HAVING finished inside the bottom two last season, the Manawatu Jets are out for a more competitive 2022 New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL). The Jets have assembled a 12-man roster for the upcoming year, and will again be looking to punch above their weight with plenty of fresh faces in the team.
KEY CHANGES:
FRESH FACES: Pafe Momoisea, Klein Salmon, Nathaniel Salmon, Benjamon Robertson, Jacob Collis, Tama Faamausili, Tyrone McLennan
KEY DEPARTURES: Daishon Knight, DeAndre Daniels, Jayden Bezzant, Nikau McCullough, Jake McKinlay
All bar one player from their top scoring side remains on the list, with Shane Temara (16.4 points, 8.6 rebounds) being the standout 2021 player still in the green. They have lost the likes of Daishon Knight (23.5 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.2 assists) who was the star last season, as well as DeAndre Daniels, Jayden Bezzant, Nikau McCullough and Jake McKinlay, who were the players to average six points or more in the NZNBL. After Temara, the highest point-scorer left on the list from last season is Tukaha Cooper (2.1).
Having the list stripped back means there are chances for new players to step up and show their wares at NZNBL level. The likes of Isaac Morrison and Jack Henry also return for the Jets, whilst Pafe Momoisea (Otago Nuggets) and Tyronne McLennan (Franklin Bulls) have crossed from other teams. Rising star Nathaniel Salmon is a Junior Tall Black and a power forward to watch this season, teaming up with his brother Klein in 2022. Lukah Richards, Jacob Collis, Ben Robertson and Tama Faamausili are all young talents 23 and under earmarked as ones to watch for future years.
2022 MANAWATU JETS ROSTER:
Shane Temara
Pafe Momoisea
Tukaha Cooper
Klein Salmon
Nathaniel Salmon
Benjamon Robertson
Isaac Morrison
Jack Henry
Jacob Collis
Lukah Richards
Tama Faamausili
Tyrone McLennan
KEY TO SUCCESS
It is no doubt that new coach Natu Taufale – who has taken over the Jets reigns from Tim McTamney – has a tough job ahead. With just one established star on the team in Temara, Taufale will go about looking to raise the profile of the Jets through the young and emerging talent. On the Jets website, Taufale said it was about first and foremost being competitive, but also building a sustainable model over the next few years. That is exactly what he has the capacity to do seeing as it is not a contending list.
The most exciting aspect for fans will be seeing the younger players develop, and which ones will rise their stocks, and begin building the foundations for the future. With so many young players, the likes of the Salmon bothers and Momoisea will have court time, and names such as Collis and Faamausili will be potential names to remember for the future.
2022 SCHEDULE
R1 vs. Airs
R2 vs. Sharks
R3 vs. Rams
R4 vs. Nuggets
R5 @ Saints
R6 @ Bulls | @ Tuatara
R7 vs. Tuatara
R8 @ Rams | @ Sharks
R9 @ Jets
R10 vs. Hawks
R11 vs. Bulls | @ Giants
R12 vs. Giants | @ Nuggets
R13 vs. Saints
R14 @ Hawks
R15 –
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