In the first of a series of articles exploring the pathways that Kiwi players pursue – following their high school and local association representative basketball – we take a look at the class of 2022-23 who are playing NCAA Division I collegiate men’s hoops, the top level of college hoops in the US.
In total, 41 Kiwis are currently on NCAA Division 1 scholarships (28 women and 13 men), a far cry from ten years ago when just 15 New Zealanders were on the books pf Division 1 Universities. In the mid COVID pandemic year (2020-21) the number of New Zealand Division 1 players dipped to 39; otherwise the numbers have healthily remained in the forties since 2017-18.
The List: NCAA Division I Men (2022/23)
SENIOR
Flynn Cameron – 22 yrs, 6’5” guard, Senior at University of California, Riverside
Cameron played 2 years at DePaul University before transferring to UC Riverside at the start of the 2020-21 season. Last season he started 27 of 28 games, averaging 10.4 points. With 89 games played, Cameron is in line to become only the 16th Kiwi male to play 100 NCAA Division 1 games. Cameron made his Tall Blacks debut in 2022, averaging 13.3 points at the FIBA Asia Cup and dropped 15 pts and 6 ast against Jordan in the Tall Black’s 100-72 win back in August.
Tobias Cameron – 23 yrs, 6’5” guard, Senior at Abilene Christian University
A member of the team that won the Southland Conference Championship Tournament in 2020-21. Cameron currently sits 13th on the all-time list of NCAA Division I appearances by a Kiwi male; barring injury he is likely to pass Rob Loe’s all-time record of 133 appearances. The older of the Cameron brothers, whose father is Kiwi basketball legend Pero Cameron.
Callum McRae – 23 yrs, 7 foot centre, Senior at Sacramento State University
The former Palmerston North Boys High 7-footer has quietly built an impressive NCAA resume – he has 92 games, 853 pts and 579 reb under his belt from three years at University of California, Riverside, and will look to add to his numbers at Sacramento State this season. Barring injury he will complete the double of 100 NCAA Division I appearances and 1,000 points – only achieved previously by Kirk Penney, Tai Webster and Craig Bradshaw.
Kruz Perrott-Hunt – 21 yrs, 6’3” guard, Senior at University of South Dakota
Perrott-Hunt enjoyed an outstanding 2021-22 season leading USD in scoring with 15 ppg and assists (71), starting all 31 games and shot 42% from the 3-point arc and 84% from the free-throw line. He made his Tall Blacks debut against Jordan in the Asia World Cup Qualifier in 2018, and averaged 8.7ppg over 7 games in the FIBA Asia Cup this year.
JUNIOR
Sam Mennenga – 20 yrs, 6’9” forward, Junior at Davidson College
Mennenga was named co-captain of the Wildcats for the 2022-23 season, after he started 33 of 34 games in 2021-22 and set personal bests in all statistical categories – averaging 8.4 ppg and scoring in double figures on 14 occasions. He debuted for the Tall Blacks at the 2022 FIBA Asia Cup where he averaged 9.8 points and 7.8 rebounds across four games.
James Moors – 22 yrs, 6’10” forward, Junior at Colorado State University
Another former Westlake Boys High and North Harbour representative, who hasn’t missed a game for the Rams in his first two seasons. In 2021-22 Moors averaged 4 ppg and 2.5 reb off the bench, while shooting a team-high 66% from the floor. He was a member of the Junior Tall Blacks team at the 2019 FIBA U19 World Cup in Greece, where he averaged 10.9 ppg.
Tom Webley – 21 yrs, 6’10” forward, Junior at University of Hartford
Webley attended Cashmere High School prior to college and also played for the Canterbury Rams in 2020. The 6’10” forward averaged 14 minutes per game for Hartford in his freshman year but that diminished to 6 minutes in 2021-22. In his two years at Hartford he has amassed 79 points over 39 games (11 starts).
SOPHOMORE
Taine Murray – 20 yrs, 6’5” guard/forward, Sophomore at University of Virginia
After finished his high school career with two Schools National titles with Rosmini College alongside Perrot-Hunt, Murray played 19 games for the Cavaliers in his freshman year – scoring a season-best 14 points against Iowa. He made his Tall Blacks debut against Canada in Sydney in 2019, and this year played in the FIBA Asia Cup where he averaged 8.6 ppg and 4.6 rpg over 7 games.
Zach Riley – 19 yrs, 6’4” guard, Sophomore at Fordham University
Riley – son of Tall Black’s player Brad Riley – joined Fordham midway through the 2020-21 season, immediately after completing high school at Rangitoto College. He was named Youth Player of the Year in the 2021 Sal’s NBL after averaging 11.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists for the Auckland Huskies.
Mason Whittaker – 20 yrs, 6’9” forward, Sophomore at American University
After attending Christ’s College, Christchurch, Whittaker played the 2020 and 2021 Sal’s NBL season’s with the Canterbury Rams. In his freshman year at American University he played 11 games.
FRESHMAN
Tafara Gapare – 19 yrs, 6’10” forward, Freshman at University of Massachusetts
Gapare is a talented forward is out of Scots College, Wellington who spent the 2021-22 academic year at South Kent’s Prep School, Connecticut. He played for NZ at the FIBA U15 Oceania Championships in Papua New Guinea in 2018 alongside fellow Kiwi freshman Akiva McBirney-Griffin.
Akiva McBirney-Griffin – 19 yrs, 6’8” forward, Freshman at University of California Irvine
The former Waikato and St John’s College, Hamilton forward played the 2020 and 2021 seasons with the Otago Nuggets, winning an NBL championship in 2021. He was redshirted for the 2021-22 collegiate season. McBirney-Griffin played for NZ at the 2018 FIBA U15 Oceania Championships in Papua New Guinea.
Ben Gold – 19 yrs, 6’8” forward, Freshman at Marquette University
The former Tawa College wing completed his schooling by spending two years at the NBA Global Academy in Canberra – the first Kiwi to be invited to attend. After playing on various NZ age group teams he made his Tall Blacks debut in 2022, impressing with 15 pts and 8 reb in the FIBA World Cup Qualifier against Jordan in August.
*Note this list is of players known at the time of writing. It’s possible there may be some players absent from this list with players often moving, or travelling to the USA without publicising their plans, or may yet to be announced by teams.
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