Tai Wynyard (Waitakere West Auckland) | 2015

For the second year running, Tai Wynyard has won Male Junior Player of the Year. Tai’s 2015 started by winning the Australian NBL as a member of the Breakers squad. In June he travelled to Debrecen, Hungary, to compete in the FIBA U18 3×3 World Championships, taking home not only the gold medal, but also the award for the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. Later in the year Tai was again applauded for his efforts at the same 3×3 World Championships by being named as the player with the best 3×3 Play of the Year, for a block in the Final. At home his school team, Rangitoto College, won the AA Secondary School National Championships title, where he was also presented with the Tournament MVP award. Tai was again selected as a Tall Black in 2015 and traveled to China where they won the 2015 Stankovic Continental Cup. He also played for the Tall Blacks against Australia in the FIBA Oceania Championship series and later in the year received a full athletic scholarship to one of the most distinguished NCAA Division 1 Basketball Colleges in the United States, University of Kentucky.