| 2020 New Zealand NBL season | |
|---|---|
| League | New Zealand NBL |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | 23 June – 1 August |
| Number of games | 14 |
| Number of teams | 7 |
| Regular season | |
| Minor premiers | Otago Nuggets |
| Season MVP | Tom Vodanovich (Manawatu Jets) |
| Top scorer | Derone Raukawa (Taranaki Mountainairs) |
| Finals | |
| Champions | Otago Nuggets |
| Runners-up | Manawatu Jets |
| Grand Final MVP | Jordan Hunt |
The 2020 NBL season (officially known as the 2020 NBL Showdown [1] ) was the 39th season of the National Basketball League.
The regular season was set to commence on Thursday 9 April and end on Sunday 12 July, with the finals then taking place between 16–24 July. [2] [3] [4] However, following the coronavirus outbreak in early to mid March 2020, the season was suspended indefinitely. [5] [6] After two months of deliberation and in the wake of easing coronavirus restrictions, the league announced a revised competition format for 2020 beginning on Tuesday 23 June and ending with the grand final on Saturday 1 August. [7] [8]
The 2020 season was initially set to feature eight teams following the withdrawal of the Southern Huskies and Super City Rangers [9] and the inclusion of the Franklin Bulls for the first time. However, three of the top four teams in 2019 (Wellington Saints, Hawke's Bay Hawks and Southland Sharks) decided not to enter the modified competition. [10] This left the door open for the inclusion of the Otago Nuggets, a team who were looking to re-enter the league in 2021 for the first time since 2014, [11] [12] [13] and the Huskies. Coinciding with the announcement of a revised 2020 competition, the Huskies franchise relocated from Tasmania to Auckland and became the Auckland Huskies. [14] [15]
The 2020 season began on 23 June, with all seven teams playing up to three games per week over six weeks. The season concluded on 1 August with the Otago Nuggets defeating the Manawatu Jets in the grand final to win their maiden NBL championship. [16] All teams were based in Auckland, [7] with all games played out of The Trusts Arena. [17]
| Team | City origin | Arena | Colours | Head Coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auckland Huskies | Auckland | The Trusts Arena, Auckland |  Kevin Braswell | |
| Canterbury Rams | Christchurch |  Mick Downer | ||
| Franklin Bulls | Auckland | Liam Simmons | ||
| Manawatu Jets | Palmerston North |  Tim McTamney | ||
| Nelson Giants | Nelson | Michael Fitchett | ||
| Otago Nuggets | Dunedin | Brent Matehaere | ||
| Taranaki Mountainairs | New Plymouth | Doug Courtney | ||
| Pos | Team | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Otago Nuggets | 9 | 5 | 1293 | 1233 | +60 | 18 | Qualifying Final |
| 2 | Manawatu Jets | 8 | 6 | 1346 | 1305 | +41 | 16 [lower-alpha 1] | |
| 3 | Auckland Huskies | 8 | 6 | 1207 | 1219 | −12 | 16 [lower-alpha 1] | Elimination Final 2 and 3 |
| 4 | Taranaki Mountainairs | 8 | 6 | 1382 | 1375 | +7 | 16 [lower-alpha 1] | |
| 5 | Franklin Bulls | 7 | 7 | 1150 | 1134 | +16 | 14 | |
| 6 | Nelson Giants | 5 | 9 | 1171 | 1252 | −81 | 10 | Elimination Final 1 |
| 7 | Canterbury Rams | 4 | 10 | 1201 | 1232 | −31 | 8 |
Tuesday 28 July
5:30 pm |
| Nelson Giants 89, Canterbury Rams 93 | ||
| Scoring by quarter:30–26, 17–23, 19–27, 23–17 | ||
| Pts: Mike Karena 19 Rebs: Mika Vukona 16 Asts: Karena, Trathen 3 each | Pts: Quintin Bailey 19 Rebs: Bailey, Britt 8 each Asts: Taylor Britt 7 | |
| Canterbury advances to Elimination Final 2 | ||
7:30 pm |
| Otago Nuggets 105, Manawatu Jets 80 | ||
| Scoring by quarter:30–19, 23–16, 27–17, 25–28 | ||
| Pts: Jordan Hunt 23 Rebs: Kane Keil 12 Asts: Jordan Ngatai 6 | Pts: Taane Samuel 17 Rebs:3 players 6 each Asts: Hyrum Harris 4 | |
Wednesday 29 July
5:30 pm |
| Auckland Huskies 84, Canterbury Rams 98 | ||
| Scoring by quarter:26–23, 16–13, 20–39, 22–23 | ||
| Pts: Izayah Mauriohooho-Le'afa 39 Rebs: Bailey-Nowell, Henry 8 each Asts: Izayah Mauriohooho-Le'afa 5 | Pts: Thomas Webley 21 Rebs: Toby Gillooly 12 Asts: Taylor Britt 10 | |
| Canterbury advances to Semi Final 1 | ||
7:30 pm |
| Taranaki Mountainairs 99, Franklin Bulls 90 | ||
| Scoring by quarter:26–18, 22–27, 24–19, 27–26 | ||
| Pts: Marcel Jones 31 Rebs: Marcel Jones 10 Asts: Raukawa, Jones 7 each | Pts: Dominique Kelman-Poto 31 Rebs: Dominique Kelman-Poto 10 Asts: Everard Bartlett 5 | |
| Taranaki advances to Semi Final 2 | ||
Thursday 30 July
5:30 pm |
| Otago Nuggets 97, Canterbury Rams 79 | ||
| Scoring by quarter:29–22, 25–17, 27–18, 16–22 | ||
| Pts: Jordan Hunt 33 Rebs: Jordan Hunt 11 Asts: Kenny, Ngatai 7 each | Pts: Samuel Smith 13 Rebs: Talma, Webley 7 each Asts: Taylor Britt 5 | |
| Otago advances to Grand Final | ||
7:30 pm |
| Manawatu Jets 105, Taranaki Mountainairs 95 | ||
| Scoring by quarter:34–23, 21–27, 12–20, 38–25 | ||
| Pts: Tom Vodanovich 28 Rebs: Hyrum Harris 11 Asts: Hyrum Harris 7 | Pts: Derone Raukawa 32 Rebs: Marcel Jones 12 Asts: Marcel Jones 6 | |
| Manawatu advances to Grand Final | ||
Saturday 1 August
7:30 pm |
| Otago Nuggets 79, Manawatu Jets 77 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 15–17, 22–24, 15–14, 27–22 | ||
| Pts: Jordan Hunt 21 Rebs:3 players 7 each Asts: Jarrod Kenny 8 | Pts: Tom Vodanovich 24 Rebs: Hyrum Harris 12 Asts: Harris, Samuel 4 each | |
| Otago wins NBL championship | ||
Stats as of the end of the regular season [19]
| Category | Player | Team | Stat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points per game | Derone Raukawa | Taranaki Mountainairs | 22.8 |
| Rebounds per game | Marcel Jones | Taranaki Mountainairs | 13.4 |
| Assists per game | Derone Raukawa | Taranaki Mountainairs | 7.6 |
| Steals per game | Izayah Mauriohooho-Le'afa | Auckland Huskies | 2.7 |
| Blocks per game | Sam Timmins | Franklin Bulls | 1.9 |
The National Basketball League (NBL) is a men's semi-professional basketball league in New Zealand.
The Otago Nuggets are a New Zealand basketball team based in Dunedin. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at the Edgar Centre. For sponsorship reasons, they are known as the Night 'n Day Otago Nuggets.
The Manawatu Jets are a New Zealand basketball team based in Palmerston North. The Jets compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at Central Energy Trust Arena. For sponsorship reasons, they are known as the Property Brokers Manawatu Jets.
Jarrod Daniel Kenny is a New Zealand professional basketball player for the Hawke's Bay Hawks of the New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL). He attended Westlake Boys High School and has represented the New Zealand Tall Blacks multiple times.
Leon Hofeni Nehemiah Henry is a New Zealand professional basketball player who last played for the Wellington Saints of the New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL). He debuted in the New Zealand NBL in 2004 and has since won seven championships. He also played five seasons in the Australian NBL, where he was a member of the New Zealand Breakers' 3-peat championship contingent between 2010/11 and 2012/13.
Marcel Xavier Jones is an American-New Zealand professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Oregon State Beavers between 2004 and 2008 before embarking on a professional career that spanned across the globe, from Europe and the Middle East, to his adoptive home of New Zealand. Since 2009, Jones has had consistent yearly stints in the New Zealand NBL, largely due to gaining New Zealand citizenship in 2012. He has also played consistently in the Persian Gulf region since 2017.
Samuel Timmins is a New Zealand professional basketball player for the Otago Nuggets of the New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL). He played college basketball for the Washington Huskies. He made his debut for the New Zealand Breakers of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL) in 2021.
The National Basketball League Finals Most Valuable Player is an annual National Basketball League (NBL) award currently given to the best performing player over the NBL's annual Final Four weekend. The award has previously been known as Final MVP and Final Four MVP.
Derone Jordan Raukawa is a New Zealand basketball player for the Hawke's Bay Hawks of the New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL).
Ethan Rusbatch is a New Zealand basketball player for the Hawke's Bay Hawks of the New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL). He began his NZNBL career in 2012 with the Southland Sharks after spending one season in the United States playing college basketball for Lincoln Trail College. After playing for the Taranaki Mountainairs in 2013, he spent the next four seasons with the Canterbury Rams. He joined the Hawks in 2018 and won the NZNBL's Most Improved Player in 2019. He also played two seasons with the New Zealand Breakers in the Australian NBL.
The Auckland Tuatara are a semi-professional basketball team based in Auckland, New Zealand. The Tuatara compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at Eventfinda Stadium. Founded in Tasmania in 2019 as the Southern Huskies, the team relocated to Auckland in 2020 and for two years were known as the Auckland Huskies. In December 2021, the team was purchased by the Auckland Tuatara baseball team.
The 2019 NBL season was the 38th season of the National Basketball League. The competition increased to nine teams in 2019 with the Southern Huskies joining the league for the first time, marking the first time ever that an Australian team has joined a New Zealand competition.
Jordan Ngatai is a New Zealand professional basketball player for the Wellington Saints of the New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL). He played six seasons with the New Zealand Breakers in the Australian NBL and is a regular New Zealand Tall Black. In the New Zealand NBL, he is a four-time champion.
The Franklin Bulls are a New Zealand basketball team based in Pukekohe, Auckland. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at the Franklin Pool and Leisure Centre. For sponsorship reasons, they are known as the EnviroNZ Franklin Bulls.
Thomas James Vodanovich is a New Zealand professional basketball player for the Wellington Saints of the New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL). He played college basketball in the United States for the James Madison Dukes between 2013 and 2017 before having a two-year stint with the New Zealand Breakers in the Australian NBL. In 2020, he was named the New Zealand NBL MVP playing for the Manawatu Jets.
The 2021 NBL season was the 40th season of the National Basketball League.
Hyrum Harris is a New Zealand professional basketball player for the Adelaide 36ers of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL).
The 2022 NBL season was the 41st season of the National Basketball League. For the second year in a row, the league fielded 10 teams, with the only changes being the rebrand of the Auckland Huskies to Auckland Tuatara and Taranaki Mountainairs to Taranaki Airs.
Jordan Hunt is a New Zealand professional basketball player for the Hawke's Bay Hawks of the New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL). He debuted in the NZNBL in 2015 with the Wellington Saints and won a championship with them in 2016. After four years of college basketball in the United States with the Southern Oregon Raiders, he helped the Otago Nuggets win the NZNBL championship in 2020 while earning grand final MVP. He subsequently spent the 2020–21 NBL season in Australia with the Cairns Taipans as a development player.