Xavier Cooks (Tier 2)

Position: Forward

Height: 203cm

Born: 19 August, 1995

High School: Holy Spirit College, Wollongong

Previous NBL clubs – Rookie

Averaged 15.5 points, 10 rebounds and 2.9 assists over 31 games for the 2021-22 Australian NBL title winning Sydney Kings. Named Larry Sengstock Medalist (Grand Final Series MVP).

Played at Winthrop University (2014-18) where he holds the record for the all-time leading rebounder.

Following University played NBA Summer League with the Golden State Warriors (2018) and Phoenix Suns (2019).

Rangimarie Dougall-Mita

Position: Guard

Height: 190cm

Born: 14 October, 1999

Junior Association: Manawatu

High School: St Pat’s College, Silverstream/ Palmerston North Boys High School

Previous NBL clubs – Manawatu Jets (2018-19, Wellington Saints 2021-present)

Marnie Dougall-Mita played 13 games for the Saints in 2021

He missed the 2020 season while recovering from an ACL injury.

Played for New Zealand at the U18 3X3 World cup in China in 2017.

Jermaine Fui

Position: Forward

Height: 190cm

Born: 20 January, 2002

High School:

Previous NBL Clubs – Rookie

Played a handful of games for Logan Thunder in the Queensland State League in 2021.

Thomas Gold

Position: Small Forward

Height: 191cm

Born: 18 February, 1999

Junior Association: Wellington

High School: Hutt International Boys/Tawa College

NBL Clubs – Wellington Saints (2021-present)

Debuted for the Saints in 2021 playing 9 games that season.

Named to the Tournament Team at the 2021 U23 National Championships.

The eldest of three talented basketball playing brothers Thomas played his rep basketball for Wellington in the same teams as Taane Samuel and coached by Frank Mulvihill.

Brother Ben played two games for the Tall Blacks in the February 2022 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifying window in the Philippines.

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)

Played 19 games for the Southland Sharks in 2021 averaging 6.3 points per game. Scored a season high 13 points against the Auckland Huskies in May.

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

Kawharu Hippolite

Position: Small Forward

Height:

Born:

Junior Association: Porirua

High School: Mana College

NBL Clubs – Rookie

Played senior basketball at Mana College from Year 9, graduated in 2021.

Corban Laban-Palmer

Position: Wing

Height: 190cm

Born:

Junior Association: Tauranga

High School: Tauranga Boys College

Previous NBL Clubs – Rookie

Head Boy at Tauranga College in 2021

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 and 2017-19), Manawatu Jets (2015) Taranaki Mountain Airs (2016)

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

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

Ngatai has 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.

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

Emmerson Potts-Broughton

Position: Guard

Height: 183cm

Born: 29 May, 1998

Junior Association: Wellington

High School: Mana College

NBL Clubs – Rookie

Played two seasons with Whittlesea City Pacers (2017 and 2019) in the Big V League in Australia.

Played 30 games at Lee College (JUCO) in the 2017-18 collegiate season.

Taane Samuel

Position: Forward

Height: 201cm

Born: 26 April, 1999

Junior Association: Wellington

High School: Scots College

Highest Representative Honour – Tall Blacks (Debut v India, February, 2022)

Previous NBL clubs – Manawatu Jets (2019-20) Wellington Saints (2021-present)

Averaged 16.5 points per game for the 2021 NBL Championship winning Saints team – scored 26 points in the Grand Final win against the Hawks.

Played all three games for the Tall Blacks in the February 2022 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifying window in the Philippines averaging 8.0 points per game.

Played the 2021-22 Australian NBL season with the Brisbane Bullets.

In 2019 he represented NZ at the FIBA U23 3×3 World Cup in China playing alongside Taylor Britt, Josh Aitcheson and Sam Aruwa.

Averaged 12.1 points and 3.4 rebounds for New Zealand at the 2017 FIBA U19 World Cup in Egypt.

After high school Samuel spent a season playing in Australia and two years on a basketball scholarship in the Philippines playing for De La Salle University.

Mike Smith (Tier 2)

Position: Guard

Height: 180cm

Born: 13 June 1998

High School: Fenwick HS, Illinois.

NBL Clubs – Rookie

Joins the Saints after a season in the G League with Sioux Falls Skyforce where he averaged 9.1 points and 3.8 assists over 42 games.

Played 4 years at Colombia University before switching to the University of Michigan for his additional grad year – averaged 9 points and 5.8 assists per game. The Wolverines advanced to the Elite Eight at the 2021 NCAA Tournament.

His impressive collegiate numbers include:

Started 119 of his 120 NCAA Division I career games.

Ranks 4^th all-time at Colombia with 1,653 career points and 2^nd all time for assists (393).

Named to the All-Ivy League Second team on two occasions.

For Michigan he started all 28 games – had a career high 15 assists against Maryland and averaged a Big 10 Conference best 5.4 assists per game.

Evyatar Tabor

Position: Guard

Height:

Born:

Junior Association: Wellington

High School: Rongotai College

NBL Clubs – Rookie

Played at the International Sports Academy Prep School,  Ohio in 2020-21.

Graduated from Rongotai College in 2020.

Josh Tutagalevao

Position: Forward

Height: 196cm

Born:

Junior Association: Hutt Valley

High School: St Pat’s, Silverstream

NBL Clubs – Rookie

Played for the Wellington team that finished runners-up at the 2021 U19 National Championships.

Graduated from St Pat’s in 2019

Reegan Trego

Position: Guard

Height:

Born:

Junior Association: Logan Basketball

High School:

NBL Clubs – Rookie

Played 3 games for Logan Thunder in NBL1 North in 2021.

Schooled in Queensland but has family ties to Porirua.

Twin brothers Hunter and Phoenix have been named to the NZ team to attend the U16 FIBA Asia Cup in Doha in June.

Kenneth Tuffin

Position: Small Forward

Height: 192cm

Born: 5 May, 1997

Junior Association: Wellington

High School: St Pat’s College, Silverstream

Previous NBL Clubs – Taranaki Mountain Airs (2020), Wellington Saints (2021)

A member of the Saints 2021 championship winning team. Averaged 8.5ppg shooting the 3-ball at a league high 49% (37/75). Scored a season high 17 points against Franklin Bulls in July making 5 from 5 three-pointers.

Tuffin graduated from St Pat’s in 2015 and then spent 4 years on a basketball scholarship at Far Eastern University in the Philippines.

The southpaw small forward was a starter for the Tamaraws for three-years displaying consistent scoring ability and great leadership qualities. FEU made the Philippines Universities Final Four in all of his four years on the team.

Eligible for Philippines national team as his mother was born in the Philippines.

He was Head Boy at St Pat’s in 2015 playing First XV Rugby and First XI Cricket as well as basketball.

Reggie Upshaw Jr. (Tier 2)

Position: Forward

Height: 203cm

Born: 7 April, 1995

High School: Baylor HS, Chattanooga

Previous NBL Clubs – Rookie

Played in the NBA Summer League for Milwaukee Bucks in 2017 and Los Angeles Clippers in 2018.

Played the 2021-22 season for German club MBC Weissenfels averaging 12.6 points per game.

Previously played in Spain, Italy, Israel and Ukraine.

Played 4 years at Middle State University Tennessee – averaged 14.5ppg in his senior year (2016-17). MSUT were Conference USA champions in 2016 and 2017 – Upshaw was named to the All-Tournament Team both years.

Tom Vodanovich

Position: Forward

Height: 201cm

Born: 28 July, 1994

Junior Association: Wellington

High School: St Pat’s Town, Wellington

Previous NBL clubs – Southland Sharks (2018-19), Manawatu Jets (2020), Auckland Huskies (2021)

Averaged 21.7 points per game for the Auckland Huskies in 2021.

Named NBL MVP in 2021 when he averaged 21.9 points and 10.4 rebounds per game as he carried the Manawatu Jets to the 2020 Sal’s NBL Grand Final.

An NBL Championship winner with the Southland Sharks in 2018.

Played all three games for the Tall Blacks in the February 2022 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifying window in the Philippines. He led the NZ scoring averaging 20.3 points per game.

A member of the victorious Tall Blacks team that defeated Australia in Brisbane in February 2020.

Played in the Australian NBL for the NZ Breakers in 2018-19 and more lately for the Sydney Kings (2020-22).

Played NCAA Division I at James Maddison University in Virginia where he played 120 games for the Dukes (2013-17).

Francis Wineera-Mulvihill

Position: Guard

Height: 190cm

Born: 12 November, 1999

Junior Association: Porirua

High School: St Pat’s Town, Silverstream

Previous NBL Clubs – Taranaki (2020-21)

Played 17 games for the Airs in 2021 averaging 6.6 points and 2.4 assists per game. Scored a season high 14 points against the Hawks in May.

Member of the 2021 U23 National Championship winning Porirua team – named to the Tournament Team.

Mulvihill played age-group representative basketball for Wellington and Porirua.

He spent two years playing at Enderun College in the Philippines on a basketball scholarship.

Father Frank and uncle Rick played for the Saints in the 1980’s.