Sophie Adams

Position: Forward

Height: 186cm

Born: 21 October, 2002

Junior Association: Canterbury

High School: Ashburton College

Highest Representative Honour –Junior Tall Ferns

Previous NBL clubs – Canterbury Wildcats (2019), Otago Gold Rush (2021)

A member of the New Zealand team that won silver at the 2019 FIBA U17 Oceania Championship in New Caledonia.

A former Canterbury representative, and Mainland Eagles Academy member, Adams moved from Canterbury to Dunedin to study.

Paige Bradley (Import)

Position: Guard

Height: 178cm

Born: February 15, 1994 in Woodlands, Texas

High School: Woodlands High School

Previous NBL clubs – Rookie

The American guard arrives at Hoiho having played the last two Australian NBL1 seasons for Hobart Chargers. Bradley has averaged 15.4 points and 5.6 assists per game in the 2023 season.

Bradley played four years at Denver University playing 117 games. In her senior year (2015-16) averaged a career best 13.6 points per contest and was fourth in the Summit League with 3.4 assists per game.

Became just the second player at Denver Pioneers to accrue 1,200 points, 300 rebounds and 350 assists.

Post college she played five years in Germany and one in Luxembourg before heading to Hobart.

Alexa Duff

Position: Guard

Height:

Born: 20 December, 2006

High School: Columba College, Dunedin

Previous NBL clubs – Rookie

One of the leading young players in the southern region, Alexa is in Year 12 at Columba College.

Played for Otago at the 2023 U17 National Championships in July. She also plays for Andy Bay Falcons in the Dunedin club competition.

Samara Gallaher

Position: Guard

Height: 180cm

Born: August 6, 1992

Junior Association: Otago

High School: Kavanagh College

Highest Representative Honour –Tall Ferns

Previous NBL clubs – Otago Gold Rush (2009-16 and 2021), Southern Hoiho (2022-present)

Played all 12 games for Hoiho averaging 8.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per game – her first full season of competitive basketball for six years. Scored a season best 19 points against Northern Kāhu in Round 2.

Gallaher was member of the 2011 and 2015 Gold Rush WBC Championship winning teams – named to the WBC All-Star in 2011.

Played for Hume City in Victoria’s Big V competition in 2015 and 2016, winning a championship in the second year.

Debuted for the Tall Ferns in 2013 and made 14 international appearances before being forced into a premature retirement from international basketball due to injury.

In 2021 appointed Basketball Otago’s Women’s and Girl’s Ambassador.

Abby Harris

Position: Guard

Height:

Born: June 19, 2004

Junior Association: Otago

High School: Otago Girls High School

Previous NBL clubs – Rookie

Has progressed through the Otago Basketball programme representing the province at all levels from U13’s.

Played for the Otago Gold Rush D League team in 2022.

Was a reserve for the New Zealand U18 team in 2022.

In her first year at university studying to be a teacher.

Ahlise Hurst (import)

Position: Guard

Height: 175cm

Born: January 6, 2000 in Bendigo, Australia

High School: Bendigo Senior Secondary College

Previous NBL clubs – Rookie

Played the 2017-18 season in the Australian WNBL for Bendigo Spirit prior to her American collegiate career.

Also won a SEABL championship with Bendigo Spirit in 2017.

Played three years at the University of New Mexico followed by two years at the University of Oregon totalling 143 NCAA Division I appearances.

Averaged 11 points per game in her three seasons at New Mexico and 5.5 points per game with the Oregon Ducks in the Pac-12.

Father Joe Hurst played in the Australian NBL for Hobart Devils in 1988-89.

Natalie Ivamy

Position: Forward

Height:

Born: February 12, 1990

High School: Queens High School

Previous NBL clubs – Otago Gold Rush (2012-19)

Natalie Ivamy (neé Smith) was part of the highly successful Otago Gold Rush teams that won WBC Championships in 2015 and 2018 – a former Gold Rush captain.

Since leaving school Ivamy has played has played her club basketball for Ajax.

Works as a physiotherapist.

Tyler Mitchell

Position: Guard

Height:

Born: August 15, 2002

Junior Association: Waikato

High School: Hamilton Girls High School

Previous NBL clubs – Hoiho (2022-present)

Played 8 games for Hoiho in 2022.

Played for Hoiho at the 2022 Schick Cup and for Otago University at the 2022 3×3 National Tertiary Championships.

From Te Kuiti, a granddaughter of Colin Meads.

Studying to be a pharmacist.

Caitlin O'Connell

Position: Guard

Height: 178cm

Born: August 23, 2002

Junior Association: Taranaki Country

High School: Sacred Heart Girls’ College, New Plymouth

Highest Representative Honour – Junior Tall Ferns

Previous NBL clubs – Previous NBL Clubs: Taranaki Thunder (2018 & 2020), Otago Gold Rush (2021-22)

Played for the Gold Rush in 2021 making her debut against Capital Swish.

Played for the D League championship winning Taranaki Thunder team in 2020 and Otago Gold Rush (runners-up) in 2022.

Named to the New Zealand Junior Tall Ferns team for a Four Nations Tournament in China in 2020 but the tour was subsequently cancelled due to Covid.

Played for New Zealand silver medal winning team at the 2019 FIBA Oceania Championships in New Caledonia.

Studying physiotherapy at Otago University and has represented the university at Tertiary Tournaments.

Not related to Jennifer O’Connell.

Jen O'Connell

Position: Forward

Height: 193cm

Born: June 16, 1997

High School: Waitaki Girls High School

Previous NBL clubs – Rookie

A former Otago University representative O’Connell played for the Hoiho at the 2022 3×3 Schick Cup.

Also a top class netballer O’Connell has played in the ANZ Premiership for the Southern Steel. The former Silver Fern trialist suffered a serious knee injury in 2020.

Not related to Caitlin O’Connell.

Millie Simpson

Position: Guard

Height: 171cm

Born: 22 November, 2000

Junior Association: North Harbour

High School: Carmel College

Previous NBL clubs – Otago Gold Rush (2020-21)

Was on the verge of signing for Hoiho last season but injury prevented that.

Plays for South Pacific Magic in the Dunedin club competition – was MVP of that competition in 2021.

Studying medicine at Otago University.

Britt Richards

Position: Guard

Height: 182cm

Born: October 4, 1997

Junior Association: Otago

High School: St Hilda’s College

Previous NBL clubs – Otago Gold Rush (2018-2019), Canterbury Wildcats (2020-21)

Joins twin sister Zoe – last played together in 2019 for Otago Gold Rush.

Played for the 2018 Otago Gold Rush WBC Championship winning team alongside Zoe.

Following high school Richards spent a season (2016-17) at Gillette College playing alongside twin sister Zoe. She then played three seasons at University of Alaska Fairbanks where she made 70 appearances for the Nanooks.

Named to the Conference (Great Northwest Athletic Conference) All-Academic Team in both her Junior and Senior (2019-20) years.

Gracie Roberts-Hare

Position: Guard

Height: 173cm

Born: September 18, 1996

Junior Association: Nelson

High School: Waimea College

Highest Representative Honour – Junior Tall Ferns (2014)

Previous NBL clubs – Nelson Sparks (2012-15)

Roberts-Hare returns to New Zealand having, since graduating from college in the USA, played four seasons in the Dutch National League. During that time she has played almost 100 games – in the 2022-23 season played 27 games for Triple Threat (Dutch League semi-finalists) averaging 5 points and 3 rebounds per game.

Following high school played a year at North Idaho Junior College followed by 2 years at the University of Detroit Mercy (NCAA D1).

Played her senior year (2018-19) at the University of Charleston in West Virginia helping the Golden Eagles to a 25-7 record. Led the team in assists with 5 dimes per game in addition to scoring 7.4 points per game.

Named to the Tournament Team at the 2014 Secondary Schools National Championships. Others named to that team included Krystal Leger-Walker, Tegan Graham, Ella Fotu and Mary Goulding.

Played for New Zealand age-group teams in both basketball and volleyball.

Ashten Prechtel (Import)

Position: Forward

Height: 196cm

Born: May 10, 2001 in Philadelphia

High School: Canyon Springs High School, Colorado Springs

Previous NBL clubs – Rookie

Prechtel will be making her professional debut with Hoiho.

Prechtel was selected as the 34^th pick in the 2023 WNBA Draft by Connecticut Sun.

Played on the Stanford University NCAA Championship winning team in 2021. Added 8 rebounds to 7 points in the 54-53 Grand Final win against Arizona.

Stanford were also Pac-12 Champions that year and again in 2022 when they went to the Final Four at the NCAA Tournament.

Played 129 games for the Cardinals averaging 4.5 points and 3.4 rebounds – graduated in 2023.

Played volleyball and basketball at high school.

Father Matt rowed at Pitt while mother Elayne played volleyball at Drexel University.

Zoe Richards

Position: Forward

Height: 187cm

Born: October 4, 1997

Junior Association: Otago

High School: St Hilda’s College

Highest Representative Honour –Tall Ferns, debuted in 2019 (10 appearances)

Previous NBL clubs – Otago Gold Rush (2014-2019), Hoiho (2022-present)

Played all 12 games for Hoiho in 2022 averaging 7.4 points (third best on the team) and 5.7 rebounds per game.

Averaged 12.1 points and 9.7 rebounds for the Contern Club in the Luxemburg League in 2022-23 season.

Played four games for the Tall Ferns at the 2021 Asia Cup in Jordan.

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

Following high school Richards spent a season (2016-17) at Gillette College playing alongside twin sister Brittany. She then played three seasons at Eckerd College  (NCAA Division II) helping the Tritons win the Sunshine State Conference title in 2020 – her senior year.

Played all 91 games for the Tritons in her three years on the team amassing 982 points and 430 rebounds.

Won a WBC championship with Otago Gold Rush in 2018.

Todd Marshall (Head Coach)

Natalie Visger (Assistant Coach)