The 2degrees Tall Ferns have named a strong 12-woman squad for March’s upcoming FIBA World Cup Qualifiers in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The squad features three new faces. Tauranga Whai guard, Jade Kirisome, will make her debut, while cousins Emma and Briarley Rogers will also wear the 2degrees Tall Ferns singlet for the first time.
Both Rogers cousins were members of last season’s Sky Broadband Rapid League All-Star 5, with Emma winning Most Valuable Player along with Tauihi Basketball Aotearoa’s Most Improved and Youth Player of the Year awards.
Emma was just mere moments from heading out the door at her home in Tauranga, when she received the call from Tall Ferns Head Coach, Nat Hurst.
“I was just about to leave the house to go out, and I was talking to my Mum. I saw that my phone was ringing, and it was just the number and usually when that comes up I’m like “Oh, it’s a scam call so I’m just not going to pick up the phone.”
“Then I was thinking maybe I should just pick it up, so I went down to my room and picked it up and it was Nat.”
Rogers recalls the feeling and emotion once she realised who was speaking to her on the other end of the line.
“I was really nervous, and then she told me that I’d made the team. Literally my hands were shaking, and my hands were sweating so much but was just really excited.”
The occasion of becoming a New Zealand Tall Fern not lost on the young 18-year old from Tauranga.
“Everybody says it’s a dream to be a Tall Fern when you grow up, and I feel like I’m still growing up. So I think it’s really special to do it at this age, and do it at a World Cup Qualifying Tournament.”
Tauranga Whai guard and back-to-back Tauihi champion, Jade Kirisome, will become the second member of her whānau to play in the black singlet.
“My brother played for played a game for the Tall Blacks and that was like a super proud achievement for my family. Unfortunately I was in America at the time, so I had to tune in online.”
Her younger brother, Tane, debuted for the Tall Blacks in 2020, and is currently plying his trade at Missouri Southern State University.
“The one thing that he could always hold over me was that I had never made a national team or played on that stage before. So now that I’ve made a team, he can’t hold that over my head. But no, he was super happy for me.”
Alongside the debutants, seven players will return after a successful 2025 FIBA Asia Cup campaign in Shenzhen, with Tayla Dalton, Pahlyss Hokianga, Rebecca Pizzey, Emme Shearer, Ashlee Strawbridge, Ella Tofaeono and Charlotte Whittaker all back to don the black singlet in San Juan.
Tegan Graham and Sharne Robati will also re-join the squad, after impressive showings for the Tall Ferns during the 2025 Trans-Tasman Throwdown.
It’ll be a busy week for the 2degrees Tall Ferns with five games in seven days, including a rare match-up against reigning FIBA World Cup champions, the United States.
It’ll be the ninth match-up between the USA and New Zealand, with the Tall Ferns last seeing the world number one’s in Beijing’s 2008 Olympics where the US took home a comfortable 60-98 victory.
Spain, Italy, Senegal and tournament hosts Puerto Rico are the other four teams that the Tall Ferns will be coming up against – with three of the six teams earning qualification to September’s FIBA Women’s World Cup in Germany.
However, with the United States already qualified for the World Cup, fourth place looms as another qualification spot to September pinnacle event.
Coach Nat Hurst knows the power and pedigree within the Kiwi’s pool.
“Obviously there’s a couple of teams there that we go, okay, US and Spain they are where they are. And then we immediately turn our focus to those three target teams in our pool.”
The 2degrees Tall Ferns looking to take down Italy, Senegal and Puerto Rico. It’s a chance at redemption for a few of the Tall Ferns who played against Puerto Rico in the 2024 Olympic Qualifying Tournament. Tayla Dalton was one of those players in that team who came so close to Olympic Qualification.
There’s no doubt Dalton has that March 18 game against the host nation circled on the calendar.
“I’ll be honest, it’s still a bit raw. That game against Puerto Rico losing by two points on the buzzer – knowing that Olympic ticket was right there. But I think that’s why you play the game. With sport you can be on top of the world, but at the same time it can be brutal.”
“Seeing Puerto Rico in there (our pool), getting to play them at their home venue, that’s going to be a tough match-up. But it’s redemption, we get another crack at it.”
Hurst believes the the 2degrees Tall Ferns are in a strong position to give it their all come March.
“I have so much belief in the group that we have coming through. Even though we don’t have access to everybody, the talent we have coming through is exciting. On our day if we can have a good prep, on our day things go right for us, I believe we can beat the teams that we need to beat to get to where we want to be.”
The 2degrees Tall Ferns will come together for a training camp in Melbourne, before leaving to Puerto Rico to continue their World Cup qualifying campaign where their first game sees them take on European powerhouses, Spain on March 12, 7am (NZT).
All games of the 2026 Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament will be live on ESPN, and available through Disney+.
2degrees Tall Ferns Squad for the FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament in San Juan, Puerto Rico
Tayla Dalton (Tauranga Whai), 18 games
Tegan Graham (Perth Lynx), 3 games
Pahlyss Hokianga (Tokomanawa Queens & University of Portland), 13 games
Jade Kirisome (Tauranga Whai), debutant
Rebecca Pizzey (Southern Hoiho), 5 games
Sharne Robati (Adelaide Lightning), 5 games
Briarley Rogers (Tokomanawa Queens), debutant
Emma Rogers (Mainland Pouākai & Fairfield Univeristy), debutant
Emme Shearer (Tauranga Whai & UC Capitals), 8 games
Ashlee Strawbridge (Adelaide Lightning), 11 games
Ella Tofaeono (Adelaide Lightning), 11 games
Charlotte Whittaker (Mainland Pouākai & Adelaide Lightning), 8 games
2DEGREES TALL FERNS AT THE FIBA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP QUALIFYING TOURNAMENT
Mar 12 v Spain, 7am
Mar 13 v Italy, 10am
Mar 15 v Senegal, 7am
Mar 16 v United States of America, 7am
Mar 18 v Puerto Rico, 1pm
*All times in NZT, and live on ESPN & Disney+
