Tania Tupu, a member of a notable sporting family, played 93 games for the Tall Ferns representing New Zealand at the 1994 FIBA World Championships and both the 2000 and 2004 Olympics. Those 93 appearances place Tania 9th on the all-time list of games played for the Tall Ferns
Tania was second highest scorer for New Zealand at the World Champs, behind Leonie Patterson averaging 11.9 points per game and second behind Gina Farmer at the Sydney Games. She made her international debut at the William Jones Cup in Taiwan in 1992 before signing off her illustrious career at the Athens Olympics in 2004.
Tania played her junior basketball at Aotea College in Porirua, Wellington College and for Wellington junior rep teams – she made the Wellington WNBL team as a 15 year-old. Following high school she spent two years at Alan Hancock College in Santa Maria California, setting all sorts of records. In two seasons she amassed 1,617 points scoring 20 points or more on 42 occasions in 61 games. In her second year she was named MVP at the California Community Colleges Elite Eight. Tania then played NCAA Division I basketball at the University of Hawaii and in her senior year in 1995-96, she averaged 19.6 points per game – the fifth highest single season scoring average in the programme’s history. Also, in her senior year she received the prestigious Jack Bonham Award that is annually given to the student-athlete that excels academically, in public service, leadership and character. She earned a trial with WNBA team Houston Comets before going on to play in the Australian WNBL for the Perth Lynx. Tania then returned to New Zealand and won a National title with the Waikato Lady Titans in 2002.
In recent years she has given back to the game as a coach. In 2022, as head coach of the Tokomanawa Queens, Tania guided the team to the inaugural Tauihi Basketball Aotearoa Championship as seen by clicking on the photo below.
