Trinity Baptiste (Import)

Position: Guard

Height: 183cm

Born: 15 June, 1998

High School: Hillsborough HS, Tampa, Florida

Previous NBL clubs – Rookie

Picked by the Indiana Fever in the 2021 WNBA draft Baptiste was waived by the Fever.

Having previously played at Northwest Florida State and Virginia Tech she played the 2020-21 season at the University of Arizona where the Wildcats went all the way to the NCAA Championship game losing by a single point to Stanford (54-53).

Led Arizona in rebounds (6.1rpg) and was third in scoring (8.6ppg) in 2020-21.

Averaged 11.1 points and 6.2 rebounds for Politeh-Sam in the Russian Lague in 2021-22.

Tessa Boagni

Position: Centre

Height: 188cm

Born: 12 February, 1996

Junior Association: Canterbury

High School: Christchurch Girls High School

Highest Representative Honour – Tall Ferns

Previous NBL clubs – Canterbury Wildcats (2013-14, 2018-19 and 2021)

Played both games for the Wildcats in 2021 amassing 61 points and 32 rebounds!

Missed the 2020 NBL season for the birth of son Noah.

Played all five games at the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup in Jordan where she averaged 7 points and 4.2 rebounds per game.

Was a member of the Tall Ferns gold medal winning team at the 2018 William Jones Cup and silver medal winning team at the 2019 event averaging 9.2ppg.

Spent four years at California State University, Northridge. In her senior year won MVP at the Big West Conference Tournament – scored 23 points (9/16 FG) and eight rebounds as Cal State Northridge beat UC Davis 63-55 in the championship game. Ended her career with the Matadors ranked 4^th in career games played (122), 6^th in career blocks (101) and 9^th in career rebounds (700).

Mother Jane and sister Kate McMeeken-Ruscoe also played for the Tall Ferns.

Jailin Cherry (Import)

Position: Guard

Height: 173cm

Born: July 13, 1999

High School: Pascagoula HS, Mississippi

Previous NBL clubs – Rookie

Joins Mainland for her first professional assignment.

Completed her career at Louisiana State University in 2022 playing 135 games for the Tigers. The Tigers made the second round at the 2022 NCAA Tournament – scored 24 points in the first round victory against Jackson State.

Those 24 points were a career high – averaged 9.6 points and 5.2 rebounds per game in her senior season at LSU.

Terai Elia

Position: Forward

Height: 178cm

Born: October 2, 1992

Junior Association: Taranaki

High School: New Plymouth Girls High School

Highest Representative Honour – Cook Islands National Team

Previous NBL clubs – Taranaki Thunder (2009-13), Canterbury Wildcats (2016 and 2019-21)

Played both games for the Canterbury Wildcats in 2021.

Terai Elia (nee Sadler) played at Crowder Junior College (2012-13) before playing 61 games in her two seasons at Central Arkansas University.

Returned from the States in 2016 helping Canterbury Wildcats win a WBC title that year.

Elia was a member of the Cook Islands team that won gold at the FIBA Polynesian Cup in Samoa in 2018. Won a 3×3 silver medal with the Cook Islands at the 2019 Pacific Games.

Ella Fotu

Position: Wing

Height: 177cm

Born: June 1, 1996

Junior Association: North Harbour

High School: Rangitoto College

Highest Representative Honour – Tall Ferns (debut 2019)

Previous NBL clubs – Harbour Breeze (2013-15, 2019-21)

Playing alongside Esra McGoldrick, Sharne Pupuke-Robati and Tiarna Clarke won the FIBA 3×3 World Cup Qualifier Asia in March 2022.

Appeared in both games for the Breeze in the abbreviated 2021 NBL season.

A member of the Harbour Breeze 2020 Sal’s NBL Championship winning team averaging 10.1ppg.

Debuted for Harbour Breeze in 2013 as a 16 year-old – along with Zara Jillings and Brooke Blair, the only players to have been part of the Breeze championship winning teams in both 2014 and 2020.

In her debut campaign Fotu was a member of the Tall Ferns team that finished runners-up at the 2019 William Jones Cup.

Sister of Tall Blacks Isaac and Dan Fotu, Ella spent three years at college in the States winning an NCAA Division II PacWest Conference Championship playing for Hawaii Pacific University Sharks in 2017.

Became a full time firefighter in July 2021.

Mary Goulding

Position: Forward

Height: 183cm

Born: 24 August, 1996

Junior Association: Canterbury

High School: Rangiora High School

Highest Representative Honour – Tall Ferns (debut 2019)

Previous NBL clubs – Canterbury Wildcats (2014-15)

Goulding returns to New Zealand to play her first full season since high school days.

Debuted for the Tall Ferns at the 2019 William Jones Cup. Played all 5 games at the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup averaging 8.6 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. She was the team’s most efficient shooter making 65% (17/26) from the field, 40% (4/10) 3-pointers and 100% (5/5) from the free-throw line.

Following high school Goulding spent a year at Gillette College in Wyoming before being recruited by Fordham University.

In her senior year at Fordham in 2018-19 she earned First Team All-Conference honours. Most Outstanding Player accolade at the Atlantic 10 Championship and was also named to the A-10 All-Academic team. Goulding led the Rams to the programme’s second-ever Atlantic 10 Championship.

Since college she has played for IK Eos in the Swedish League (2019-20), East Perth Eagles (2021) and Bendigo Spirit (2020-22) in the WNBL.

Lauryn Hippolite

Position: Guard

Height: 174cm

Born: March 5, 2000

Junior Association: Canterbury

High School: Waimea College/Middleton Grange School.

Highest Representative Honour: Tall Ferns – debuted 2021

Previous NBL clubs – Nelson Sparks (2015-16), Canterbury Wildcats (2019-21)

Played both games for the Wildcats in 2021 logging 9 points and 10 assists in a standout game against Harbour Breeze.

Hippolite was a Development Player with the Australian NBL Championship winning Melbourne Boomers in 2022.

Studying for a Bachelor of Science (Food Science) Hippolite is on a basketball scholarship at Lincoln University where she was named Sportsperson of the Year in 2021. Played on Lincoln’s 2022 3×3 Tertiary National Championship winning team.

Debuted for the Tall Ferns against Japan at the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup in Jordan – made a three with her first shot in international basketball.

Leading scorer at the inaugural NBL Schick 3×3 Cup in 2020 but a calf injury impeded her 2020 Sal’s NBL campaign meaning she could only play 3 games.

Named to the All-Star Five at the 2019 U23 Nationals after helping Canterbury to the bronze medal position.

Played on the New Zealand team that won silver at the 2017 FIBA Oceania Championships in Guam averaging 9.6ppg.

Played NCAA Division II basketball at Hawaii Pacific University in 2018-19.

Maia Jones

Position: Guard

Height: 171cm

Born:

Junior Association: Nelson

High School: Waimea College

Highest Representative Honour: Tall Ferns – debuted 2021

Previous NBL clubs – Rookie

Named to the 2022 New Zealand U17 team to compete at the FIBA Asia Cup in June 2022.

Named to the Tournament Team at 2021 U17 National Championships.

Daughter of Tall Black Phill Jones and Women’s NBL player and Pouakai assistant coach Kat Jones.

Tessa Morrison

Position: Guard

Height: 171cm

Born: August 30, 1997

Junior Association: Mid Canterbury

High School: Ashburton College/Christchurch Girls High School

Highest Representative Honour: Junior Tall Ferns

Previous NBL clubs – Previous NBL Clubs – Canterbury Wildcats (2013-21)

A seasoned performer for the Canterbury Wildcats, made her NBL debut as a 15 year-old.

Morrison was a member of both the 2016 and 2017 Wildcats WBC Championship winning teams.

Missed the last two NBL seasons after suffering an ACL injury at the 2021 Schick 3X3 Cup.

Played at NCAA Division II basketball at Southern New Hampshire University 2016-2018.

Graduated from Lincoln University with a degree in psychology. Currently employed by BBNZ as a Community Lead – Women’s and Girl’s in the Mainland region.

Tsubasa Nisbett

Position: Forward

Height: 183cm

Born: 7 March, 2000

Junior Association: Canterbury

High School: Burnside High School, Christchurch

Highest Representative Honour: Junior Tall Ferns

Previous NBL clubs – Canterbury Wildcats (2018)

Nisbett returns to NZ after a four-year career at Georgia Sothern University (NCAA Division I). Played 85 games for the Eagles, captaining the team in her senior year (2021-22).

Won silver with the New Zealand team at the 2017 FIBA Oceania Championship in Guam.

Like Pouakai teammate Tessa Boagni, Nisbett is a Secondary Schools National Champion in volleyball – Burnside High School went back-to-back in 2015 and 2016.

Erin Whalen (Import)

Position: Forward

Height: 185cm

Born: 14 November, 1997

High School: Providence Day School

Previous NBL clubs – Rookie

Attended the WNBA’s Indiana Fever training camp earlier this year.

Played two years at Vanderbilt University (2016-18) before switching to Dayton University.

Played 71 games at Dayton where in her senior year (2021-22) she averaged 13.3ppg and passed 1,000 points scored for the Flyers.

Earned Academic All-Atlantic 10 honours three consecutive years.

Graduated from Dayton with a Masters in Communication.

Lauren Whittaker

Position: Forward

Height: 194cm

Born: 2 October, 2005

Junior Association: North Canterbury

High School: St Andrews College, Christchurch

Highest Representative Honour: Junior Tall Ferns

Previous NBL clubs – Auckland Dream (2021)

Year 12 at St Andrew’s College, Christchurch.

Debuted for Auckland Dream against Waikato Wizards in 2021 Saal’s NBL while still in Year 11 at St Andrew’s College.

Named to the 2022 New Zealand U17 team.

MVP at 2021 U17 National Championships – scored 25 points for Canterbury in the final against Hutt Valley.

Sister Charlotte (University of Colorado) and brother Mason (American University) are both at NCAA Division I colleges in America.