Hoiho lean on continuity, defence and experience as the South looks to take another step
Head Coach: Todd Marshall. 4th season (17-19 regular season record, 0-2 post-season)
Home Venue: Edgar Centre, Dunedin
2025 Finish: 7-5 regular season record for a 3rd place finish, lost Semi-Final to Mainland Pouākai
Key Returnee: Paige Bradley
Key Signing: Julie Wojta
Player to Watch: Lil Dart
The Southern Hoiho enter 2026 in a very different position to 12 months ago.
Last season they were trying to steady themselves after an uncertain offseason. This time they return from a trip to the Final Four with a strong core intact, several players coming off outstanding Australian campaigns, and two experienced European additions joining a group that already knows how it wants to play.
The Hoiho finished the 2025 regular season with a 7-5 record in a three way tie (with the Pouākai and Whai) before points percentage secured the third seed for the team. They traveled to face the 2nd seeded Mainland Pouākai in the Semi-Final and pushed the home side before eventually falling 99-92 to bow out of the championship chase.
Aside from a return to the postseason and a strong regular season record, the numbers themselves were encouraging.
The Southerners ranked second in the league in scoring at 85.4 points per game and third defensively at 83.7 ppg allowed, finishing with a plus 1.69 scoring margin. They shot a league best 44% from the field, a league-best 35% from three while leading Tauihi with 21.9 assists per game.
While the numbers indicate a strong foundation, the personnel powering the impact will look a little different in 2026.
Claire Jacobs, Taylah Simmons and Jessie Edwards were three of Hoiho's five double-figure scorers last season and (as of now) won't be returning. In their place comes extensive professional experience through Julie Wojta and Marie Bertholdt, while the returning crew is headed by Paige Bradley, Lil Dart, Zoe Richards and Bec Pizzey top give the Hoiho significant continuity.
The result is a roster that looks experienced enough to compete immediately, but with enough variation that roles will need to be redefined.
Players not on the 2025 Hoiho Tauihi roster in bold.
Marie Bertholdt
Paige Bradley
Lil Dart
Alexa Duff
Sammy Gallaher
Abby Harris
Tia Pavihi
Bec Pizzey
Zoe Richards
Julie Wojta
The Hoiho had one of the competition's most balanced offences last season.
Claire Jacobs led the team at 16.1 points per game, followed closely by Lil Dart at 14.9, Bec Pizzey at 13.5, Taylah Simmons at 13.3 and Jessie Edwards at 12.1 - indicating a team that was very reliant on its core group to keep the offense flowing.
Bradley once again provided the organisation behind that scoring. The point guard averaged 10.5 points and a league-leading 7.7 assists per game, finishing the season with 100 assists in 13 games.
Pizzey was equally important on the interior, averaging 7.7 rebounds while shooting 56 percent from the field. Her 1.33 blocks per game ranked third in the competition and helped to provide a backline of defense that always kept the Hoiho withing touch distance of their opponents.
Dart, meanwhile, was one of the revelations of the season. She averaged 14.9 points despite coming off the bench in all 13 games and shot an extraordinary 49% from three, second in Tauihi among the listed leaders.
| Team Stat | 2025 Hoiho | League Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Scoring offense | 85.4 ppg | 2nd |
| Scoring defense | 83.7 ppg allowed | 3rd |
| Scoring margin | +1.69 | 4th |
| Field goal percentage | 44% | 1st |
| 3-point percentage | 35% | 1st |
| Free throw percentage | 77% | 2nd |
| Rebounding margin | +0.38 | 3rd |
| Assists | 21.85 apg | 1st |
| Steals | 7.46 spg | 5th |
| Blocks | 4.38 bpg | 2nd |
| Turnover margin | -0.69 | 4th |
The Hoiho offensive efficiency was a real strength. They moved the ball better than anyone in the competition, shot it efficiently and made enough perimeter shots to stretch opposing defenses beyond their comfort zones.
But the statistics also indicate there was room for improvement was at the other end of the court. Their defensive numbers were solid without being dominant, as they sat 4th in field goal percentage and three-point field goal percentage defense while a near-even rebounding margin shows they couldn't consistently impose their frontcourt size on opponents as much as they would have liked.
This looks like a season where the Hoiho try to bring back the foundation of their successs from a season ago while lifting their effort and impact in the areas that they came up short in 2025 with key personnel changes.
Bradley remains one of the best pure point guards in Tauihi league history and gives the Southerners a natural starting point offensively. Her 7.7 assists per game comfortably led the competition last year, and having a veteran organiser becomes even more valuable while the new pieces settle around her.
Dart will look to provide the scoring punch from a season ago, and with a bit more of the ball in hand could see an improvement on solid 2025 numbers.
After averaging 14.9 points on 49 percent shooting from the field and three in her debut Tauihi season, the Australian guard then went back to NBL1 South and got even better, leading Eltham Wildcats with 21.2 points per game and earning Conference All-Star Five honours.
Pizzey anchors the interior. The Tall Fern averaged 13.5 points and 7.7 rebounds last season before producing another outstanding year, also at Eltham, where she averaged 13.0 points and 10.7 rebounds and was named NBL1 South Defensive Player of the Year.
The new-look imports will need to hit the ground running if the Hoiho want to repeat their 2026 success.
Wojta brings a vast professional résumé and the ability to contribute without needing the offence built around her. Bertholdt gives the squad another experienced forward with nine seasons in Germany on her cv, including a German League championship with ALBA Berlin in 2024 and German Cup success in 2026.
That group suggests the Hoiho can again play with structure, defend physically and share the basketball.
The question that will need answering is where the scoring lost through Jacobs, Simmons and Edwards will be coming from in the 26 season?
The biggest loss statistically is Claire Jacobs.
Jacobs led the team in scoring at 16.1 points per game while also contributing 4.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.8 steals. She was the team's most prolific scorer and one of its major perimeter threats.
Taylah Simmons is another substantial departure after averaging 13.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists while shooting 50 percent from the field, but her biggest impact was felt with her physicality and no-nonsense attitude. As solid as the statistical impact was, her physicality and willingness to mix it up was key to forming the Hoiho identity a season ago.
Jessie Edwards leaves a massive hole inside after producing 12.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and a team-high 1.46 blocks per game, but her 6'4" presence was probably more impressive then the statistical imprint. Adding Alana Howden and Eva Langton as departures, and when all added up collectively, there is a considerable amount of production to replace.
Julie Wojta is the headline addition.
The 6'0"American forward has spent 14 seasons playing professionally in Europe following a decorated NCAA career and selection with the 18th pick of the 2012 WNBA Draft.
Most recently she averaged 8.6 points and 5.6 rebounds for French champions Basket Landes in 2025-26. Her career also includes stops in Belgium, Italy and Spain, along with WNBA appearances for Minnesota and San Antonio.
Marie Bertholdt brings another highly experienced international option.
Also 6'0", the German-American forward played four NCAA Division I seasons at Santa Clara before spending nine seasons in Germany. She made 114 starts during her collegiate career and scored more than 1,000 points before moving into the professional ranks.
The strength of this roster lies in the players who already know the programme.
Bradley enters her fourth Hoiho season having accumulated a franchise-record 511 points and a Tauihi-high 267 career assists. She also arrives after leading Knox Raiders to back-to-back NBL1 National Championships in 2025 and 2026.
Dart returns after one of the strongest debut seasons in the competition, while Pizzey gives Southern an established Tall Fern and defensive presence.
Zoe Richards and Samara Gallaher continue to represent the club's southern identity and have shown the ability to impact games on both ends of the court when given the opportunity.
Richards enters her fifth season as Hoiho's all-time leader in games played, rebounds and steals, while Gallaher is the second-most capped player in franchise history with 45 appearances to her name.
Tia Pavihi and Alexa Duff are younger local players ready to push for larger roles in Tauihi while being counted on as key Rapid League contributors.
Pavihi averaged 18.6 points for Otago University at the 2026 National Tertiary Championships, while Duff averaged 20.4 and joined her in the tournament's All-Star Five.
It is hard to imagine Dart remaining a bench weapon for much longer.
She started none of her 13 Tauihi games last season yet still finished eighth in the league in scoring at 14.9 points per game. Her 36-point explosion against Mainland Pouākai was the highest single-game score in Hoiho history.
Her subsequent 21.2-point NBL1 campaign suggests the 22-year-old is still improving.
Whether she starts or continues to provide instant offence from the bench, her scoring is going to be crucial to fill the scoring hole left with the departure of key contributors from a season ago.
Pizzey's efficiency makes her one of most reliable Hoiho pieces.
She shot 56 percent from the field in 2025 while providing 13.5 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game.
Now she returns as the reigning NBL1 South Defensive Player of the Year.
With Edwards gone, Pizzey may need to take even greater responsibility around the paint at both ends of the court, a challenge that the stats (and the eye test) say she is up to.
At 37, Wojta arrives with little left in professional basketball that she has not seen, but plenty more left to prove on the court.
Her experience may be as important as her statistical production.
The Hoiho have lost several players who carried significant offensive responsibility, but Wojta does not need to replace those numbers all on her own. If she can defend and rebound while making good decisions to provide another calm veteran presence alongside Bradley, her impact could extend well beyond points per game.
The local component remains an important part of this Hoiho roster.
Richards and Gallaher are foundational pieces of the club's history, while Pavihi, Duff, Brown, Harris and Simpson give a group of players connected directly to the region through Otago basketball.
Duff's scoring at the tertiary level makes her particularly intriguing. She averaged 20.4 points per game for Otago University this year after previously leading Columba College to its first Secondary Schools National Championships appearance.
Pavihi's combination of size and guard skills also offers upside. She has enough size to give a different physical profile and comes into the season following an All-Star Five selection at the tertiary championships.
They may not all be required to carry heavy Tauihi minutes immediately, but the pathway is clearly there for future success while the Rapid League offers opportunity for game day development in the present.
The Hoiho were the second-highest scoring team in Tauihi last season.
But three of their five double-figure scorers are gone.
Jacobs, Simmons and Edwards combined for 41.5 points per game in 2025. That is a major chunk of offensive production to remove from any roster.
Dart looks capable of absorbing more responsibility, and Pizzey can remain a highly efficient interior option.
How much of the remaining scoring can be expected from Wojta and Bertholdt? Does Bradley need to look for her own shot more often? Can one of the younger prospects emerge ahead of schedule?
Those answers will go a long way towards determining whether Southern can maintain last year's offensive standards.
For the Hoiho, simply returning to the playoffs will be the baseline of expectaion.
They were a 7-6 team in 2025, finished third and went on the road in the Semi-Final before scoring 92 points in a seven-point defeat against Pouākai.
Much of what made that team successful remains.
Bradley still runs the floor. Dart and Pizzey return after outstanding offseasons. Richards and Gallaher provide continuity. Wojta and Bertholdt bring extensive professional experience and have the talent and nous to lift their play where the team requires.
Their target should be to remain one of the competition's better offensive teams while improving enough defensively to turn close games in their favour at a higher strike rate.
If the new pieces replace enough of the departed scoring, the Hoiho have the ingredients to again be playing meaningful basketball during the business part of the season.
There is a reassuring familiarity about the 2026 Southern Hoiho, but as reassuring as that familiarity may feel, this is not the same team that reached last year's Final Four.
Bradley, Dart, Pizzey, Richards and Gallaher give the Southerners an established spine. Around them, Wojta and Bertholdt add years of international experience, while Pavihi, Duff, Brown and the rest of the local group provide youth and upside.
The formula should remain recognisable.
Move the basketball. Play with size. Defend with purpose. Let Bradley organise the floor and give the scorers opportunities to go to work.
Last season proved the Hoiho could reach the postseason.
The next step is proving they can do it consistently before taking that next step to go further.
