Kiwi Ballers Worldwide: NCAA Division I Women, 2022-23
In the second of our articles exploring the pathways Kiwi players pursue – following high school and local association representative basketball – we next take a look at the class of 2022-23 playing Women’s NCAA Division I collegiate hoops.
Of the 41 Kiwis currently on NCAA Division I scholarships, 28 are women – this equals the 2021-22 season as the highest ever number of Kiwi women playing Division I college basketball. It also extends to eight years the run of having 20+ female players in Division I, a remarkable achievable which shows the future of Kiwi women’s basketball is in good hands.
The List: NCAA Division I Women (2022/23)
SENIOR
Amiee Book – 6’0’’ forward, 5th Year Senior at Fresno State University
Book is in her second season at Fresno State, having transferred from California State University Fullerton following her Junior year. The daughter of former Tall Black Ed Book, Amiee is on the verge of joining an elite bunch of Kiwi women who have played 100 Division 1 games and scored 1,000 pts. Currently just 15 players have accomplished that feat.
McKenna Dale – 23 yrs, 6’0’’ guard, 5th Year Senior at University of Virginia
The American-educated former Junior Tall Fern played 45 games for Brown University in the Ivy League, scoring 432 pts. This will be her second season at Virginia, having played all 27 games in 2021-22 and receiving the Coach’s Award for Excellence. For her career, she’s scored 511 pts over 72 games.
Lauryn Mapusua – 22 yrs, 5’9’’ guard, 5th Year Senior at Houston Baptist University
Mapusua played two seasons at Hutchinson Community College followed by a year at Central Arkansas University (2020-21). In her first season at Houston she played 25 games with a season-high 11 points against Hartford. Mapusua also played for New Zealand at the 2017 FIBA U18 Oceania Championships in Guam.
Kaitlin Burgess – 5’8’’ guard, Senior at Boise State University
Burgess joined Boise State in 2021-22 after a successful two years at Southern Idaho Golden Eagles Junior College. Unfortunately her season was cut short by an injury after just 10 games. She left Rangitoto College after year 12 and completed her secondary education at Riverton High School, Utah.
Kobe King-Hawea – 6’0’’ G/F, Senior at James Madison University
Melbourne educated, Kobe spent her freshman year at Gillette College and her sophomore year at Casper College where she averaged 15.5ppg. She then played at the University of Texas in 2021-22 but injury curtailed her season to just 5 appearances. Her brother Dyson played for the Tall Blacks in 2017.
Jade Kirisome – 5’9’’ guard, Senior at St Mary’s College, California
Kirisome played 20 games with 15 starts before a shoulder injury cut short her 2021-22 season. It was her second season playing for the Gaels (2019-20 being a redshirt year), having transferred from Furman University. Kirisome scored a career-high 18 points against Fresno State in December 2020, and overall she’s racked up 438 pts across 78 games in Division I. Brother Tane played for the Tall Blacks in 2020 against Australia.
Tara Manumaleuga – 5’10’ guard, Senior at Texas Christian University
Manumaleuga transferred to Texas Christian after two years at the University of Arizona, where she played 25 games for the Wildcats. She played 25 games, including 9 starts in 2021-22 for the Horned Frogs. Brisbane educated, Manumaleuga averaged 12 points per game for NZ at the 2018 FIBA U17 World Cup in Belarus.
Kaylee Smiler – 5’8’’ guard, Senior at Brigham Young University
Despite not making a start for BYU in 71 appearances, Smiler’s defensive prowess has made Smiler an integral part of her team’s success. The Cougars have finished runners-up at the West Coast Conference Tournament in the past two years, progressing to the NCAA Tournament on both occasions.
Amy West – 6’4” centre, Senior at St Mary’s College, California
West spent her freshman year at Liberty University, playing 20 games for the Flames and has since spent three years at St Mary’s – although she was redshirted in 2019-20. The Tall Ferns centre scored a career-best 12 points on two occasions last season, and claimed a career-high 11 rebounds against Bowling Green in the WBI semi-final in April.
JUNIOR
Tayla Dalton – 5’9’’ guard, Junior at St Mary’s College, California
Dalton played all 33 games, with 28 starts, for the Gaels last season. She led the team in steals (31) and scored a career-high 22 points at San Francisco in December; she also made a career best five 3-pointers against LMU. In 59 games for the Gaels, Dalton has scored 447 pts. She also donned the black singlet for the first time in July, when playing at the FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup in Singapore.
Grace Hunter – 5’9’’ guard, Junior at California State University Bakersfield
Having previously played two years at Junior College, Hunter played at Florida International University last year but has signed with Cal State Bakersfield for the 2022-23 season. Porirua-raised Hunter also made a strong impression with Tokomanawa Queens in the 2022 Tauihi season, playing 12 games for the champion side.
Charlisse Leger-Walker – 21 yrs, 5’10’’ guard, Junior at Washington State University
CLW is carving out an impressive collegiate career. Already with 935 pts to her name – the most by any Pac 12 player during the last two years – she has started all of her 54 games at Washington State. Her 18.8 points per game is also a record for a Washington State Cougars freshman and she was named Pac 12 Freshman of the Year in 2020-21. Her 2022-23 season will be her first without sister Krystal on the team. Leger-Walker was also on international duty with the Tall Ferns in Australia last month, after previously making her first senior national team appearance in 2016.
Helen Matthews – 5’10’’ guard, Junior at Wofford College
Matthews played 28 games for the Terriers last season, finishing third on the team in blocks and assists (48). She led the team in scoring twice, including at Western Carolina where the Cantabrian scored a career-high 23 points. Overall she has tallied 298 pts for the Terriers over two seasons.
Dejaan Schuler – 5’8’’ guard, Junior at Stetson University
Schuler played two years at Casper College where last season, averaging 7.8 points per game and helping the T Birds reach the NJCAA (Junior College) National Championships. Schuler is a familiar name back home, as she previously captained Te Aroha College, Grand Finalists at the 2019 Secondary Schools ‘A’ Championships.
Emme Shearer – 6’0’’ guard, Junior at University of Portland
Shearer played in 29 games with 27 starts for the Pilots last season after being named to the West Coast Conference Freshman Team the previous year. She led the team in steals (58) and scored a career-high 17 points against Gonzaga in 2021-22. In 2019, she was the youngest member of the Junior Tall Ferns.
Yzabelle Tevao – 5’11’’ forward, Junior at Chicago State University
Prior to Chicago State, Tevao played at Lake Region State College in 2020-21 and last season at McCook Community College. Prior to college she played ball at Massey High School and for Waitakere West back in NZ.
Charlotte Whittaker – 22 yrs, 6’3’’ forward, Junior at University of Colorado
Whittaker played all 20 games for the Buffaloes in 2020-21, averaging 14 minutes per game; she had a season-best 11 pts against Western Colorado. Charlotte sat out the 2021-22 season after undergoing hip surgery; the former Junior Tall Fern making a welcome return after having to undergo a total of five surgeries in the past 18 months.
SOPHOMORE
Rochelle Fourie – 6’3’’ F/C, Sophomore at California State University, Northridge
Fourie will commence her career at the University of California Northridge, 24 months later than originally scheduled. In 20/21 as the school declared it was unable to compete due to the number of students that had voluntarily elected to opt out of competition due to Covid. The graduate of Manukura School, Palmerston North was then forced to sit out 2021/22 due to injury.
Arielle Mackey-Williams – 5’9’’ guard, Sophomore at BYU
Mackey-Williams made a promising start to her BYU career, on a team that progressed to the NCAA Tournament. In 2019 she also played on the New Zealand team at the FIBA U17 Oceania Championships in New Caledonia where she led the NZ in scoring. She was schooled at Tai Wananga ki Ruakura in Hamilton.
Jess Moors – 6’0’’ forward, Sophomore at Colorado State University
Moors played a season-high 16 minutes against San Jose State; with Colorado State finishing as runners-up in the Mountain West Conference Tournament last season. The former Westlake Girls guard played for NZ at the 2019 FIBA U17 Oceania Championships in New Caledonia. Her brother James is a Junior on the Men’s Basketball team at Colorado State.
Ashlee Strawbridge – 6’0’’ G/F, Sophomore at New Mexico State University
Strawbridge played two years at Southern Idaho College, where last season she helped the Golden Eagles reach the NJCAA (Junior College) National Championships. The former Junior Tall Fern was third on the team in scoring (8.8ppg) and rebounding (5.2rpg), scoring a season-high 24 points against Salt Lake CC.
Emilee Tahata – 6’0’’ forward, Sophomore at La Salle University
Tahata unfortunately missed last season due to injury. Prior to that, she played for Brisbane Capitals in the 2021 NBL1 North competition, and appeared for NZ at the 2018 FIBA U17 World Cup in Belarus.
Olivia Williams – 6’1’’ G/F, Sophomore at University of California Irvine
Williams was named to the Big West Conference All-Freshman team last season, after averaging 4.2 points and 2.1 rebounds across 30 games. Scored a season-best 13 points on debut against Westcliff. Williams also played for New Zealand at the 2019 FIBA U17 Oceania Championships in New Caledonia, and her great-grandfather Jack Sullivan was both an All Blacks player and coach.
FRESHMEN
Dani Bayes – 5’11’’ guard, Freshman at Boise State University
Born in Auckland, Bayes moved to Brisbane as a youngster and was educated at Sheldon College. She averaged 11.8 points per game for Logan Thunder in 2022 NBL1 season.
Ella Brow – 5’8’’ guard, Freshman at Southern Methodist University
Brow was a trialist at the 2021 Tall Ferns Camp on the Gold Coast. She was educated in Queensland where she attended Palm Beach Currumbin High School.
Florence Dallow – 6’0’’ guard, Freshman at University of Portland
Dallow played for the Junior Tall Ferns at the 2022 FIBA Asia Championship in India – averaged 8 points and 4 rebounds per game. The former Epsom Girls Grammar School wing played her representative basketball for North Harbour.
Melika Samia – 5’9’’ guard, Freshman at University of Portland
The Hawkes Bay native transferred from Napier Girls High School to Tauranga College for her final two years of high school. Samia was also called into the Tall Ferns training camp in 2021. Her sister Rosalia played for Mainland Pouākai in the 2022 Tauihi season.
Breeje Schuler – 5’10’’ guard, Freshman at Eastern Washington University
Breeje, the younger sister of Dejaan, enjoyed a standout junior career with Te Aroha College, St Peter’s School, Cambridge and with a number of Waikato representative teams where she was a multiple national championship winner.
2023-24 Commits:
Maia Jones – 5’10’’ guard, St Mary’s College, California
Jones has recently committed to St Mary’s, where she will join an already strong Kiwi contingent with the Gaels. The daughter of former Tall Black great Phill Jones, Maia led NZ in scoring at the 2022 FIBA U17 World Cup averaging 9.4 points per game. She also captained Waimea College at the 2022 Secondary Schools National Championships, where she was named to the Tournament Team.
*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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