Aria Cowley

Position: Guard

Height: 170cm

Born: 19 February, 2004

Junior Association: Waikato

High School: Fraser High School

Previous NBL clubs – Auckland Dream (2021)

Debuted for the Dream against Waikato Wizards in August 2021 and played 2 games that season.

Invited to the NZ U18 National Training Camp in April 2022.

Named to the Tournament Team at 2021 U17 National Championships and 2022 U19 National Championships.

Currently studying Engineering at Waikato University.

Tiarna Clarke

Position: Guard

Height: 168cm

Born: 5 February, 1999

Junior Association: North Harbour

High School: Westlake Girls High School

Highest Representative Honour: 3×3 Tall Ferns

Previous NBL clubs – Harbour Breeze (2015,17 & 2020-21)

Alongside Esra McGoldrick, Sharne Pupuke-Robati and Ella Fotu, Tiarna was a member of the Tall Ferns 3×3 team that won the FIBA 3×3 World Cup Qualifier Asia in March 2022.

Appeared in both games for the Breeze in 2021 scoring a career high 30 points against Canterbury Wildcats.

A member of the Harbour Breeze 2020 Sal’s NBL Championship winning team. Scored 16 points in the Grand Final win against Waikato.

Clarke spent one-year playing NCAA Division I at University of Northern Colorado (2017-2018). Played all 32 games for UNC, alongside Krystal Leger-Walker, helping them win the Big Sky Conference.

Clarke was the youngest member of the NZ Select team that played against China B in 2016.

Also in 2016 played on the NZ team that claimed silver at the U18 FIBA Oceania Championships in Fiji.

Taiana Day

Position: Guard

Height:

Born:

Junior Association: Tauranga City

High School: Mount Maunganui High School/St Peter’s School, Cambridge

Previous NBL clubs – Rookie

A Year 13 prefect at St Peter’s School Cambridge.

Named to the New Zealand team to play at the 2020 FIBA U16 Asia Cup in Canberra. The event was cancelled due to the Covid pandemic.

Makayla Daysh

Position: Forward

Height: 185cm

Born: October 10, 1995

Junior Association: Tauranga City

High School: Tauranga Girls College

Previous NBL clubs – Rotorua Vols (2012-13) Tauranga City Coasters (2015-18), Waikato Wizards (2014 and 2020-21)

‘Maka’ returns to her home town to play for Whai after previously commuting to play for the Waikato Wizards. Played all three games for the Wizards in 2021 posting a total of 41 points  and 9 rebounds.

Played 2 years at Chadron State University, Nebraska (NCAA Division II) from 2014 to 2016.

Jori Davis (Import)

Position: Guard

Height: 176cm

Born: 21 April, 1989

High School: Rochester Prep, New York

Previous NBL clubs – Rookie

From Rochester, New York, Davis played for Italian club Faenza in the 2021-22 European season averaging 11 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3 assists per game.

After graduating from Indiana University in 2011 Davis was drafted by the Indiana Fever although she was subsequently released during pre-season.

Has played in Israel, Romania, Switzerland, Italy, Greece and Spain.

Played 113 games at Indiana University where she scored 1,587 career points – 10^th all-time for the Hoosiers.

Scored over 500 points in both her Junior and Senior years. Scored a career high 33 points against Virginia in 2010. 

Nikki Greene (Import)

Position: Forward/Centre

Height: 193cm

Born: September 6, 1990

High School: Diboll HS, Texas

Previous NBL clubs – Rookie

Following a four year career at Penn State (2009-13) Greene was the overall 34^th pick by the Phoenix Mercury in 2013 WNBA Draft.

Didn’t play that year but in 2014 made 12 appearances WNBA appearances for Los Angeles Sparks. The following year she played 11 games for the Connecticut Sun.

Her professional career has also taken her to South Korea, Israel, Poland, Australia and France.

The last two European seasons she has played in the French League for Angers – averaged 10.1 points and 8.8 rebounds in 2021-22.

The only player in Penn State history with 1,000 points, 900 rebounds (4^th all-time with 994) and 200 blocks (second all-time with 215). Also holds the record for consecutive games started – 131.

Matangiroa “Pep” Flavell

Position: Guard/Forward

Height: 175 cm

Born: September 28, 1997

Junior Association – Rotorua

High School – Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Koutu

Previous NBL Clubs: Harbour Breeze (2019), Waikato Wizards (2020-21)

Scored three’s with her first three shots for Whai in Tauihi 2022 at Cowles Stadium against Mainland Pouākai.

Debuted on the Tall Ferns team that finished runners-up at the 2019 William Jones Cup.

Following high school Flavell spent a year at Otago University before attending Midland Community College in Texas for two years. After graduating from Midland she moved on to Houston Baptist University for the 2018/19 NCAA season.

Played for Harbour in the 2019 WBC season helping the Breeze reach the Grand Final.

Kendell Heremaia

Position: Forward

Height: 188cm

Born: April 14, 1999

Junior Association: Waikato

High School: St Peter’s School, Cambridge

Highest Representative Honour: Junior Tall Fern

Previous NBL clubs – Waikato (2014-16)

Played 145 games in a 5-year career at Fordham University (2017-22).

Heremaia sits second on the NZ Women’s all-time list for NCAA Division I games played behind Tegan Graham (153 games).

She also sits 5^th on the all-time scoring list after amassing 1,291 career points.

In her senior year at Fordham she set a programme record when she made 11 three-pointers in her career high 35 points against Massachusetts.

In her sophomore year at Fordham, in 2018-19, she played alongside Mary Goulding and Zara Jillings as the Rams won their second-ever Atlantic 10 Championship.

Prior to college helped Waikato and St Peter’s to numerous National Championship triumphs.

Played for NZ at the FIBA 3X3 U18 World Cup in both 2015 and 2016.

Kyra Lambert (Import)

Position: Guard

Height: 175cm

Born: December 6, 1996

High School: Samuel Clemens HS, Texas

Previous NBL clubs – Rookie

Lambert played three years at prestigious Duke University before moving to the University of Texas for her final collegiate season in 2020-21. Averaged 7.1 points, 3 rebounds and 3.1 assists for the Longhorns as they progressed to the Elite 8 at the 2021 NCAA Championship.

Graduated with a Masters in Sport Management.

Played the first half of her debut pro season in Turkey for Koleji Izmir before transferring to Banska Bystrica in Slovakia where she averaged 13 points, 5 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game.

Had a 50-point game at Samuel Clemens HS where she averaged 25.8ppg – the No 9 ranked recruit in the class of 2015.

Dominique McBryde (Import)

Position: Forward

Height: 185cm

Born: November 15, 1996

High School: Bedford North Lawrence HS, Indiana

Highest Representative Honour:

Previous NBL clubs – Rookie

Played two years at Purdue University followed by two years at the University of Arizona.

In her senior year (2019-20) averaged 6.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game for the Pac-12 semi-finalists. The first Wildcat ever to shoot 50% from the field and 40% from three.

Played her debut pro season in Hungary. Started the 2021-22 season playing in Greece before transferring to T71 Dudelange where she averaged 14 points and 7.3 rebounds per game for the Luxemburg League Cup Finalists.

Esra McGoldrick

Position: Forward

Height: 188cm

Born: October 24, 1999

Junior Association: North Canterbury

High School: Rangi Ruru Girls School

Highest Representative Honour: Tall Ferns – debuted 2019

Previous NBL clubs – Canterbury Wildcats (2015 & 2017), North Canterbury Spirit (2018-19), Waikato Wizards (2020), Auckland Dream (2021)

Played alongside Ella Fotu, Sharne Pupuke-Robati and Tiarna Clarke for the Tall Ferns 3×3 team that won the FIBA 3×3 World Cup Qualifier Asia in March 2022 in Doha.

Played three games for the Dream in 2021 enjoying  an 11 points and 15 rebounds outing against Canterbury Wildcats.

Played WBC for North Canterbury Spirit in 2018 before playing one year at North Carolina State University (NCAA Division I) in 2018-19.

Was a member of the Tall Ferns team that finished runners-up at the 2019 William Jones Cup.

Averaged 6.8 points and 5.2 rebounds at the 2016 FIBA U18 Oceania Championships in Fiji, winning a silver medal.

Hineaupounamu ‘Missy’ Nuku

Position: Guard

Height: 170cm

Born:

Junior Association: Tauranga

High School: Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Kura Kokiri, Kairua

Previous NBL clubs – Rookie

Named to the New Zealand team to play at the 2020 FIBA U16 Asia Cup in Canberra. The event was cancelled due to the Covid pandemic.

Alana Paewai

Position: Guard

Height: 170cm

Born: April 4, 2004

Junior Association: Waikato

High School: St Peter’s School, Cambridge

Previous NBL clubs – Waikato Wizards (2020)

Averaged 6.6 points and 2.1 assists per game for the Wizards in 2020.

Won an U17 National Championship titles with Waikato in 2019 and 2020 – Named to the Tournament Team on both occasions. Averaged 21.4ppg at the 2020 Tournament.

Was a member of the St Peter’s championship winning team at the 2019 Secondary Schools National Championships.

Named to the New Zealand team to contest the 2020 FIBA U16 Asia Championships in Canberra but the event was cancelled due to the Covid pandemic.

Sharne Robati

Position: Forward

Height: 180cm

Born: January 25, 2001

Junior Association: Counties Manukau

High School: Mt Albert Grammar School

Highest Representative Honour: Tall Ferns 3×3 team

Previous NBL clubs – Auckland Dream (2017-21)

Played alongside Ella Fotu, Esra McGoldrick and Tiarna Clarke for the Tall Ferns 3×3 team that won the FIBA 3×3 World Cup Qualifier Asia in March 2022 in Doha.

Played all three games for the Dream in 2021 averaging 13.7ppg.

Overall leading scorer in the 2020 NBL season averaging 16.4 points per game.

Played for the Auckland Dream WBC Championship winning team in 2019.

Played on the New Zealand team that won silver at the FIBA U18 3×3 World Cup in Mongolia in 2019. The other team members were Tayla Dalton, Ashlee Strawbridge and Charlisse Leger-Walker.

In 2018 played on the New Zealand team at the FIBA U17 Women’s World Cup in Belarus where she averaged 9.6 points and 7.0 rebounds.

Named to the Tournament Team at Secondary School Nationals in 2016 when Mt Albert Grammar finished runners-up to St Peter’s. Was also named to the Tournament Team in 2017 and 2018.

Rosalia Samia

Position: Guard

Height: 172cm

Born: 19 March, 2001

Junior Association: Hawkes Bay

High School: Napier Girls High School

Highest Representative Honour: NZ U16

Previous NBL clubs – Taranaki Thunder (2018), Canterbury Wildcats (2019 -2021).

Played both games for the Wildcats in 2021.

A former New Zealand age-group international, was a rookie with the Wildcats in 2019 after shifting south from Hawkes Bay to take up a scholarship at Lincoln University (2019-present).

Currently continuing postgraduate study in Environmental Management Samia was a member of Lincoln’s 2022 3×3 Tertiary National Championship winning team.

Played at the 2017 FIBA U16 Asian Championship in India where New Zealand finished 4^th.

Samia graduated from Lincoln University in 2021 with a Bachelor of Environmental Management and is continuing postgraduate study.  

Younger sister Melika begins a basketball scholarship at the University of Portland later in 2022.

Bulou 'Bee' Tuisue

Position: Forward

Height: 182cm

Born: September 1, 1990

Junior Association: Wellington

High School: Mana College/St Mary’s College/Queen Margaret College

Highest Representative Honour: Fijian National Team

Previous NBL clubs – Hutt Valley Flyers (2011-13) Capital  Swish (2014-17 and 2021)

Played both games for the Swish in 2021.

Played for the Fijian National team in 2008 at the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Madrid.

Currently working as a Teacher Aide/Sports Assistant at Tauranga Intermediate School.

Jelena Vučinić

Position: Guard

Height: 175cm

Born: August 1, 1991

Junior Association: Nelson

High School: Waimea College

Highest Representative Honour: Tall Fern – debuted 2010

Previous NBL clubs – Taranaki (2010), Nelson Sparks (2011 & 2018), Auckland Dream (2020-21)

Played all three games for the Dream in the 2021 NBL.

In her final year at Waimea College (2009) she was named to the Tournament Team at Secondary School Nationals and played on the team that won the Secondary Schools Volleyball National Championships.

Played at Louisiana Tech University (NCAA Division I) on a 4-year scholarship playing 78 games before graduating in 2014 with both a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology and a Master of Science in Kinesiology.

Made 10 appearances for the Tall Ferns in 2010 and 2011.

Daughter of former Tall Black player and coach Nenad Vučinić and former Tall Fern Tatjana Zizic.