna, Nigeria 

High School: Bishop McNamara High School, Forrestville, Maryland

Previous NBL Clubs – Rookie

Moved to the USA aged 16yrs to attend high school.

Then played 4-years at the University of Pittsburgh. In his senior year (2013-14) he played all 35 games as a starter averaging 13 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. 

Joined Oklahoma City Thunder in 2014 alongside former Pittsburgh teammate Steven Adams – Zanna was waived after pre-season games.

Played for Oklahoma City Blue in 2015 NBA D League.

Has subsequently played in France, Israel, Spain, Turkey, Bulgaria and Dominican Republic.

Played for Nigeria at the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China.

Is fluent in four languages.

Michael Wade

Position: Guard

Height: 186cm

Born: 3 June, 2005

Junior Association: Te Aroha 

High School: Te Aroha College then Aquinas College, Tauranga

Previous NBL Clubs – Rookie

A Year 13 at Aquinas College – a member of the Aquinas team that won the 2024 3×3 Secondary Schools National Championship and Single A Secondary Schools National Championship.

Matt Lacey (Head Coach)

Doug Courtney (Assistant Coach)

Tane Bennett (Assistant Coach)

Alex Stojkovic (Assistant Coach)

Di Wykes (Team Manager)