Kyle Adnam (Import)

Position: Guard

Height: 186cm

Born: 18 November, 1993

High School: Mount Lilydale Mercy College, Melbourne

Previous NBL clubs – Nelson Giants (2017-18)

In his last season in the NBL (2018) Adnam averaged 19.2 points and 5.7 assists per game for the Nelson Giants.

A veteran of ten seasons and over 200 appearances in the Australian NBL – club captain of South East Melbourne Phoenix where he has played the last four seasons.

Prior to that he won a championship with Melbourne United.

Carter Berg-McLean

Position: Guard

Height: 188cm

Born: 12 November, 2005

Junior Association: Hutt Valley

High School: St Pat’s College, Silverstream

Previous NBL clubs – Rookie

A Year 13 student at St Pat’s College Silverstream.

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)

Had made 51 NBL appearances prior to the start of the 2023 season.

Dougall-Mita played 14 games for the Saints in 2022. Scored a career high 19 points against the Sharks in April 2022.

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.

Kawharu Hippolite

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)

Had made 51 NBL appearances prior to the start of the 2023 season.

Dougall-Mita played 14 games for the Saints in 2022. Scored a career high 19 points against the Sharks in April 2022.

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.

Izayah Mauriohooho-Le’afa

Position: Guard

Height: 1.88m

Born: 7 November, 1996

Junior Association: Hutt Valley

High School: St Pat’s, Wellington

Highest Representative Honour: Tall Blacks – Debut 2013 (Appearances 10)

Previous NBL Clubs: Wellington Saints (2013-2015), Auckland Huskies (2020)

Le’afas last appearance in the NBL was in 2020 when he averaged 20.5 points and 5.2 assists per game for the Auckland Huskies.

Since then he has played 93 games in the ANBL. The first two seasons were with South East Melbourne Phoenix and the 2022-23 season with the New Zealand Breakers in which he averaged 10.3 points and 2.1 assists per game.

Le’afa played  44 games for the Wellington Saints before heading to Sacramento State University on a 4-year scholarship. He finished his Hornets career in 2020 as a Top 10 programme leader in a variety of statistical categories including second in starts (108), fourth in steals (149), sixth in 3-pointers made (187) and eighth in assists (302). His 941 career points ranks 20^th all-time for SSU.

At just 16 years old he became one of the youngest players to put on a Tall Blacks singlet playing all 8 games on the 2013 China tour plus the two FIBA Oceania Championship games that followed against Australia.

Isaiah Mucius (Import)

Position: Forward

Height: 203cm

Born: 22 April, 1999

High School: St James High School, Maryland.

Previous NBL clubs – Rookie

The Saints is the first professional assignment for Isaiah Mucius outside of the USA.

Played 26 games for Capital City Go-Go in the 2022-23 NBA G League.

Played 117 games in 4 years at Wake Forest University. Averaged 9.5 points and 3.2 rebounds in his senior year (2021-22) – made 71 three-pointers at 36%.

Father Matthew Mucius played at Alabama A&M.

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.

Followed that with 15.3ppg and 4.6rpg in 2022.

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 two years on a basketball scholarship in the Philippines playing for De La Salle University.

Tohi Smith-Milner

Position: Forward

Height: 206cm

Born: 6 October, 1995

Junior Association: Waitakere

High School: Rosmini  College

Highest Representative Honour – Tall Blacks – Debut 2014

Previous NBL clubs – Auckland Pirated (2012), Super City Rangers (2014 and 2015) Canterbury Rams (2017) Nelson Giants (2018) Auckland Huskies (2020), Wellington Saints (2021)

Averaged 14.5 points and 6.8 rebounds for the NBL championship winning Saints in 2021.

In 2022 he opted to play for Sandringham Sabres in NBL 1 where he averaged 18.5 points and 8.9 rebounds per game.

He joined Melbourne United in 2015 as a Development Player and played five seasons with the Australian NBL club winning a championship in 2018. Has played the last two seasons with South East Melbourne Phoenix.

Played his first game for the Tall Blacks against Korea in Tauranga in 2014. Was a member of the bronze medal winning team at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Smith-Milner enjoyed an outstanding tournament at the 2022 FIBA Asia Cup. He scored 25 points (14pts in fourth quarter) to carry the Tall Blacks to an 83-75 victory in the bronze medal game against Jordan – named to the tournament All Star Five.

Helped Rosmini College win their first Secondary Schools National title in 2011. After school Smith-Milner attended Polk State College, Florida for one year.

Nathaniel Salmon

Position: Forward

Height: 198cm

Born: 12 February, 2004

Junior Association: Porirua

High School: Mana College

Previous NBL clubs – Manawatu Jets (2022)

Made his NBL debut in 2022 playing for Manawatu. Averaged 5.3 points and 2.1 rebounds, playing 15 games for the Jets. Brother Klein also played for the Jets in 2022.

Sister Shalae played 4 years at BYU (NCAA Division I) making 113 appearances for the Cougars.

A member of the Porirua team that won the 2021 Under 23 National Championship.

Named to the 2021 Junior Tall Blacks.

Marlon Taylor (Import)

Position: Guard

Height: 196cm

Born: 16 August, 1997

High School: Mt Vernon HS, New York

Previous NBL Clubs – Rookie

Played 7 games  for Erie Bay Hawks in the G League in 2021-22.

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

Subsequently played in Dominican Republic and Canada.

Played 2 years at Junior College before 2 years NCAA Division I at Louisiana State University. Averaged 5.9 points and 4.1 rebounds in his senior year (2019-20).

Kenneth Tuffin

Position: Small Forward

Height: 192cm

Born: 5 May, 1997

Junior Association: Wellington

High School: St Pat’s College, Silverstream

Previous NBL Clubs – Tarananaki Airs (2020), Wellington Saints (2021 – present)

Played all 19 games for the Saints in 2022 averaging 8.2 points per game.

A member of the Saints 2021 championship winning team. Averaged 8.5ppg shooting the 3-ball at a league high 49% (37/75).

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

Tom Vodanovich

Position: Forward

Height: 201cm

Born: 28 July, 1994

Junior Association: Wellington

High School: St Pat’s Town, Wellington

Highest Representative Honour: Tall Blacks – debut 2018

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

Averaged 16.7 points and 7.9 rebounds per game for the Saints in 2022.

Played for the NZ Breakers in 2022-23 as the club went all the way to the ANBL Grand Final.

Played briefly in the Philippines for Converge FiberXers at the conclusion of the Breakers season.

Named NZNBL MVP in 2020 when he averaged 21.9 points and 10.4 rebounds per game as he carried the Manawatu Jets to the 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 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) Saints (2022-present)

Played 15 games for the Saints in 2022 averaging 4.3 points per game. Scored a season high 11 points against Auckland Tuatara.

Playing for Porirua named to the Tournament Team at 2022 U23 National Championships.

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

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.

Troy McLean (Head Coach)

Miles Pearce (Assistant Coach)