[tblazer_NZParticipant]

With Steven Adams now in the NBA, basketball will hopefully will start to be on the improve.

A 16 year old prospect son of two world champion wood choppers Tai Wynyard is on the radar of Kentucky coach John Calipari who is reportedly coming to NZ to recruit him.

Also the coach of the National team has stepped down so the position is up for grabs.
I would love it if Sean Marks would take the job as I am sure he is learning a lot from Gregg Popovich as one of his assistants on the Spurs.

[tblazer_NZParticipant]

This is the link.

http://ausahoops.com/kentucky-rumoured-to-be-recruiting-kiwi-star-16-year-old/

[tblazer_NZParticipant]

This is the link.

http://ausahoops.com/kentucky-rumoured-to-be-recruiting-kiwi-star-16-year-old/

[he_gets_bucketsParticipant]

 "New Zealand has one that trumps them all"

He is no where near the prospect Ben was at the same age or is now

 

[Rip255]

LOL, the first paragraph of that article had me seriously doubting the writers credibility when it comes to the talent level of this so called prospect. 

[tblazer_NZParticipant]

I wouldn’t worry about the author getting carried away to much. Ben and Thon have the talent to make a impact in the NBA in the future.
I only first heard his name a couple months ago. It is intriguing that Calipari is after him if the rumours are in fact true.

[tblazer_NZParticipant]

I wouldn’t worry about the author getting carried away to much. Ben and Thon have the talent to make a impact in the NBA in the future.
I only first heard his name a couple months ago. It is intriguing that Calipari is after him if the rumours are in fact true.

[Rip255]

LOL, the first paragraph of that article had me seriously doubting the writers credibility when it comes to the talent level of this so called prospect. 

[he_gets_bucketsParticipant]

 "New Zealand has one that trumps them all"

He is no where near the prospect Ben was at the same age or is now

 

[festar35Participant]

I coach a High School team in NZ and am off to Nationals (top 24 teams in the country, tournament) and first team up for us is Rangitoto which is Tai Wynard’s school.

Personally have no idea who he is but the boys keep talking about him. It potentially isnt a game we will win, but will do some sort of analyst on him. You have me officially intrigued.

[NZcoachParticipant]

 Which school do you coach man? I will be at nationals every day seeing the talent. Tai is solid, have seen him the past year or two. Not massivly athletic but has a beastly body for his age, boxes out hard and sets solid screens, and has soft hands and nice in the post.

[festar35Participant]

I am coaching Onslow College, am the assistant coach who does all the coaching haha.

[NZcoachParticipant]

 Haha nice good on you man, nice to see you guys coming up for it, Ill make sure to watch a game or two.

[NZcoachParticipant]

 Haha nice good on you man, nice to see you guys coming up for it, Ill make sure to watch a game or two.

[NZcoachParticipant]

Hey man know your game is like tomorrow haha but found this on youtube. Its Westlake vs Rangitoto this year, probably only a couple of weeks ago. Thought you might like to check it out before playing them. Tai Wynard is starting in this video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nv0cMDWfJDk

[NZcoachParticipant]

Hey man know your game is like tomorrow haha but found this on youtube. Its Westlake vs Rangitoto this year, probably only a couple of weeks ago. Thought you might like to check it out before playing them. Tai Wynard is starting in this video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nv0cMDWfJDk

[tblazer_NZParticipant]

He has an awkward run similar to LaMarcus Aldridge.

[tblazer_NZParticipant]

He has an awkward run similar to LaMarcus Aldridge.

[festar35Participant]

This will help I feel, they have no idea what we look like.

Given me a couple of plans to throw at them, unfortunately we don’t quite have the height to match their bigs.

Fortunately I am at work and it is quiet so far so can watch it.

[festar35Participant]

This will help I feel, they have no idea what we look like.

Given me a couple of plans to throw at them, unfortunately we don’t quite have the height to match their bigs.

Fortunately I am at work and it is quiet so far so can watch it.

[tblazer_NZParticipant]

Looking at the results from today I see that your team was heavily out matched. Hope the fest of your tournament goes well.

[tblazer_NZParticipant]

Looking at the results from today I see that your team was heavily out matched. Hope the fest of your tournament goes well.

[festar35Participant]

I am coaching Onslow College, am the assistant coach who does all the coaching haha.

[NZcoachParticipant]

 Which school do you coach man? I will be at nationals every day seeing the talent. Tai is solid, have seen him the past year or two. Not massivly athletic but has a beastly body for his age, boxes out hard and sets solid screens, and has soft hands and nice in the post.

[festar35Participant]

I coach a High School team in NZ and am off to Nationals (top 24 teams in the country, tournament) and first team up for us is Rangitoto which is Tai Wynard’s school.

Personally have no idea who he is but the boys keep talking about him. It potentially isnt a game we will win, but will do some sort of analyst on him. You have me officially intrigued.

[Rip255]

I would go so far as to say NZ basketball has very little potential to be a source of NBA-calibre players.

The country has a population of 5m, so the base to start with is tiny. Similar to Lithuania you might say? But that is a country that absolutely loves basketball. Unfortunately that same passion is only shared for Rugby in NZ, therefore even Lithuanian type success is out of reach. 

At least Australia has institutions like the Australian Institute of Sport where kids with talent can grow. There is no way for Kiwi kids to develop like they can in other countries. 

This explains why the most skilful players that have come from NZ are guys like Kirk Penny, Thomas Abercrombie and Mika Vukona. For those that don’t know them, they’re absolute scrubs.

I’ll eat my words the minute a skilled kiwi baller comes along that can do anything more than play an "Enforcer" role. I call them Grunts. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Rip255]

I would go so far as to say NZ basketball has very little potential to be a source of NBA-calibre players.

The country has a population of 5m, so the base to start with is tiny. Similar to Lithuania you might say? But that is a country that absolutely loves basketball. Unfortunately that same passion is only shared for Rugby in NZ, therefore even Lithuanian type success is out of reach. 

At least Australia has institutions like the Australian Institute of Sport where kids with talent can grow. There is no way for Kiwi kids to develop like they can in other countries. 

This explains why the most skilful players that have come from NZ are guys like Kirk Penny, Thomas Abercrombie and Mika Vukona. For those that don’t know them, they’re absolute scrubs.

I’ll eat my words the minute a skilled kiwi baller comes along that can do anything more than play an "Enforcer" role. I call them Grunts. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[festar35Participant]

Not to bring race into it, but we have a lot of Maori and Pacific Islanders in NZ who have great natural/genetic abilities much like African Americans in USA.

NZ is slowly getting more involved in basketball a lot people of those backgrounds and ethnicities are picking up the game more and more. We have a lot of natural talent and what will determine the ability to produce prospects will come down to coaching and exposure to top competition.

I do not think we will be able to role through the rate that Australia will, but I can honestly see a solid prospect 1 in every 5 years being a real possibility.

[TallmanNYCParticipant]

Well, that brought race into it.  

[TallmanNYCParticipant]

Well, that brought race into it.  

[festar35Participant]

Not to bring race into it, but we have a lot of Maori and Pacific Islanders in NZ who have great natural/genetic abilities much like African Americans in USA.

NZ is slowly getting more involved in basketball a lot people of those backgrounds and ethnicities are picking up the game more and more. We have a lot of natural talent and what will determine the ability to produce prospects will come down to coaching and exposure to top competition.

I do not think we will be able to role through the rate that Australia will, but I can honestly see a solid prospect 1 in every 5 years being a real possibility.

[tblazer_NZParticipant]

Yeah you’re right.

New Zealand players start off behind the eight ball compared to our Australian counterparts.
College ball in the US is there only hope of finding true international success.

I mean how can they have any success in NZ when the National team only had 200k of funding this year and only due to the world cup. Last year they had no funding from the NZ Government.

[tblazer_NZParticipant]

Yeah you’re right.

New Zealand players start off behind the eight ball compared to our Australian counterparts.
College ball in the US is there only hope of finding true international success.

I mean how can they have any success in NZ when the National team only had 200k of funding this year and only due to the world cup. Last year they had no funding from the NZ Government.

[Andrew1984Participant]

New Zealand’s top export = Jemaine and Bret

[Andrew1984Participant]

New Zealand’s top export = Jemaine and Bret

[TallmanNYCParticipant]

So they couldn’t find better highlights of that kid? I think there was one layup in the whole mix.

He does seem pretty tall. And that he won’t be all that skinny once he fills out. But wow there wasn’t really much to see on that video tape beyond the size. I guess his parent’s being lumberjacks implies that he is going to be pretty strong when he gets older. (See how I’ve brought genetics into the mix again.). 

[TallmanNYCParticipant]

So they couldn’t find better highlights of that kid? I think there was one layup in the whole mix.

He does seem pretty tall. And that he won’t be all that skinny once he fills out. But wow there wasn’t really much to see on that video tape beyond the size. I guess his parent’s being lumberjacks implies that he is going to be pretty strong when he gets older. (See how I’ve brought genetics into the mix again.). 

[tblazer_NZParticipant]

That video is quite old I think.

I’ve found some a youtube video from friday of a pre-season ANBL game from friday where he scored 12 points off the bench on 5/6 FG with 9 rebound in 15 mins. He is playing for the Breakers on a development contract which preserves his eligibility to play College ball in the US.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mq0J3vNG3sY&list=PLy1q90ZHzi1oE8OF060SKSOE-W0C0_6YV#t=35

It try to find out the part of the game he played as the video is 2 1/2 hours long.

[tblazer_NZParticipant]

That video is quite old I think.

I’ve found some a youtube video from friday of a pre-season ANBL game from friday where he scored 12 points off the bench on 5/6 FG with 9 rebound in 15 mins. He is playing for the Breakers on a development contract which preserves his eligibility to play College ball in the US.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mq0J3vNG3sY&list=PLy1q90ZHzi1oE8OF060SKSOE-W0C0_6YV#t=35

It try to find out the part of the game he played as the video is 2 1/2 hours long.

[tblazer_NZParticipant]

He comes into the game 48:20 until 1:01:29, then in from 1:14:46 until 1:19:31, then in from 1:48:10 until 2:10:00

[tblazer_NZParticipant]

He comes into the game 48:20 until 1:01:29, then in from 1:14:46 until 1:19:31, then in from 1:48:10 until 2:10:00

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

 

Hawaii Basketball – Tai Wynyard, Potential Recruit In New Zealand from Warrior Insider on Vimeo.

When you hear about an athletic, 16-year old who has some basketball ability, it is easy to be excited. Remember, [Player: Steven Adams] blew up at Nations before most people on here even knew [Player: Ben Simmons] existed. Thought it was cool they linked to [Player: Tai Wynyard]‘s NBADraft.net profile I made, which had information and a link to the video I posted above (that I am guessing people probably did not watch before making comments). Obviously the "trumps them all" thing is a bit much, though why focus on that rather than learn about the player?

Heard about Tai during the Jordan Brand International game, seems like a guy to monitor. Hard not to see possible similarities to Adams, though he appears to have more girth than Adams did at a similar age without quite as much bounce. Even so, looks like he is doing pretty darn well. [Player: Isaac Fotu] (Hawaii) and [Player: Tai Webster] (Nebraska) are both under 21 currently, played nice roles for the New Zealand World Cup team. For as many "Grunts" were on the team, they certainly seemed to put a scare into a few teams.

I have heard good things about [Player: Jack Salt], who will be a freshman at Virginia this year. Also heard [Player: Matt Freeman] had a nice adidas Nations. New Zealand might not be in medal contention any time too soon, though there certainly appears to be room for optimism. Think it is hilarious how many defensive posts there were rather than ones saying anything about Wynyard as a potential prospect or about his story.

Certainly, Australia has numerous excellent prospects and the guy might have gone a bit overboard. Still, Wynyard looks like he could be tough. His parents were freaking woodchoppers, which I found awesome. Dude looks like a tank. It is awesome whenever  country has a prospect as young as Wynyard doing something against grown men and not looking out of place. Will be a prospect I keep an eye on, thanks for posting the article OP!

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

 

Hawaii Basketball – Tai Wynyard, Potential Recruit In New Zealand from Warrior Insider on Vimeo.

When you hear about an athletic, 16-year old who has some basketball ability, it is easy to be excited. Remember, [Player: Steven Adams] blew up at Nations before most people on here even knew [Player: Ben Simmons] existed. Thought it was cool they linked to [Player: Tai Wynyard]‘s NBADraft.net profile I made, which had information and a link to the video I posted above (that I am guessing people probably did not watch before making comments). Obviously the "trumps them all" thing is a bit much, though why focus on that rather than learn about the player?

Heard about Tai during the Jordan Brand International game, seems like a guy to monitor. Hard not to see possible similarities to Adams, though he appears to have more girth than Adams did at a similar age without quite as much bounce. Even so, looks like he is doing pretty darn well. [Player: Isaac Fotu] (Hawaii) and [Player: Tai Webster] (Nebraska) are both under 21 currently, played nice roles for the New Zealand World Cup team. For as many "Grunts" were on the team, they certainly seemed to put a scare into a few teams.

I have heard good things about [Player: Jack Salt], who will be a freshman at Virginia this year. Also heard [Player: Matt Freeman] had a nice adidas Nations. New Zealand might not be in medal contention any time too soon, though there certainly appears to be room for optimism. Think it is hilarious how many defensive posts there were rather than ones saying anything about Wynyard as a potential prospect or about his story.

Certainly, Australia has numerous excellent prospects and the guy might have gone a bit overboard. Still, Wynyard looks like he could be tough. His parents were freaking woodchoppers, which I found awesome. Dude looks like a tank. It is awesome whenever  country has a prospect as young as Wynyard doing something against grown men and not looking out of place. Will be a prospect I keep an eye on, thanks for posting the article OP!

[NZcoachParticipant]

 Just thought I would comment on the guys you mentioned mate since I have seen pretty much all of them play a few times in person. I live and coach in Palmerston North which is where NZ holds its nationals so if you are a top level player, you will show up at that tournment 99percent of the time. Not all the time though because Steven Adams never came haha, he could have dominated anyone in his age level but he was apparently too nice on his highschool team and just passed the ball around heaps and had fun. 

However, Tai Wynyard is definatly a good prospect. His body at 16 is very solid and strong, its a lot more impressive in person than in those videos where he looks smaller than he actually is. He is a beast boxing out for rebounds, I didn’t see anyone that he put his body on get a rebound off him apart from a couple of freak bounces that went over his head. Soft hands finishing and can finish with either hand very well, soft jump hooks. Not an athletic beast but moves well for his size. Also for his lack of jump he has good timing on his blocks. He hasnt been the focal point on his team though, even coming off the bench last year.

Isaac Fotu. This guy plays at my church tournement so I have seen him at nationals and chatted to him once. Hes a chilled guy and quite quiet, but everyone always says he’s sad as because at our church tourney he plays in his family’s team in mixed grade so he is running around blocking girls and dunking on 16yr olds haha. But he has way better handles than he gets to show, is slimmer than he looks on tv aswell. His outside shot is a bit shakey but it looks like he has put in work on it. He is also faster than he gets to show in alot of situations, but has a very natural feel for scoring. Also saw him hitting a buzzer beating 3 for the win in one game at nationals. 

Tai Webster. When I saw him at nationals he definatly came across as quite cocky, got good bounce and is quick but had trouble with his shot and finishing over really tall people. But it definatly seems like he has worked on both those things. Not a pure point guard in any way though, seems to always be looking for his own. But definatly a good prospect for NZ to have coming up.

Jack Salt. Seemed a bit overrated to me. Struggled to score when someone more solid pushed him around a bit and his shot looked like a whip. Not a high arc on it. Rebounded ok but that mainly seemed like that was because he was simply so much taller than his competition. Not afraid of contact though. Putting on a bit more weight and getting more strength should help him finish a lot better. However it seems like he needs to work on his body control as there were lots of blocks he could have got that he just couldnt move his body quick enough or coordinately enough to get to. Well needed height for NZ though. Got into it with Tohi Smith-Milner in the semifinals though and looked frustrated with how Tohi used his bigger body and better hops to get after Jack.

Matt Freeman. Definatly impressed me playing in the same team as Jack Salt. Played the 3 very well with a nice outside shot and athleticism, played the 4 well too when the starting 4 wasnt there or subbed out. Will be intreseting to see how he goes as more of the focal point on his team now and by the looks of it has switched to the fulltime 4. 

So with those boys coming up, and the other ones that still have not had as much publicity, NZ has a brighter future than it did a couple of years ago, but still has a way to go before really matching up with the basketball superpowers. It will be very intresting to see how some of these guys go in a weeks time at nationals and if anyone has any other players that they want me to look at or anything just let me know.

 

 

 

 

 

[NZcoachParticipant]

 Just thought I would comment on the guys you mentioned mate since I have seen pretty much all of them play a few times in person. I live and coach in Palmerston North which is where NZ holds its nationals so if you are a top level player, you will show up at that tournment 99percent of the time. Not all the time though because Steven Adams never came haha, he could have dominated anyone in his age level but he was apparently too nice on his highschool team and just passed the ball around heaps and had fun. 

However, Tai Wynyard is definatly a good prospect. His body at 16 is very solid and strong, its a lot more impressive in person than in those videos where he looks smaller than he actually is. He is a beast boxing out for rebounds, I didn’t see anyone that he put his body on get a rebound off him apart from a couple of freak bounces that went over his head. Soft hands finishing and can finish with either hand very well, soft jump hooks. Not an athletic beast but moves well for his size. Also for his lack of jump he has good timing on his blocks. He hasnt been the focal point on his team though, even coming off the bench last year.

Isaac Fotu. This guy plays at my church tournement so I have seen him at nationals and chatted to him once. Hes a chilled guy and quite quiet, but everyone always says he’s sad as because at our church tourney he plays in his family’s team in mixed grade so he is running around blocking girls and dunking on 16yr olds haha. But he has way better handles than he gets to show, is slimmer than he looks on tv aswell. His outside shot is a bit shakey but it looks like he has put in work on it. He is also faster than he gets to show in alot of situations, but has a very natural feel for scoring. Also saw him hitting a buzzer beating 3 for the win in one game at nationals. 

Tai Webster. When I saw him at nationals he definatly came across as quite cocky, got good bounce and is quick but had trouble with his shot and finishing over really tall people. But it definatly seems like he has worked on both those things. Not a pure point guard in any way though, seems to always be looking for his own. But definatly a good prospect for NZ to have coming up.

Jack Salt. Seemed a bit overrated to me. Struggled to score when someone more solid pushed him around a bit and his shot looked like a whip. Not a high arc on it. Rebounded ok but that mainly seemed like that was because he was simply so much taller than his competition. Not afraid of contact though. Putting on a bit more weight and getting more strength should help him finish a lot better. However it seems like he needs to work on his body control as there were lots of blocks he could have got that he just couldnt move his body quick enough or coordinately enough to get to. Well needed height for NZ though. Got into it with Tohi Smith-Milner in the semifinals though and looked frustrated with how Tohi used his bigger body and better hops to get after Jack.

Matt Freeman. Definatly impressed me playing in the same team as Jack Salt. Played the 3 very well with a nice outside shot and athleticism, played the 4 well too when the starting 4 wasnt there or subbed out. Will be intreseting to see how he goes as more of the focal point on his team now and by the looks of it has switched to the fulltime 4. 

So with those boys coming up, and the other ones that still have not had as much publicity, NZ has a brighter future than it did a couple of years ago, but still has a way to go before really matching up with the basketball superpowers. It will be very intresting to see how some of these guys go in a weeks time at nationals and if anyone has any other players that they want me to look at or anything just let me know.

 

 

 

 

 

[Kinguy11Participant]

 Being NZ, the media doesn’t focus on our basketball prospects that much, so – even though I’m a Kiwi – I’ve learnt quite a bit from this thread.  Doesn’t mean I still don’t have some opinions about those guys from my limited portion of watching them.

Isaac Fotu seems like the Tall Blacks future starting PF from what I saw at the FIBA World’s.  He also shot 40% from beyond the arc that tournament, so he’s a guy who can stretch the floor as well.

Tai Webster had a disapointing first season in the NCAA, I think he needs to step it up this year, while trying to develop his PG skills.

I’ve never heard Salt be called overrated before, I hope he isn’t because, as you pointed out, we need the height.

Do you think Matt Freeman could play SF at the next level?  We have several PF and C prospects coming through so it would good for him to spread the talent to different positions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Kinguy11Participant]

 Being NZ, the media doesn’t focus on our basketball prospects that much, so – even though I’m a Kiwi – I’ve learnt quite a bit from this thread.  Doesn’t mean I still don’t have some opinions about those guys from my limited portion of watching them.

Isaac Fotu seems like the Tall Blacks future starting PF from what I saw at the FIBA World’s.  He also shot 40% from beyond the arc that tournament, so he’s a guy who can stretch the floor as well.

Tai Webster had a disapointing first season in the NCAA, I think he needs to step it up this year, while trying to develop his PG skills.

I’ve never heard Salt be called overrated before, I hope he isn’t because, as you pointed out, we need the height.

Do you think Matt Freeman could play SF at the next level?  We have several PF and C prospects coming through so it would good for him to spread the talent to different positions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[NZcoachParticipant]

 Fotu definatly seems like a lock to start for the Tall Blacks unless another talented youngster comes up and pushes him out. Would even say he can play the 3 against bigger teams as he moves very well. 

When I say that Salt is overrated, I mean only in NZ haha. We jump on him a bit too much because he is that tall but when I saw him at nationals last year he just didnt dominate like he should have. Rob Loe was more dominant than Salt was at nationals. But I am really hoping that he puts in some work and proves something. Still underrated outside of NZ though.

I really hope he can play SF at the next level, because I totally agree that the wing spots are where we lack depth. Just going off what I saw last year, I would say yes, but from the looks of him in recent videos he looks like he has become alot more set at playing the 4. Apparently he is around 6’10 now and he looks like he has added good weight, so not a bad prospect at the 4, but yes as you said we are stronger at the C and PF positions with our youngsters. But I will definatly watch him next week and let you know. Also on his Westlake team (his highschool team) they have another SF that was at nations with him so it will be intresting to see how well he plays.

 

 

[NZcoachParticipant]

 Fotu definatly seems like a lock to start for the Tall Blacks unless another talented youngster comes up and pushes him out. Would even say he can play the 3 against bigger teams as he moves very well. 

When I say that Salt is overrated, I mean only in NZ haha. We jump on him a bit too much because he is that tall but when I saw him at nationals last year he just didnt dominate like he should have. Rob Loe was more dominant than Salt was at nationals. But I am really hoping that he puts in some work and proves something. Still underrated outside of NZ though.

I really hope he can play SF at the next level, because I totally agree that the wing spots are where we lack depth. Just going off what I saw last year, I would say yes, but from the looks of him in recent videos he looks like he has become alot more set at playing the 4. Apparently he is around 6’10 now and he looks like he has added good weight, so not a bad prospect at the 4, but yes as you said we are stronger at the C and PF positions with our youngsters. But I will definatly watch him next week and let you know. Also on his Westlake team (his highschool team) they have another SF that was at nations with him so it will be intresting to see how well he plays.

 

 

[tblazer_NZParticipant]

Here is some video of Matt Freeman and the NZ U18 team in a game from April this year.

http://vimeo.com/96271365

I believe he can play some 3 for our national team in the future.

[tblazer_NZParticipant]

Here is some video of Matt Freeman and the NZ U18 team in a game from April this year.

http://vimeo.com/96271365

I believe he can play some 3 for our national team in the future.

[tblazer_NZParticipant]

Some more information about Tai Wynyard.

http://nzhoops.co.nz/tai-wynyard-real-deal/

[tblazer_NZParticipant]

Some more information about Tai Wynyard.

http://nzhoops.co.nz/tai-wynyard-real-deal/

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