Tall Blacks Head Coach, Pero Cameron has today named a squad of 14 athletes to compete in next month’s FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers, which sees New Zealand take on Chinese Taipei and Hong Kong in a two-game home and away series for Window 1.
The squad includes: Taylor Britt, Walter Brown, Tobias Cameron, Max Darling, Dan Fotu, Julius Halaifonua, Tyrell Harrison, Izayah Le’afa, Alex McNaught, Jordan Ngatai, Dion Prewster, Ethan Rusbatch, Sam Timmins and Tom Vodanovich.
Coach Cameron has also named his assistant coaches for this window as Michael Fitchett, Trent Adam and Daryl Cartwright.
Window 1 sees the Tall Blacks travel to Chinese Taipei for their first game on 22 February, before returning to New Zealand to face Hong Kong at Auckland’s Eventfinda Stadium on Sunday 25 February (tickets available here). This is the first of three qualification windows for the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup, which will take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia from 5-17 August 2025.
Coach Cameron says that the squad features a blend of experienced Tall Blacks veterans – including Rusbatch, Ngatai and Prewster – alongside newcomers to the black singlet in Halaifonua and Cameron.
“This group is a good mix of youth and experience; availability is always a factor with this roster at this time of year so I’m happy we can build an exciting and competitive squad in this window – they’ll be hungry for the challenge of playing against Chinese Taipei and Hong Kong,” says Cameron.
“When Dion [Prewster] first put his hand up, he made it clear he wants to be available for Olympics as well as Asia Cup qualification; I look forward to having him on board and he’s excited to be part of the Tall Blacks again. He’ll join Izayah, Ethan, Jordan, Tom and other seasoned Tall Blacks as players we know can perform on the international stage.”
Coach Cameron believes that having a blend of veteran experience and youth in the Tall Blacks squad helps the programme with both their immediate and long-term goals.
“One goes well with the other and the vets help these young guys coming in. For us it’s about athlete development, giving the younger guys an opportunity to play at this level and get experience, while at the same time seeing what they can do against world-class competition. They need these opportunities to grow.
“This is a great opportunity for Tobias [Cameron], he’s come up through the national teams pathways via the Junior Tall Blacks so he’ll have a chance to show what he’s capable of in these games; I’m looking forward having him in the squad.
“And with Julius [Halaifonua], he’s big, he’s got great size, great touch and there’s a massive upside for him and our squad when he’s in it. He just needs experience and to play at the highest level, so this is a huge opportunity for him. Good things will come to him if he trains and plays hard.”
17-year-old Halaifonua, who at 7’0” will join Harrison as the squad’s tallest player, is ecstatic to be part of the national team setup after previously training with the Tall Blacks squad last year prior to the FIBA World Cup. Halaifonua will join his Tall Black teammates in Chinese Taipei from the NBA Global Academy in Canberra, where he has been based since 2023.
“It feels great to be selected; throughout the past year [at the NBA Global Academy] I’ve been going up against players my height which has helped my development; it’s allowed my game to grow in huge leaps over the past 12 months,” says Halaifonua.
“My two big basketball goals are to make the NBA and the Tall Blacks, so this is a big step for me; having been around some of the Tall Blacks staff recently has helped me to be familiar with them and their system and it helps make [the transition to the Tall Blacks squad] easier.’
Coach Cameron says that the FIBA Asia Cup is a pinnacle event on the New Zealand national team radar, with the squad aiming to build on their success at the 2023 edition of this tournament; the Tall Blacks earning bronze while leading the comp in rebounding and finishing third in points per game.
“With the new windows format with FIBA, the Asia Cup is a pinnacle event for us – it’s the third biggest tournament for the Tall Blacks behind the Olympics and World Cup. There’s a huge amount of quality international teams that are part of this competition, and when you look at the top teams in the Asia region – including Australia, China, Korea, Lebanon, Japan – they’ll all world-class teams.
“It’s a tough and prestigious tournament and we’re thrilled to be part of it; it’s also a good opportunity to test the Tall Blacks depth chart too.”
Coach Cameron believes the Asia Cup Qualifiers also provides the Tall Blacks with a chance to evaluate their game and style of play against the contrasting styles used by other countries.
“I see Asia Cup Qualifiers as giving New Zealand more quality games against a lot of different styles; every nation employs different play-styles and have different strengths and focuses within their squad. It’s a great way to test your style against another country, and to see which players and programmes are developing within the different region and countries. Who’s developing, what new styles are coming through, how do we stack up against them?”
The Tall Blacks travel to Chinese Taipei on 22 February for game 1 of the first FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers window, before returning to New Zealand to face Hong Kong at Auckland’s Eventfinda Stadium on Sunday 25 February (tickets available here). Watch both games live on TVNZ+
Tall Blacks Squad of 14, FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers (Window 1)
Taylor Britt, Canterbury Rams
Walter Brown, Tasmania JackJumpers / Canterbury Rams
Tobias Cameron, Taranaki Steelformers Airs
Max Darling, BNZ Breakers / Canterbury Rams
Dan Fotu, BNZ Breakers / Nelson Giants
Juluis Halaifonua, NBA Global Academy
Tyrell Harrison, Brisbane Bullets
Izayah Le’afa, BNZ Breakers
Alex McNaught, BNZ Breakers / Nelson Giants
Jordan Ngatai, Tampereen Pyrinto / Taylor Hawkes Bay Hawks
Dion Prewster
Ethan Rusbatch, Franklin Bulls
Sam Timmins, Sydney Kings / Franklin Bulls
Tom Vodanovich, Tasmania JackJumpers / Auckland Tuatara
Head Coach – Pero Cameron
Assistant Coach – Michael Fitchett
Assistant Coach – Trent Adam
Assistant Coach – Daryl Cartwright
