Representative Pathway

• If you want to be considered for selection for New Zealand representatives teams, you need to be eligible to play. Please read carefully the information below or click here to work through the Player Eligibility Flowchart.

1. You are not a New Zealand citizen:

• Get naturalised before you turn 16. This is very important. This process can take 8-10 months.
• Then, get a New Zealand passport. This should be issued prior to you turning 16.
• Then, you will need to state to FIBA (through BBNZ) that you wish to play for New Zealand. This may or may not be relevant to your situation. If required, BBNZ will work with you.
• You were born in a country other than New Zealand: ensure you have New Zealand citizenship before you turn 16 (see above).

2. You are a citizen of more than one country, including New Zealand:

• You will need to hold a New Zealand passport.
• You may also need to state to FIBA (through BBNZ) that you wish to play for New Zealand. This may or may not be relevant to your situation. If required, BBNZ will work with you.

3. You hold more than one passport, including a New Zealand passport:

• As long as citizenship was granted and the passport issued before you were 16, you should be eligible to play.
• You may also need to state to FIBA (through BBNZ) that you wish to play for New Zealand. This may or may not be relevant to your situation. If required, BBNZ will work with you.

4. One of your parents was born in a different country, but you have New Zealand citizenship:

• One of your parents was born in a different country, but you have New Zealand citizenship.
• You may also need to state to FIBA (through BBNZ) that you wish to play for New Zealand. This may or may not be relevant to your situation. If required, BBNZ will work with you.

While some exceptions do apply, the process can be expensive and lengthy with a positive outcome not guaranteed. If your questions have not been answered above, talk to your coach or your association. If you are still unclear, feel free email to paul@nz.basketball.

When evaluating players for our National teams, the following is used as a guide to help us determine the worthiness of a selection. A player can show exceptional ability in any one area, and that may be enough to have him/her on the National Team radar. Obviously, the more attributes a player displays, the more likely he is to be successful and develop into a Tall Black or Tall Fern.

• Eligibility – check player eligibility rules above
• Physical– height, wingspan, positional strength
• Athletic– Quickness, agility, jump, endurance (fitness)
• 6 Point Skill Package – Dribble, Pass, Defend, Rebound and Shooting under pressure and when it matters most. & Basketball IQ – “Feel” for the game
• Understands National Style of Play – adaption/versatility
• Parents – Has parents who are supportive of BBNZ and the National program
• Culture –Professional Behaviour on & off the court; Great Ambassador
• Resilience – ability to handle adversity; embraces unfairness
• Work Ethic– Committed to getting better

Selection considerations:

1. Physical qualities: Height and size, the international athlete must have good size to compete at international tournaments. Speed is paramount. Foot-speed and quickness can cause opponents to play conservatively and forces them to adjust strategies. It also allows players to take greater risks. The other essential physical quality is strength. Strength underpins explosive power and is translated into a ‘physical presence’ providing acceleration, agility, and balance.
2. Sport Specific Skill: Highly refined fundamental skills are sought after. Particularly specific skills that will enable the team to be better-rounded and more able to cope with conditions at the International level. Shooting, passing dribbling, rebounding and defensive skills of a superior level are a vital ingredient in the development of confidence and assertiveness of the athlete and therefore the team.
3. Mental strength: Mental strength encompasses a range of attributes which go into a player’s ability to reproduce their skills in the cauldron of competition, this is an ‘elite mentality’. Having composure, dealing with adversity and organising and disciplining yourself to be properly prepared are the qualities which I define as an elite mentality. We want athletes who can overcome adversity, be it in defeat, injury or illness, non-selection, poor form, personal problems.
4. Flexibility and versatility: Players should look at versatility as an asset that can make them indispensable to the team. ‘bigs’ who can play and defend on the perimeter, ‘smalls’ who can take their man inside can value add to the team. The ability of all players to run the floor is essential. Without flexibility, teams are too predictable and cannot cope with new and different problems or replace absent, out of form or injured players. However we must never overlook the athlete that has position-specific skills, this is a valued commodity.
5. Team orientation: Complex integrated teams require co-operative, co-ordinated actions both continually and spontaneously. For the athlete their primary goal must be the success of the team, they must have a commitment to the co-operative endeavour of their team. Mutual respect, absence of blame and affection are the characteristics of a ‘we’ team. These are skills that can be developed. However, we want players who will fit within the group because the influence is beneficial and positive. That they are able to contribute to the team dynamic that augments performance is critical.

The BBNZ National Team Selection Policy can be found in the Resource Library under BBNZ Policies.

Basketball New Zealand will identify and select the “best” age-group athletes for participation in the National team program.  This program is not only about talented athletes achieving international standards, but this program also has an immediate focus on increasing the frequency, duration, and volume of our best junior athletes training with our best coaches. The goal is to place them in a rapid acceleration environment to increase their competencies both on and off the court through the use of KPI’s and individual performance plans (IPP).  There also may be a need to customize the athletes to the specific requirements of the respective National team’s needs.

REGIONAL PLAYER DEPTH CHARTS

Athletes are initially identified by way of Association / Regional depth charts; which are provided by our Associations. Click here to download the 2020 BBNZ Regional Depth Chart TEMPLATE.

These charts have been re-designed to make it easier for clubs/associations to complete and track their athletes from year to year.   The goal was to make things easier and to save our associations time on completing the depth charts and therefore have more associations complete them. They also provide a bit more insight as to what we are looking for and guidance on how we define talent.

The player depth charts have been developed as a means of identifying and supporting players from across the country.  They have been designed to further empower associations to continue the important work they do in the development space and to acknowledge the vital role they play in the identification and development of potential talent.

Basketball New Zealand also offers two introductory skill development programs:

• U13 Skill Days – nz.basketball/u13skilldays
• U14 National Talent Programme

It is through these programs and the player depth charts athletes are identified for national activities, such as National selection camps.

Once identified, players will be invited to attend one of Basketball New Zealand’s age-group National selection camps.  It is from these camps that athletes are identified and selected to represent New Zealand at an International age-group tournament. The National selection camps happen 3 times each year:

• February National Selection Camp: (the weekend closets to the Waitangi Day Holiday)
• April National Selection Camp: (This will be held in the second week of the school holidays)
• October National Selection Camp: (This will be held over the Labour Day weekend)

The National selection camps have been created introduced to expose athletes to the national team style of play, physical testing of athletes for performance standards required at an international level and the preparation of athletes for international competition. These camps act as the entry point to the national team programme, involving players who demonstrate the potential to reach that level as a junior or as a senior player. These camps will be held 3 times each year; February, April and October; and will involve our U17 and U19 National team athletes.  24 athletes will be selected to attend each camp; athletes are identified by way of National depth charts; observation and assessment at BBNZ National age-group tournaments and through international observation for eligible Kiwis who reside abroad.  These camps have also been designed to teach athletes and coaches the 3×3 version of the game; with a significant portion of the camp being dedicated to learning how the game is played and using it as a selection opportunity for junior 3×3 National teams.

The following tables identify the event year and age group in each year. To avoid confusion we have used Basketball New Zealand age group terminology.

Note: we are using the New Zealand definition of age to be consistent. This is one year different from FIBA e.g. we say under 18 but that translates to under 17 in FIBA terms. ** Dependent on successfully qualifying in Year two.

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