No G.J. Gardner Homes Tauihi team has undergone an overhaul quite like the ANZCO Tokomanawa Queens have with a swag of new recruits joining the 2022 champions and 2023 runners-up in a quest to retake the throne in 2024.
The Queens took down the BNZ Northen Kāhu in the competition’s inaugural season, but last year they fell short against a star-studded Kāhu outfit that extracted redemption. It has taken just two seasons for the Queens vs Kāhu match-up to clearly become the biggest rivalry in Tauihi.
The prospect of redemption now sits in the hands of the Queens, with head coach Tania Tupu and general manager Walter Taulelei leaving no stone unturned during free agency.
Such has been the roster transformation since last September's grand final that only two players are back from the Queens team that lost 72-98 to the Kāhu, while two players from the Queens' championship team of 2022 have returned.
Tall Ferns star Stella Beck is back for a third successive season as captain which will please the rapidly growing Queens fanbase, so too does Porirua ace Grace Hunter another inaugural member of the franchise, while 2022 championship forward Jacinta Beckley will be back in Queens colours after a stint with the Pouākai last year.
The biggest return to the capital is that of WNBA-drafted Argentinian guard Florencia Chagas, in 2022 made headlines for her tenacious and exciting play, and her MVP role in the final. She was also crowned the competition’s Youth Player of the Year.
But from there, you are looking at nine new players in Queens colours for season 2024.
Of the new faces, none come with more fanfare than top 10 WNBA draft pick Jordan Horston. The exciting Seattle Storm star is the highest ever WNBA drafted player to come to New Zealand, and at just 23 years of age her highlight reel is already a glittering one. A two-way player, her role with the Storm has been immense and the recent WNBA season has included numerous career highs.
Joining Horston is good friend and former college teammate Tamari Key, a 198-centimetre centre who is the all-time shot-block leader at prestigious women’s basketball NCAA program, the University of Tennessee Lady Volunteers (Lady Vols).
Key will be the tallest player in Tauihi '24, her ability to protect the rim gives her the chance to smash all block records in the competition, while Horston is a long 188 centimeters with supreme athleticism and a noticeable wingspan.
The Queens have also secured two FIBA Asia players in the form of Korean international star Jihyun Park and Australian WNBL championship forward Lou Brown.
Park is high level, a player with enormous international experience and another player who relishes playing at both ends of the floor.
Of particular interest will be the reunion of Horston, Key and Brown, all of whom attended the University of Tennessee and played ball together as Lady Vols. Given Tauihi is a quick 12-week season, bringing three college teammates back together looks like a masterstroke by the Queens recruiting staff.
Another astute bit of recruiting is the signing of Tall Ferns guard Lauryn Hippolite, who moves north after two seasons with Mainland Pouākai. Fresh off a successful NBL1 season in Melbourne with Casey Cavaliers, Hippolite looks a brilliant addition to a strong guard rotation and will hit the ground running in her new Tauihi colours.
Another former Pouākai player in Ash Taia has also been added to Tania Tupu’s squad and presents as another experienced player prepared to play a role. Rounding out the roster are two young rising stars, Alana Paewai and Awatea Leach, the latter joining from last year’s championship winning Kāhu.
The Queens have also signed amateur Keriana Hippolite, a teenage Australian-based Kiwi star who recently made the All-Star 5 at the NBA's Basketball Without Borders camp in Perth, Australia.
With a 13-player roster locked in, the Queens have also been able to secure the top signature of assistant coach Mel Bennett, who heads to Wellington after two years as head coach of the Tauranga Whai. Teaming Tupu and Bennett together puts the Queens on par with the Kāhu's coaching duo of Jody Cameron and Leanne Walker. Remember that rivalry we mentioned?
The Queens have a busy pre-season ahead with a trip to China for a 4-team tournament against teams from China, Korea and Japan, before their Tauihi season tips-off on Friday October 4 against the Southern Hoiho.
Can the Queens retake their throne? They certainly have the team capable of going all the way.
2024 Queens Home Games
Friday Oct 4 – 6:30pm Rapid / 7:30pm Tauihi – Queens vs Hoiho – Te Rauparaha Arena (Porirua)
Sunday Oct 13 – 2:00pm Rapid / 3:00pm Tauihi – Queens vs Kāhu – Te Rauparaha Arena (Porirua)
Friday Oct 18 – 6:30pm Rapid / 7:30pm Tauihi – Queens vs Whai – Te Rauparaha Arena (Porirua)
Sunday Nov 17 – 2:00pm Rapid / 3:00pm Tauihi – Queens vs Hoiho – TSB Bank Arena (Wellington)
Sunday Nov 24 – 2:00pm Rapid / 3:00pm Tauihi – Queens vs Pouākai – TSB Bank Arena (Wellington)
Saturday Nov 30 – 6:30pm Rapid / 7:30pm Tauihi – Queens vs Whai – Fly Palmy Arena (Palmerston North)
Queens Tickets & Memberships
Game Tickets: Find tickets from Tokomanawa Queens (ticketspace.co.nz)
Season Memberships: Memberships — Tokomanawa Queens
2024 Queens Roster
0. Keriana Hippolite (NZ amateur)
1. Jihyun Park (Korea – FIBA Asia import)
2. Lauryn Hippolite (NZ – professional)
3. Jacinta Beckley (NZ – professional)
4. Grace Hunter (NZ – professional)
5. Awatea Leach (NZ – professional)
7. Stella Beck (NZ – professional)
8. Alana Paewai (NZ – professional)
13. Ash Taia (NZ – professional)
14. Florencia Chagas (Argentina – import)
20. Tamari Key (USA – import)
21. Lou Brown (Australia – FIBA Asia import)
23. Jordan Horston (USA – import)
Predicted Starting 5
PG: Florencia Chagas
SG: Stella Beck
SF: Jihyun Park
PF: Jordan Horston
C: Tamari Key
All-Time Stats Leaders
Total Games Played: Grace Hunter & Parris Mason (26)
Total Points: Chrislyn Carr (330)
Total Rebounds: Stella Beck (133)
Total Assists: Stella Beck (76)
Total Steals: Stella Beck (44)
Total Blocks: Josie Trousdell (26)
Single Game Records
Points: Chrislyn Carr (34)
Rebounds: Elin Gustavsson (14)
Assists: Stella Beck, Florencia Chagas & Chrislyn Carr (7)
Steals: Stella Beck (6)
