Four young Franklin Bulls basketballers have put themselves in Tall Blacks consideration after impressive campaigns in the Sal’s New Zealand Basketball League.
The Bulls turned heads with some terrific play during their maiden regular season in the NBL before fading in the playoffs.
Among those to stand out were guard Isaac Davidson, forward Dom Kelman-Poto, guard Nikau McCullough and forward Joel Vaiangina, who all had their names submitted to the NZOC for possible inclusion in future Commonwealth and Olympic Games teams.
“The Sal’s NBL has been a great opportunity to gauge our depth of talent and to discover new players that we might not have had on our radar previously,” said Tall Blacks coach Pero Cameron.
“Without question, players have had more opportunities given there are no imports in this league. That means more minutes, more shots, and more decisions being placed in the hands of New Zealanders who might otherwise have been watching from the bench or on the fringe of a play drawn up for an import.
“I have especially enjoyed the chance to see a few of the players that have been away in the US at University. I’ve been impressed with their ability, and increased maturity and understanding of the game. To see some of those guys after three or four years of being away has been great and has certainly added to some selection conversations for when we next have the Tall Blacks together.”
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