Hannah Beede

Position: Guard

Height: 178cm

Born: May 12, 1995

High School: St Peter’s Lutheran High School, Brisbane

Previous NBL clubs – Otago Gold Rush (2021)

Played both games for the Gold Rush in 2021.

Previously played 5 seasons in the Queensland Basketball League for Northside Wizards (2013 & 15), Sunshine Coast Rip (2016-17) and Gold Coast Rollers (2018).

Following high school Beede played 2 years at Central Wyoming College followed by a further 2 years (2015-17) at Texas A&M International University (NCAA Division II). Started all 27 games in her senior year and averaged a team high 12.6ppg.

Hannah’s father, Park Beede, was Head Coach of the Otago Nuggets in the early 1990s, and Hannah’s mother, Denise Beede, was the Tall Ferns Team Manager until 2019 when she handed over that role to current Gold Rush player Lisa Wallbutton.

Shelby Cheslek (Import)

Position: Centre

Height: 196cm

Born: December 8, 1992

High School: Pullman HS, Washington

Previous NBL clubs – Rookie

Played four years at Gonzaga University where the Zags won two West Coast Conference titles during her tenure. In her senior year (2015-16) she averaged 9.7 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game.

Pulled down 187 rebounds in her freshman year – third most by a first year player in programme history. Finished her career as the leading shot-blocker (216) in programme  history and second on the Zags all-time rebounding list with 932 boards.

Cheslek has played in Greece, Australia, Hungary, Spain and Turkey.

For the last two years she has played in Turkey for Fenerbache Gelisim – in the 2021-22 season she averaged 11.6 points, 11.7 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game.

Tori Dugan (Import)

Position: Guard

Height: 165cm

Born: 1997

High School:

Previous NBL clubs – Rookie

Named the Canadian College Athletic Association Women’s Basketball Player of the Year in 2022.

Dugan averaged 13.9 points, 5.8 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game for Lakelands College Rustlers. In five season with the Rustlers she led them to a 98-14 record.

Dugan is from Perth, Western Australia.

Samara Gallaher

Position: Guard/Forward

Height: 180cm

Born: August 6, 1992

Junior Association: Otago

High School: Kavanagh College

Highest Representative Honour –Tall Ferns (2018)

Previous NBL clubs – Otago Gold Rush (2009-16 and 2021)

Played both games for Gold Rush in the 2021 NBL season – her first season of competitive basketball for five years.

Gallaher was member of the 2011 Gold Rush WBC Championship winning team named to the WBC All-Star 5 that year.

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 madde 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.

Janet Maoate-Breen (nee Main)

Position: Guard

Height: 168cm

Born: June 22, 1989

Junior Association: Otago

High School: 

Highest Representative Honour – Cook Islands National Team (2018)

Previous NBL clubs – Otago Gold Rush (2009-17)

Played on the Cook Island Polynesian Cup winning team in 2018.

Prior to playing for the Cook Islands Maoate-Breen was a member of the NZ Select team that played against China B in 2016.

Won a WBC Championship with Otago Gold Rush in 2015. 

A physiotherapist by profession, Janet has been a member of the support crew for numerous New Zealand age-group teams.

Bronwyn Kjestrup

Position: Wing

Height: 180cm

Born: July 8, 1996

Junior Association: Harbour

High School: Westlake Girls High School

Highest Representative Honour – Junior Tall Ferns

Previous NBL clubs – Harbour Breeze (2013-14), Otago Gold Rush (2015-21)

In her In her seventh season with the club Kjestrup was captain of the Gold Rush in 2021.

Played for the Otago Gold Rush teams that won WBC titles in both 2015 and 2018.

Played for New Zealand U18 in 2013.

Doctor Kjestrup graduated from the Otago University Medical School in 2019 and is a doctor at Dunedin hospital.

Olivia O'Neill

Position: Guard

Height: 175cm

Born: September 10, 2000

Junior Association: Otago

High School: St Hilda’s Collegiate

Highest Representative Honour – Junior Tall Ferns

Previous NBL clubs – Otago Gold Rush (2016-21)

Played both games for Gold Rush in 2021.

O’Neill played for the 2018 WBC winning Gold Rush team.

Played for the New Zealand silver medal winning team at the 2017 FIBA U17 Oceania Championships in Guam.

Played for the New Zealand at the 2018 FIBA U18 Asia Championships in Bangalore, India.

O’Neill is also a NZ Touch Rugby representative.

Aleisha Ruske

Position: Guard

Height: 169cm

Born: June 10, 1997

Junior Association: Otago

High School: St Hilda’s College

Highest Representative Honour –

Previous NBL clubs – Otago Gold Rush (2013-2019)

Won WBC Championships with the Gold Rush in 2015 and 2018.

As well as sister Nicole being on the Hoiho team, brother Michael is in the Otago Nuggets squad, dad Dean is a prominent Otago age-group coach while mum Angela heads up the Southern Hoiho franchise.

A former age-group swimming record holder.

Has an Honours degree in law and works as a finance analyst for PWC.

Nicole Ruske

Position: Guard

Height: 175cm

Born: 11 June, 1999

Junior Association: Otago

High School: St Hilda’s College

Highest Representative Honour –Tall Ferns (2018)

Previous NBL clubs – Otago Gold Rush (2014-2019)

Last played in 2019 averaging 12.3 points per game for Otago Gold Rush.

Won WBC Championships with the Gold Rush in 2015 and 2018.

Ruske was a member of the Tall Ferns team that won the 2018 William Jones Cup – was called up to the team on her 19^th birthday.

Sister Aleisha won a WBC Championship with Gold Rush, brother Michael is in the Otago Nuggets squad, dad Dean is a prominent Otago age-group coach while mum Angela heads up the Southern Hoiho franchise.

In her final year of study for a degree in architecture at Otago University.

Laina Snyder (Import)

Position: Forward

Height: 185cm

Born: 1995

High School: West Holmes HS,  Ohio

Previous NBL clubs – Rookie

Enjoyed a remarkable four year career at Ashland University (NCAA Division II) in Ohio.

Snyder fnished her career as the Eagles all-time leading scorer amassing 2,295 points in 138 games. In addition she holds the all-time record for rebounds (1,207) and steals (372).

Since graduating she has played in Australia, Germany, Greece and most recently Luxembourg where she averaged 19.2 points and 12 rebounds per game for T71 Dudelange in the 2021-22 season.

Zoe Richards

Position: Forward

Height: 187cm

Born: 4 October, 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)

In 2021 played for Rockingham Flames in NBL1 West. Averaged 8.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game.

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.

Currently works as a teacher aid.