Te Araroa Sopoaga

Position: Forward

Height: 180cm

Born:  1 April, 2002

Junior Association: Wellington

High School: St Mary’s College, Wellington/Queen Margaret College, Wellington

Highest Representative Honour – Cook Islands National Team

Previous NBL clubs –  Capital Swish (2017), Wellington (2019), Otago Gold Rush (2020)

Played a season for Otago Gold Rush while studying Oceanography at Otago University in 2020.

Has subsequently played two seasons at Cloud County Community College making 62 appearances with 61 starts. In 2022-23 she lead the team in minutes played (31mpg), assists (3.6apg), steals (2.4spg) and blocks (1.6bpg).

Played for the 2018 Junior Tall Ferns but then switched allegiance representing the Cook Islands Senior team at the 2019 Pacific Games in Apia.

Averaged 12.4 points and 7.2 rebounds playing for the Cook Islands at the 2019 Pacific Games in Samoa.

Sopoaga was a member of the  St Mary’s College Secondary Schools National Championship winning team in 2017.

Sister of former All Black Lima Sopoaga and teammate Naomi.

Stella Beck

Position: Guard

Height: 183cm

Born: 25 July, 1995

Junior Association: Hutt Valley

High School: Hutt Valley High School

Highest Representative Honour – Tall Ferns – debuted 2018.

Previous NBL clubs – Hutt Valley Flyers (2012-14), Capital Swish (2021), Tokomanawa Queens (2022-present)

A member of the Queens team that won the Inaugural Tauihi championship in 2022. Scored 149 points at 11.5 points per game shooting a competition high 44% (equal with Micaela Cocks) from beyond the 3-point line.

She was 4^th in the league in steals averaging 2.5 per game.

Beck enjoyed a standout career at St Mary’s College, California where in 2018 she was named first team All-West Coast Conference for the second time in her career after leading the Gaels in scoring, steals and free-throw shooting in her final collegiate season.

She was also named to the WCC All-Academic First Team for the third time in her career. Beck finished her career 10th on the all-time scoring list at Saint Mary’s with 1,439 career points, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Neuroscience.

Post college Beck played four seasons in the Australian WNBL – two seasons with Townsville Fire then a further two seasons with Melbourne Boomers in 2019/20.

Debuted for the Tall Ferns at the William Jones Cup in 2018 (averaged 17.8ppg).

Played all 5 games on the Tall Ferns tour of Europe in June 2023 and all 6 games at the 2023 FIBA Asia Cup in Sydney in July where New Zealand finished fourth and qualified for the Olympic Qualifying Tournament next year.

Chrislyn Carr (Import)

Position: Guard

Height: 165cm

Born: 22 March, 2000, in Davenport, Iowa

High School: Rock Island High School, Illinois

Previous NBL clubs – Rookie

Played all 38 games with 30 starts for the University of Louisville in the 2022-23 season as the Cardinals went all the way to the Elite Eight at the NCAA Tournament before falling to #2 Iowa 97-83.

Carr finished first on the team in 3-point percentage (42.5%) and second in scoring averaging 11 points per game. Scored a season best 27 points in the Atlantic Coast Tournament Championship game where the Cardinals were defeated 75-67 by Virginia Tech. Carr was named to the ACC Tournament Team.

Prior to Louisville played three years at Texas Tech University where she was named Big 12 Conference Freshman of the Year.  Played her senior year at Syracuse University.

Brother CJ played professionally in Germany and Iceland after a four-year college career.

Maya Dodson (Import)

Position: Forward/Centre

Height: 191cm

Born: 16 February, 1999

High School: St Francis High School, Milton, Georgia – from Huntingdon, New York

Previous NBL clubs – Rookie

The 26^th pick by the Phoenix Mercury in the 2022 WNBA draft. Played the 2022-23 European season for Polish club Enea Poznan where she averaged 14 points and 10.2 rebounds per game.

Finished her collegiate career at Notre Dame after four years at the University of Stanford. In her senior year at Notre Dame she started all 33 games for the Fighting Irish leading the team (and the Atlantic Coast Conference) in blocks (2.8 per game) while also averaging 7.5ppg.

Captained the USA team to a bronze medal finish at the 2016 FIBA U17 World Championship in Spain.

An Engineering graduate she delivered the valedictory of her graduating class.

Tegan Graham

Position: Guard

Height: 183cm

Born: 2 August, 1997

Junior Association: Wellington

High School: Wellington Girls College

Highest Representative Honour – Junior Tall Ferns (2014).

Previous NBL clubs – Capital Flyers (2014-15)

Took a year off in 2022 after an outstanding 5-year collegiate career playing three years at Colgate University and a further two years at Brigham Young University.

Graham made 153 NCAA Division I appearances – the most games played by a Kiwi (male or female) at the Division I level. She scored 1,209 career points – 9^th highest by a NZ woman in Division I hoops.

Started all 30 games in her senior year (2021-22) – made 72 from 186 three-pointers at 39%.

Led Wellington College to consecutive runners-up placings at Secondary Schools Nationals losing to New Plymouth Girls High in 2014 and St Peter’s School, Cambridge in 2015.

Grace Hunter

Position: Guard

Height: 178cm

Born: 4 July, 2000

Junior Association: Porirua

High School: St Mary’s College, Wellington

Highest Representative Honour – Tall Ferns (debuted in 2023 v Serbia)

Previous NBL clubs – Wellington Swish (2017 and 2019), Tokomanawa Queens (2022-present)

A member of the Queens team that won the Inaugural Tauihi championship in 2022. Averaged 4.8 points and 1.8 assists over 12 games before having to return to the States to take up her college commitments at California State University, Bakersfield.

Played all 5 games on the Tall Ferns tour of Europe in June 2023 -scored 10 points on debut against Serbia in Belgrade. Played 4 games at the 2023 FIBA Asia Cup in Sydney in July where New Zealand finished fourth and qualified for the Olympic Qualifying Tournament next year.

Following high school played 2 years at Junior College and then the 2021-22 season at Florida International University and the 2022-23 season at CSU Bakersfield (both NCAA Division I).

Scored 221 points at 7.6 ppg for Bakersfield last season and, playing as an amateur this season, will return to the Roadrunners after Tauihi 2023.

Played on the St Mary’s College team that won the 2018 Secondary Schools National Championship – named to the Tournament Team.

Letava Kenny (nee Whippy)

Position: Guard

Height: 181cm

Born: 24 March, 1991

High School: Church College

Highest Representative Honour – Fiji National Team

Previous NBL clubs – Waikato, Capital  Swish (2019-21)

Fiji born Whippy played for the Fijian National team as a 17-year old and in 2022 led the team to success at the FIBA Melanesian Cup in Suva. Scored 19 points in the Grand Final win against Papua New Guinea.

Named to the 2020 Sal’s NBL All-Star 5 after leading Capital Swish in points (12.7), rebounds (9.8) and assists (4.3) per game.

Spent four years at Long Island University (NCAA Division I) where she played 112 games for the Sharks.

In her senior year (2014-15) Whippy was named to the NEC All-Defensive Team after averaging 7.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game.

Named MVP at the 2009 Secondary Schools National Championships after leading Church College to the national title – the last of Church’s record 20 Girls ‘AA’ National Championship wins. (Church College closed that year).

Eva Langton

Position: Wing

Height: 187cm

Born: March 17, 1999

Junior Association: Opunake

High School: St Mary’s Diocesan School, Stratford

Previous NBL clubs – Taranaki Thunder (2016-19), Queens (2022-present)

Played 7 games for the championship winning Queens in 2022.

Following high school played two years at Western Nebraska Junior College before moving on to Texas A&M International (NCAA Division II) for three years.

Started 25 of 26 games in her senior season (2021-22) averaging 8.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.

Langton graduated from Texas A&M in 2022 having majored in Kinesiology.

Paris Lokotui

Position: Forward

Height: 183cm

Born: October 17, 2001

Junior Association: Hutt Valley

High School: Queen Margaret College, Wellington

Previous NBL clubs – Capital Swish (2020)

Played for Capital Swish in 2020 averaging 9.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.

Lokotui returned to professional sport in the ANZ Premiership with Mainland Tactix in 2023 less than 12 months after suffering a career threatening knee injury. After a successful season she and has re-signed with the Tactix  for the 2024 season.

Lokotui played for New Zealand at 2017 FIBA U16 Championships in India.

Named to the Tournament Team at the 2018 Secondary Schools National Championships – Queen Margaret College finished 4^th.

A multi-sport athlete Lokotui represented New Zealand age-group teams at basketball, netball and water polo.

Parris Mason

Position: Forward

Height: 188cm

Born: 13 December, 2002

Junior Association: Taranaki

High School: New Plymouth Girls High School/ Manukura School

Highest Representative Honour – Tall Ferns, debuted in 2022

Previous NBL clubs – Tokomanawa Queens (2022-present)

A member of the Queens team that won the Inaugural Tauihi championship in 2022. Playing all 14 games her production and impact increased as the season progressed. Averaged 8 points and 6 rebounds across the sem-final and Grand Final.

Following a standout Tauihi season Mason made her Tall Ferns debut on the tour of Australia in October 2022, playing all 4 games.

Also played 4 games at the 2023 FIBA Asia Cup in Sydney in July where New Zealand finished fourth and qualified for the Olympic Qualifying Tournament next year.

The cross-code athlete joined the Queens following a successful season with the Central Pulse in the ANZ Premiership Netball League and Central Manawa the National Netball League winners in 2022.

Played on the New Zealand silver medal winning team at the 2019 FIBA U17 Oceania Championships in New Caledonia.

Also represented New Zealand in Touch at U16 level.

Naomi Sopoaga

Position: Guard

Height: 170cm

Born: 19 April, 2005

Junior Association: Wellington

High School: Queen Margaret College

Previous NBL clubs –  Capital Swish (2021)

Spent her Year 13 academic year in France. Attended the Tony Parker Adéquat Academy in Lyon (2022-23).

In France she played for national club team Lyon Asvel Féminin whilst still keeping her US college options open.

Sister of former All Black Lima Sopoaga and teammate Teararoa.

Lilly Taulelei

Position: Forward

Height: 190cm

Born: 13 March, 2005

Junior Association: Wellington

High School: Queen Margaret College, Wellington

Highest Representative Honour – Tall Ferns (2022)

Previous NBL clubs – Capital Swish (2020-21), Queens (2022-present)

A member of the Queens team that won the Inaugural Tauihi championship in 2022.

Debuted for the Tall Ferns on their tour of Australia in 2022. Played all 5 games on the Tall Ferns tour of Europe in June 2023.  

Played for the NZ U17 National Team at the 2022 FIBA Asia Cup in Jordan and the 2022 FIBA World Cup in Hungary. Averaged 7 points and 6.5 rebounds in 13 games across the two tournaments.

Named 2022 Wellington College Sport Young Sportswoman of the Year.

Won the 2021 Secondary Schools 3×3 National title with Queen Margaret College playing alongside Lauren Tewhata and Naomi Sopoaga.

Named Tournament MVP at the 2020 U15 National Championships – top scored for Wellington in their Grand Final victory against Waikato.

In 2019 represented Asia Pacific at the Junior NBA Tournament in Orlando, Florida.

Will head to the University of Massachusetts at the end of the Tauihi season to take up a basketball scholarship.

Josie Trousdell (née Stockill)

Josie Trousdell (nee Stockill)

Position: Forward

Height: 190cm

Born: 29 December, 1993

Junior Association: Hawkes Bay

High School: Napier Girls High School

Highest Representative Honour – Tall Ferns (debut 2014)

Previous NBL clubs – Taranaki (2010-12), Capital Swish (2021), Tokomanawa Queens (2022-present)

A member of the Queens team that won the Inaugural Tauihi championship in 2022. Played 10 games averaging 5.8 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. Was fourth in the League for shots blocked averaging 1.1 blocks per game.

Played on the Canterbury University team that won the 2021 Tertiary 3×3 Tournament.

Debuted for the Tall Ferns on the tour of China in 2014 and was a member of the New Zealand bronze medal winning team at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.

Played 5 games at the 2023 FIBA Asia Cup in Sydney in July where New Zealand finished fourth and qualified for the Olympic Qualifying Tournament next year.

Trousdell graduated from Colgate University in 2016 after an outstanding four year career in which she set a number of records including the programme’s career leader for blocked shots in a game (13), season (105) and career (241).

In her senior year she was named Colgate’s Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year and named to the elite five member Academic All-Patriot League team.

Graduated with a degree in Neuroscience.

Post university played three seasons for Sunbury Jets (Melbourne) winning the Big V League title in 2017 and 2018.

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Stephanie Watts (Import)

Position: Guard

Height: 180cm

Born: 12 April, 1997 in New York

High School: Weddington High School, North Carolina

Previous NBL clubs – Rookie

10^th Pick by the Los Angeles Sparks in the 2021 WNBA draft – then traded to Chicago Sky. Played 6 games for Chicago scoring 8 points in 21 minutes against LA Sparks in May ’21.

Began her college career at the University of North Carolina before transferring to University of Southern California. Returned to UNC for a fifth collegiate year.

Totalled 112 NCAA Division I appearances – average 14.6 points and 6.5 rebounds in her final year (2020-21).

Played 1 game for Sydney University Flames in the 2021-22 season and has subsequently played in Puerto Rico and Spain.

Tania Tupu (Head Coach)

Sam Twomey (Assistant Coach)