01-05-2025
Tall Blacks tap teens for inaugural Throwdown series
Tall Blacks coach Judd Flavell has named a young team for the inaugural transtasman Throwdown series next week.
He has selected four teenagers in the squad with just a handful of games between them.
Hawke's Bay guard Jackson Ball is the youngest of the quartet at just 17.
He scored 40 points for the Hawke's Bay Hawks in the opening game of the National Basketball League season and is averaging 21.4 points.
He is joined in the side by a trio of 18-year-olds: Tama Isaac, Oscar Goodman and Julius Halaifonua.
Isaac has been in good touch for the Canterbury Rams this season. The point guard is averaging 13.1 points and 4.8 assists. His older brother, Kaia, is on the Rams' roster as well.
Halaifonua is a 2.13m redshirt freshman with Georgetown University and Goodman is at the University of Michigan.
The pair have each played one game for the Tall Blacks, while Tama Isaac and Ball have made two appearances.
At the other end of the experience spectrum is Corey Webster with 100 games. He will link up with experienced guards Reuben Te Rangi (71 games) and Shea Ili (71 games).
There is a strong Canterbury Rams feel to the squad as well. Taylor Britt, Walter Brown and Max Darling take the Rams representation to six.
There are some stars missing, though.
The likes of Sam Timmins, Yanni Wetzell, Tyrell Harrison and Jordan Ngatai were unavailable.
The Tall Blacks will play three games against the Boomers.
Game 1 is in Adelaide on Tuesday. They play again on the Gold Coast three days later, and the final game of the series is in Hamilton on May 11.
They will share the billing with the Tall Ferns, who are taking on the Australian Opals.
The games are all double-headers.
The fixture in Hamilton will mark the first time the Tall Ferns have played at home in five years.
They have eight uncapped players in their squad of 14.
