[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Ten years ago the idea that over 100 Kiwis would be on basketball scholarships in the United States in any given year, with almost half of them at NCAA Division I schools, would have been unimaginable.<\/p>\n
In the recently concluded 2019-2020 US collegiate season, no fewer than 101 New Zealand players were at US universities with a further six playing in Canada. This is the third season in a row that numbers have passed the century mark.<\/p>\n
In the most recent NCAA season, 21 Kiwi women and 19 Kiwi men were at NCAA Division I universities and those numbers have grown steadily during the past decade. The Kiwi supply chain to the upper echelons of US college basketball doesn\u2019t look like ending any time soon.<\/p>\n
Nine Kiwis completed their senior years in 2020: Kayla Manuirirangi, Katelin Noyer, Shalae Salmon, Khaedin Taito, Matt Freeman, Izayah Mauriahooho-Le\u2019afa, Jackson Stent, Sam Timmins and Yanni Wetzell.<\/p>\n
While their journeys have come to an end, a set of fresh faces from the Aotearoa are hopeful of starting their journeys this year including Sam Mennenga (Davidson University) Tom Webley (University of Hartford), Tayla Dalton (St Mary\u2019s, California), Rochelle Fourie (University of California, Northridge), Helen Matthews (Wofford College) and Olivia Williams (University of California, Irvine).<\/p>\n
There have been plenty of Division I players go before them. A number of current Tall Blacks including Rob Loe, Jack Salt and Tai Webster, and Tall Ferns like Micaela Cocks, Stella Beck and Kalani Purcell all had fine college careers. Before them, the likes of Michael Hurring, Kirk Penney, Sean Marks, Mark Dickel, Megan Compain and Noni Wharemate were celebrated collegiate athletes.<\/p>\n
The ten-year participation trend is clearly on the up.<\/p>\n
WHY THE INCREASE IN KIWIS ABROAD?<\/p>\n
Basketball New Zealand High Performance Director, Leonard King, says the long-term trend of Kiwi athletes playing in the US can be attributed to a number of reasons.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt stands to reason that the larger the participation base, the greater chance there is of more at the elite level and the number of athletes securing scholarships,\u201d says King.<\/p>\n
In the last decade, the significant growth and popularity of basketball in New Zealand has been widely noticed. Basketball New Zealand says there is more growth to come. Soon-to-be-released Kiwi Hoops figures will show primary school kids are loving basketball more than ever. They are following their older brothers and sisters \u2013 basketball is the second most played sport in New Zealand secondary schools, which is another strong participation trend. In 2010, there were approximately 17,500 high school players and by 2019 that number had escalated to over 25,000.<\/p>\n
King says more Kiwis are also securing US scholarships through exposure at BBNZ\u2019s annual Secondary Schools Nationals. This is the largest community tournament on BBNZ\u2019s calendar. The finals and some playoff rounds have been broadcast and livestreamed over the last few years, and the tournament has added another channel of exposure for young players looking to secure scholarships.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe tournament has gained a lot of recognition not only in New Zealand, but also internationally. The number of American college coaches and scouts attending to observe the talent on display has consistently grown. Many young talents have been scouted from this event and been offered Div\u2019 1 scholarships.\u201d<\/p>\n
An example of this Takki Fahrensohn, who was recruited at the 2019 Schick Champs by the Assistant Coach at the University of Portland, Ben Johnson. Coach Johnson said he was impressed with the level of play he found on New Zealand\u2019s shores.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is some really good talent [at the National Championships]. I\u2019ve been impressed with the level of skill and their ability to play an unselfish team concept of basketball. It\u2019s a style that fits into our philosophy at Portland, so I\u2019m really excited with what I have seen here. I\u2019ve been telling people for the last four years to look out for New Zealand, their basketball is really on the upswing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brigham Young University (BYU) Women\u2019s Assistant Coach Lee Cummard was also in attendance at last year\u2019s event and was blown away by what he observed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m here to recruit on the women\u2019s side of things, but I couldn\u2019t help watch some of the men\u2019s games and I have already called my guys back at BYU and told them \u2018you should be down here. I\u2019ve seen a number of players who are Division I level\u2019. I\u2019ve been impressed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Yet seeing scouts visiting New Zealand shores is not essential. King says modern communication also plays a major part in the escalation of scholarships being offered to New Zealanders. It is far easier now for college coaches to view footage of players.<\/p>\n
\u201cTen years ago, coaches probably had to rely on the word of trusted contacts or fly half-way around the world to meet a player. Tools like Skype, WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram allow for much easier and affordable communication between athletes and college coaches.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlso, the international FIBA events that the New Zealand age-group teams play in are livestreamed and well-followed by scouts.\u201d<\/p>\n
Success stories help promote the US pathway too. The Obvious one is Steven Adams \u2013 the first Kiwi to be selected in the first round of the NBA draft in 2013. Add the New Zealand Breakers winning four Australian NBL titles in the last ten years \u2013 a team playing at home, achieving big results and creating homegrown heroes. Jack Salt\u2019s success in becoming the first-ever Kiwi to win an NCAA Division I Championship with Virginia in 2019 adds to the popularity of the game. This year Yanni Wetzell was making headlines too \u2013 another inspiring story.<\/p>\n
The profile of the Tall Blacks and Tall Ferns has certainly grown, as has the success stories of those teams\u2019 athletes. Of the 20 players that represented the Tall Blacks in 2019, all but five had spent some time playing college basketball in the US, seven of them at Division I colleges.<\/p>\n
The Tall Ferns numbers are startling. 17 players donned the black singlet in 2019 and only Zoe Richards, Toni Farnworth and Charlisse Leger-Walker were non-NCAA Division I athletes. Richards has just completed an outstanding career at Eckerd College (NCAA Division II), Farnworth pursued a career in accounting and Leger-Walker was in her last year at school.<\/p>\n
Obviously not all players exiting college basketball will play for the Tall Blacks or Tall Ferns or forge a career in professional sport. However, if this dream doesn\u2019t come true, they have the memories of a life-changing experience and the benefits of a free education without the burden of a student loan. It\u2019s an appealing route that more Kiwis are seeking out.<\/p>\n
WHAT ABOUT 2020\/2021?<\/p>\n
COVID-19 has brought the world to a standstill and with that the suspension of most organised sports. Among the most heavily affected are scholarship athletes, with seniors in some sports facing the possibility of not being able to compete in their final year of eligibility.<\/p>\n
The NCCA Division I Council voted against an additional season of play for winter-sport athletes, which included basketball players. Kiwi Yanni Wetzell\u2019s team was unbeaten this year and favoured for a March Madness title, but his opportunity at winning a national championship was dashed with the cancellation of the NCAA Men\u2019s Division I Basketball Tournament earlier this year. The Council\u2019s verdict means he will be unable to return for the 2020\/2021 season.<\/p>\n
For athletes who have signed for 2020 and were expecting to arrive for Summer School in June\/July or start the Fall Semester in August, the NCAA has acknowledged the uncertainty for athletes through their website, noting University campus closures and travel restrictions.<\/p>\n
\u201cIndividual states and the NCAA will make decisions over the next couple of weeks on whether universities within their State will be able to open for summer school (June\/July, 2020). This will be a state by state and NCAA decision, so each university and athlete\u2019s situation could be different. While we wait for the state and NCAA\u2019s decisions, it is looking likely that the earliest start date will be the Fall Semester in August for most if not all States,\u201d said the NCAA in one of their updates.<\/p>\n
The fact that each State will make its own decision could be complicated, with NCAA Conferences crossing State borders. So, this year\u2019s class of Kiwi scholarship athletes will need to sit tight for now and wait to see what happens next. Hopefully we can see the US pathway safely re-open for these talented young Kiwis soon, so they can pursue their academic and athletic dream.<\/p>\n
Kiwi basketball players in NCAA Division I US Colleges over the past decade:<\/p>\n
Women (Alphabetical order by surname)<\/p>\n
Georgia Agnew (Utah Valley University 2013-2016)
\nKate Aleman (Mercer University 2012-2014)
\nStella Beck (St Mary\u2019s College, California 2014-2018)
\nJacinta Beckley (Seattle University 2014-2018)
\nBrooke Blair (Idaho State University 2013-2018)
\nTessa Boagni (California State University, Northridge 2014-2018)
\nAmiee Book (California State University, Fullerton 2018-Present)
\nAlicia Carlisle (Portland State University 2014-2015)
\nAnna Cameron (University of Nevada-Reno 2013-2015)
\nTiarna Clarke (University of Northern Colorado 2017-2018)
\nAleesha Coulter (University of Louisiana at Monroe 2013-2015)
\nMcKenna Dale (Brown University 2017-Present)
\nPenina Davidson (University of California, Berkeley 2014-2018)
\nJasmin Davis (University of Wyoming 2013-2015)
\nRebecca Dew (University of Hawaii 2008-2012)
\nMatangiroa Flavell (Houston Baptist University 2018-2019)
\nElla Fotu (Boise State University 2015-2016)
\nMary Goulding (Fordham University (2016-2019)
\nTegan Graham (Colgate University 2016-Present)
\nKendell Heremaia (Fordham University 2017-Present)
\nJoellen How (Wagner College 2017-Present)
\nJordan Hunter (South Eastern Missouri University 2012-2014)
\nZara Jillings (Fordham University 2017-Present)
\nBreanna Jones (University of Hawaii 2014-2015)
\nAshleigh Karaitiana (University of Hawaii 2012-2016)
\nTylah King (University of the Pacific (2015-2019)
\nJade Kirisome (Furman University 2018-19, & St Mary\u2019s College, California 2019- Present)
\nKrystal Leger-Walker (University of Northern Colorado 2016-2019 & Washington State 2019-Present)
\nKeziah Lewis (Kent State University 2013-2017)
\nKayla Manuirirangi (Tulane University 2016-Present)
\nTara Manumaleuga (University of Arizona 2019-Present)
\nEsra McGoldrick (North Carolina State University 2018-2019)
\nFreya Newton (Idaho State University 2013-2017)
\nMichelle Nicholls (La Salle University (2017-19 & University of Purdue, Fort Wayne 2019-Present)
\nTsubasa Nisbett (Georgia Southern University 2018-Present)
\nKatelin Noyer (Fresno State University (2016-Present)
\nChevannah Paalvast (Monmouth University (2009-2014)
\nPareunora Pene (University of Tennessee Chattanooga 2018-Present)
\nSariah Penese (University of Maryland, Baltimore 2018-Present)
\nKalani Purcell (BYU, Provo 2015-2017)
\nAkiene-Tera Reed (Virginia Commonwealth University 2017-Present)
\nGracie Roberts (University of Detroit Mercury 2014-2017)
\nErin Rooney (Monmouth University 2009-2011 & Fordham University 2011-2014)
\nTerai Sadler (Central Arkansas University 2013-2015)
\nShalae Salmon (BYU, Provo 2016-Present)
\nKaylee Smiler (BYU, Provo 2018-Present)
\nTe Oramae Solomon (Portland State University 2015-2016)
\nRhaiah Spooner-Knight (Utah Valley University 2013-2016 & Monmouth University 2016-2018)
\nJosie Stockill (Colgate University 2012-2016)
\nMoengaroa Subritzky (University of Maryland Eastern Shore 2015-2017)
\nKhaedin Taito (University of Southern California 2015-16 & BYU, Provo 2016-Present)
\nDru Toleafoa (Santa Clara University 2015-2019)
\nJelana Vucinic (Louisianna Tech University 2010-2014)
\nLaken Wairau (Indiana University 2015-2017)
\nWitnee Wehi (University of the Pacific 2015-2016)
\nAmy West (Liberty University 2018-19, & St Mary\u2019s College, California 2019- Present)
\nCharlotte Whittaker (University of Colorado 2019-Present)
\nSariah Wi-Neera (Utah Valley University 2016-2017)<\/p>\n
Men (Alphabetical order by surname)<\/p>\n
Steven Adams (University of Pittsburgh 2012\/13)
\nYuat Alok (Texas Christian University 2018\/19 & University of Central Florida 2019\/20)
\nFlynn Cameron (DePaul University 2018-Present)
\nTobias Cameron (Abilene Christian College 2017-Present)
\nQuinn Clinton (St Mary\u2019s College of California 2018-Present)
\nRichie Edwards (Valparaiso University 2011\/12 & Arizona State 2013\/14)
\nTakiula Fahrenson (University of Portland 2017-Present)
\nDan Fotu (St Mary\u2019s College of California 2018-Present)
\nIsaac Fotu (University of Hawaii 2012-2014)
\nMatthew Freeman (University of Oklahoma 2016-2019 & UC Santa Barbara 2019\/20)
\nMax De Geest (Long Beach State University 2019-Present)
\nJonothan Janssen (Cleveland State 2014-2016)
\nMichael Karena (Wright State 2014-2016)
\nRobert Loe (St. Louis University 2010-2014)
\nIsaac Letoa (Dartmouth 2017-Present)
\nIzayah Mauriohooho-Leafa (Sacramento State 2016-2020)
\nCallum McRae (University of California Riverside 2018-Present)
\nAngus McWilliam\u200b (Texas Christian University 2017-2019 & University of California Riverside 2019-Present)
\nHarrison Meads (Pepperdine University 2017\/18)
\nJames Moors (Colorado State 2019-Present)
\nKruz Perrot-Hunt (South Dakota 2019-Present)
\nDion Prewster (Stephen F. Austin 2010-2011)
\nAngus Riley (Bryant University 2014-2018)
\nAnzac Rissetto (North Carolina Charlotte 2019-Present)
\nJack Salt (Virginia University 2015-2019)
\nJackson Stent (Houston Baptist University 2018-Present)
\nShane Temara (North Texas 2016-2018)
\nTroy Temara (George Mason 2016\/17)
\nSam Timmins (University of Washington2016-2020)
\nThomas Vadonavich (James Maddison University 2013-2017)
\nSam Waardenburg (University of Miami 2017-Present)
\nTai Webster (University of Nebraska 2013-2017)
\nYanni Wetzell (Vanderbilt University 2018\/19 & San Diego State 2019\/20)
\nTai Wynyard (University of Kentucky 2015-2018)
\nZach Young (Nicholls State 2014-2018)[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Ten years ago the idea that over 100 Kiwis would be on basketball scholarships in the United States in any given year, with almost half of them at NCAA Division I schools, would have been unimaginable. In the recently concluded 2019-2020 US collegiate season, no fewer than 101 New Zealand players were at US universities […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7092,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[749],"tags":[869,117,868],"yoast_head":"\n