With the Sal鈥檚 NBL about to enter its fourth round of action tonight, it鈥檚 been hard not to notice an infusion of talented young Kiwis into the league this year.
The Sal鈥檚 NBL season has seen 10 players from last year鈥檚 U16 Men鈥檚 National Team suiting up across six different teams 鈥� with all these players in firm contention for the FIBA U17 Men鈥檚 team heading to Turkey in June for the FIBA U17 World Cup.
The group includes a trio of youngsters signed to the Auckland Tuatara in Jameer Reed, Hunter Te Ratana and Gus Dallow, while guards James Matthews and Hayden Jones are both suiting up for the Nelson Giants.
Meanwhile Jackson Ball is seeing quality minutes with the Hawke鈥檚 Bay Hawks and Lachlan Crate is in his second season with the Manawatu Jets; Troy Plumtree is producing solid numbers with the Wellington Saints, while the Canterbury Rams have signed a pair of youngsters in Mana Martin and Ihaka Cate.
Two other young athletes 鈥� Jackson Kiss with the Tuatara and Dov Silberstein with the Jets 鈥� are also on the U17 national team radar, with both players attending the U17 National team selection camp in Auckland over the weekend.
鈥楰ey learning opportunity鈥� for young athletes
The benefits for both team and athletes are obvious. For the players, it鈥檚 a chance to train and play against older and more experienced players on the court, while helping build positive team habits that come with being in a professional team environment. For Kiwi athletes looking to pursue a college career in the United States, it also allows them to build up their basketball portfolio to help garner interest from US recruiters.
U17 Men鈥檚 National team coach, Leyton Haddleton says that the connection between age group national teams and Sal鈥檚 NBL teams is important for the growth of this next generation of Kiwi talent.
鈥淥ur age group athletes are spread all across the league, so they鈥檙e obviously good enough to play in the NBL. Their performance in last year鈥檚 [U16 Asian Champs] squad has helped to put them on the radar of these professional teams,鈥� says Haddleton.
鈥淗aving our athletes currently being coached by NBL-level coaches, playing against NBL-level talent who are physically bigger, stronger and more experienced, will help their ability to learn and play the game at a higher level. It can only improve their skills and their preparation for the upcoming U17 World Cup.
鈥淚f you look at the Tuatara as an example, they have experienced Tall Blacks like Rob Loe and Reuben Te Rangi on board – so getting players like Jameer, Hunter, Jackson and Gus all playing and training alongside them is invaluable. The Tuatara have done a great job with their young players in the past; just look at Tom Beattie, Dontae Russo-Nance and Charlie Dalton. They鈥檝e always had trust in their young guys.鈥�
Benefits for Sal鈥檚 NBL teams
For the teams, the athletes provide able bodies for both training and Rapid League games, and a chance to build an early relationship with a player who one day could develop into a core part of their squad. It鈥檚 also an opportunity for veterans to be able to pass on their basketball knowledge to young guns beginning their pro careers.
Auckland Tuatara head coach, Aaron Young says that having young athletes in the squad benefits the team as a whole.
鈥淭his season with the introduction of Rapid League [into Sal鈥檚 NBL], it鈥檚 really given us a boost to the importance of the development side of things 鈥� it鈥檚 always been a major focal point for us, but even more so this season,鈥� says Young.
鈥淚t鈥檚 important for us to value their contribution to our team, there鈥檚 a lot of constant learning going on across our wider group. That鈥檚 been really cool and I鈥檝e enjoyed watching that 鈥� we鈥檝e got a good group of young guys in the team, and the fact they鈥檙e all involved at national team age group level shows they鈥檙e capable of contributing to this squad.
鈥淎nd there鈥檚 a genuine responsibility that I鈥檝e felt from our older players, they have this mindset of 鈥榟ow can we help these young guys improve鈥�; it鈥檚 been great to see our starters going to Rapid League games to cheer on the boys from the sidelines. It means the world to these young guys who are still finding their feet; having that kind of support is massive.鈥�
On-court Performances
While some of these athletes are seeing the bulk of their on-court action in the Rapid League to date, several athletes are already earning solid minutes in the main competition and playing a role in their team鈥檚 success.
Let鈥檚 look at some of the top performers from this group so far:
Troy Plumtree, Wellington Saints
17-year-old Plumtree has impressed in two games for the Saints this season; averaging 7ppg, 4.5rpg and 1 steal per game in 21.7 minutes of action. Troy scored a season-high 9 points and 5 rebounds against the Auckland Tuatara in the Saint鈥檚 110-80 win on opening night.
Hayden Jones, Nelson Giants
17-year-old Jones has played in four games for the Giants this season, including one start. In 17 minutes of action, Hayden is averaging 3ppg, 1rpg and 1 block per game. Against the Auckland Tuatara on 12 April, he scored a season-high 6 points – including 4-4 free throws – in 10 minutes of action.
Jackson Ball, Hawke鈥檚 Bay Hawks
16-year-old Ball has suited up for three games off the bench for the Hawks this season, averaging 3.3ppg on 40% shooting – in only 12 minutes of action. On opening night versus Whai, Jackson scored 6 points on 3-4 shooting from the field.
Lachlan Crate, Manawatu Jets
17-year-old Crate has seen the most action out of this group, averaging 16.3mpg over five contests with the Jets. In his second season with the Jets, Lachlan currently averages 3.3ppg and 2.2rpg – including a 6 point, 3 rebound outing against the Franklin Bulls on Sunday.
U17 Men鈥檚 National Team 鈥� Selection Camp Athletes in Sal鈥檚 NBL
Jackson Ball, Hawke鈥檚 Bay Hawks
Ihaka Cate, Canterbury Rams
Lachlan Crate, Manawatu Jets
Gus Dallow, Auckland Tuatara
Hayden Jones, Nelson Giants
Jackson Kiss, Auckland Tuatara
Mana Martin, Canterbury Rams
James Matthews, Nelson Giants
Troy Plumtree, Wellington Saints
Jameer Reed, Auckland Tuatara
Dov Silberstein, Manawatu Jets
Hunter Te Ratana, Auckland Tuatara
