Tauranga Whai

Tauranga Whai
League	NZNBL
Founded	December 2021
History	Tauranga Whai 2024–present
Arena	Mercury Baypark
Location	Tauranga, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand
Team colours	Turquoise & navy blue
General manager	John Miller (spokesperson)
Head coach	Matt Lacey
Ownership	Bay of Plenty Basketball Foundation
Championships	0
Website	Whai.basketball

The Tauranga Whai are a New Zealand professional basketball team based in Tauranga, Bay of Plenty. The Whai compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at Mercury Baypark.

Team history

In December 2021, the Bay of Plenty Basketball Foundation were granted a license to enter a men's team into the National Basketball League (NBL) for the 2024 season. The team was initially named the Bay of Plenty Stingrays. ^{[1] [2]} The team was rebranded as Whai in the lead up to their first season and then later officially branded Tauranga Whai. ^{[3] [4] [5] [6]} The word whai as a noun means stingray in Māori. ^[7] As a verb, whai means to chase or pursue. ^[8]

In October 2023, Whai Basketball announced Matt Lacey as their inaugural men's coach. ^{[9] [10]} In their NBL debut on 28 March 2024, the Whai defeated the Hawke's Bay Hawks 91–70 at Mercury Baypark. ^[11] The Whai finished their first season in eighth place with an 8–12 record. ^{[12] [13]}

Season by season record

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, W–L% = Winning percentage

Season	GP	W	L	W–L%	Finish
2024	20	8	12	.400	8th

(*) Denotes season still in progress

Current roster

Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed.

Tauranga Whai (NZNBL) roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Nat. Name Ht. G/F 2 Boucher, Jayden 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) G 4 Thompson, Jett 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) G 5 Perrott-Hunt, Kruz  (C) 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) G 6 Flavell, C. J. 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) G/F 7 Bairstow, Sean  (I) 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) G 8 Marsters, Xanda 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) F/C 10 Brooke, Denhym 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) G 12 Greensill, Maioro 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) G 13 Lewis, Te Tuhi 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) F 14 Kaumoana, Ky-Mani 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) F 27 Hopoi, Carter 2.07 m (6 ft 9 in) G 31 Wade, Michael G 32 Black, Javier 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) G 66 Bezzant, Jayden 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) G King, Mojave 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) F Murphy, Sean 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) G Pakaurangi, Taiapau 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) F/C Rissetto, Anzac 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) G Roudon, Harlan	Head coach Matt Lacey Assistant coach(es) Tane Bennett Doug Courtney Alex Stojkovic Legend (C) Team captain (DP) Development player (I) Import player Injured Roster Updated: 16 May 2025

Women's team

Whai Basketball debuted in 2022 with a women's team, Mid-North Whai, in the inaugural season of the Tauihi Basketball Aotearoa. ^{[14] [15]} In 2024, the team became known as Tauranga Whai alongside their male counterpart. ^[16] As of 2024, the team plays their home games at Queen Elizabeth Youth Centre. ^{[17] [18] [19]} The Whai won the 2024 Tauihi Basketball Aotearoa championship with a 90–71 grand final victory over the Tokomanawa Queens. ^{[20] [21] [22]}

Women's roster

Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed.

Tauranga Whai (Tauihi) roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Nat. Name Ht. G/F 3 Cowling, Mikayla 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) G 4 Hokianga, Pahlyss 1.64 m (5 ft 5 in) SG 5 Smiler, Kaylee 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) C 6 McSpadden, Lara 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) SF 7 Langton, Eva 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) G 8 Rogers, Emma 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) G 9 Dale, McKenna 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) G 10 Hyland, Anika 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in) G 11 Kirisome, Jade 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in) PF 14 Synder, Laina 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) G 16 Kuka, Laura 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) G 18 Taingahue, Maya 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) F 20 Joens, Ashley 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) G 24 Yaeger, Morgan 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) G 44 Dale, McKenna 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) F 99 Daysh, Maka 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)	Head coach Alex Stojkovic Assistant coach(es) Tane Bennett Legend (C) Team captain (DP) Development player (I) Import player Injured Roster Updated: 13 September 2024

References

1. "SAL'S NBL NAMES BAY OF PLENTY STINGRAYS AS FIRST EXPANSION TEAM FOR 2024". nznbl.basketball. 23 December 2021. Archived from the original on 23 December 2021.
2. Hinton, Marc (23 December 2021). "Bay of Plenty Stingrays unveiled as Kiwi NBL expansion team for 2024". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
3. "WHAI VS. TUATARA: AUCKLAND WIN BIG IN TAURANGA". nznbl.basketball. 6 April 2024. Archived from the original on 6 May 2024.
4. "AIRS VS. WHAI: TARANAKI SMASH WHAI IN HOME OPENER". nznbl.basketball. 13 April 2024. Archived from the original on 6 May 2024.
5. "TAURANGA VS SOUTHLAND: WHAI STING SHARKS". nznbl.basketball. 21 April 2024. Archived from the original on 6 May 2024.
6. "TAURANGA VS TARANAKI: AIRS PULL AWAY IN SECOND HALF". nznbl.basketball. 26 April 2024. Archived from the original on 6 May 2024.
7. "About Whai Basketball". whai.basketball. Archived from the original on 6 May 2024.
8. "whai". Te Ara Māori Dictionary. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
9. "WHAI NAME MATT LACEY HEAD COACH FOR INAUGURAL SEASON". nznbl.basketball. 20 October 2023. Archived from the original on 20 October 2023.
10. Conchie, Sandra (21 October 2023). "Tauranga-based Whai men's basketball team set to join NBL, Matt Lacey revealed as head coach". The New Zealand Herald . Bay of Plenty Times. Archived from the original on 22 October 2023. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
11. "WHAI VS. HAWKS: WHAI ANNOUNCE THEMSELVES WITH DREAM DEBUT". nznbl.basketball. 28 March 2024. Archived from the original on 28 March 2024.
12. "Ladder". nznbl.basketball. Archived from the original on 29 July 2024.
13. "THINK TANK: REGULAR SEASON WRAP". nznbl.basketball. 15 July 2024. Archived from the original on 29 July 2024.
14. Houpt, Emma (10 May 2022). "New professional women's basketball team set to inspire young Tauranga players". The New Zealand Herald . Bay of Plenty Times. Archived from the original on 6 May 2024.
15. "TAUIHI BASKETBALL AOTEAROA SEASON PREVIEW". tauihi.basketball. 28 June 2022. Archived from the original on 30 June 2022.
16. "2024 G.J. GARDNER HOMES TAUIHI SCHEDULE UNVEILED". tauihi.basketball. 6 May 2024. Archived from the original on 6 May 2024.
17. "Tauihi 2023 Schedule" (PDF). tauihi.basketball. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 February 2023.
18. Conchie, Sandra (8 August 2023). "Basketball: Tauranga women's team Whai Basketball inspires new players and fans". The New Zealand Herald . Bay of Plenty Times. Archived from the original on 20 October 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
19. "2024 Tauihi Schedule". tauihi.basketball. Archived from the original on 6 May 2024.
20. "Whai Claim Championship Victory". tauihi.basketball. 22 December 2024. Archived from the original on 22 December 2024.
21. "Tauranga Whai storm to Tauihi basketball crown". RNZ. 22 December 2024. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
22. "Whai complete incredible turnaround with Tauihi Basketball Aotearoa championship triumph". Stuff.co.nz. 22 December 2024. Retrieved 24 December 2024.

External links

• Whai Basketball's official website