A New Zealand Tall Ferns extended squad of 24 players has been named by Head Coach Guy Molloy ahead of the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup in Bengaluru, India (24-29 September) with no fewer than seven current or former Harbour players in the lineup.

17 year-old Emme Shearer is the bolter in the squad. Emme, in her final year at Westlake Girls High School, had a fine rookie season for Harbour Breeze in the Women’s Basketball Championship (WBC) averaging 9.2 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. Emme is not long returned from Malaysia where she played on the New Zealand team at the FIBA U18 3x3 Asia Cup.

Four of Emme’s Harbour Breeze teammates have also been named in the squad – Penina Davidson, Ella Fotu, Matangiroa Flavell and Ashleigh Kelman-Poto.

Ella, Matangiroa and Penina Davidson were part of the Tall Ferns team that finished second at the William Jones Cup in Taiwan a couple of months ago – Ella and Matangiroa both debuted on that tour.

Penina recently left for Melbourne where she will play for Tall Ferns Head Coach and Melbourne Boomers Head Coach Guy Molloy in the upcoming Australian Women’s Basketball League. There will be a strong Kiwi contingent at the Boomers with Toni Farnworth, Stella Beck and Kalani Purcell also on the roster.

Australian based players Micaela Cocks and Brooke Blair take the Harbour contingent to seven- by far the strongest representation from one association in the squad od 24. 

Molloy is delighted with depth and potential of his squad.

“The past 18 months, during and since the 2018 Commonwealth Games, have been really exciting in the sense that we have been able to expose a large number of players to international basketball. 

“It’s an exciting time as we look forward to the Asia Cup and then the Olympic Qualifiers,” Molloy added.

Molloy will trim his squad to twelve players ahead of a training camp in Melbourne that precedes the Asia Cup.

The full squad is:

1. Stella Beck (Melbourne Boomers)
2. Jacinta Beckley (Sunbury Jets)
3. Brooke Blair (Rockhampton Cyclones)
4. Tessa Boagni (Alloyfold Canterbury Wildcats)
5. Jessica Bygate (Waverley Falcons)
6. Micaela Cocks (Townsville Fire)
7. Penina Davidson (Melbourne Boomers/Harbour Breeze)
8. Toni Farnworth (Melbourne Boomers)
9. Matangiroa Flavell (Harbour Breeze)
10. Ella Fotu (Harbour Breeze)
11. Mary Goulding (IK EOS Lund, Sweden)
12. Jillian Harmon (Famila Schio, Italy)
13. Jordan Hunter (Auckland Dream)
14. Ashleigh Karaitiana (Southern District Spartans, Australia)
15. Ashleigh Kelman-Poto (Harbour Breeze/Gladstone Port City Power)
16. Charlisse Leger-Walker (Waikato Wizards/St Peter’s School, Cambridge)
17. Esra McGoldrick (McAlpines M10 Mega North Canterbury Spirit)
18. Chevannah Paalvast (Sunshine Coast Rip, Australia)
19. Kalani Purcell (Melbourne Boomers/Auckland Dream)
20. Nicole Ruske (AM I FIT Otago Gold Rush)
21. Emilia Shearer (Harbour Breeze/Westlake Girls High School)
22. Josie Stockill (Sunbury Jets)
23. Natalie  Taylor (Auckland Dream/Southern District Spartans, Australia)
24. Amy West (McAlpines M10 Mega North Canterbury Spirit / St Mary’s College, USA)