The Franklin Bulls, Hawke's Bay Hawks, Wellington Saints, Otago Nuggets and Taranaki Airs have made late big-name signings ahead of the National Basketball League (NBL) season.
Tall Blacks forward Reuben Te Rangi has switched sides in the 'Battle in the North', going from the Auckland Tuatara to the Bulls, while the Hawks have dipped into the import pool for two Australians from the Illawarra Hawks.
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It will be a South Auckland homecoming for Te Rangi, 30, who grew up in Manurewa, and played his early association basketball for Counties Manukau.
"Signing Reuben is more than just adding a star player to our roster, it’s about inspiring our community and elevating the game in South Auckland and Franklin. I'm so excited we got his done," said Bulls GM Jamie Reddish.
The 6-foot-7 forward averaged 12.0 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists, while shooting 44 percent from the field, in 19 games for the Tuatara in 2024.
Te Rangi, who just finished up with the Tasmania JackJumpers in the Australian NBL, offers extensive experience, with more than a decade in the NBL and ANBL.
He has previously played for the Harbour Heat, Southland Sharks, Super City Rangers, Wellington Saints, Canterbury Rams and Tuatara in NBL basketball, and the NZ Breakers, Brisbane Bullets, South East Melbourne Phoenix and JackJumpers in the ANBL.
The three-time NBL champion and 71-game Tall Black will form a dangerous starting five at The Stockyard with Tall Blacks Flynn Cameron and Ethan Rusbatch, and imports, American Tae Hardy and German Till Gloger.
The Hawks will add Dan Grida and Wani Swaka Lo Buluk in the coming weeks to a roster that already won the season-opener on Wednesday night.
Grida, a 6-foot-8 forward, spent last season with the Nelson Giants, averaging 22.0 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.4 steals, while shooting 47 percent, in 21 games.
Only 23, Swaka Lo Buluk, a 6-foot-6 forward has seven years in the ANBL with the Perth Wildcats and Hawks, with 2025 his NBL debut.
Both are currently involved in the best-of-five ANBL Finals Series against Melbourne United, featuring Kiwis Cameron, Shea Ili and Rob Loe.
The Saints and Taranaki Airs also signed their third imports, while the Otago Nuggets added their second in the past week.
The 12-time champion Saints went across the Tasman again, picking up Sydney Kings guard Shaun Bruce to join compatriot Nick Marshall, American Nick Muszynski and the Tall Blacks core of Izayah Le’afa, Ili and Hyrum Harris.
Bruce, a 34-year-old 6-foot-4 guard, is returning to the Wellington, having previously played in all 20 games of the Saints’ runner-up 2018 season.
When the Airs lost Australian Angus Glover to an overseas contract last week, they went to a familiar name for his replacement.
Harry Froling, a 6-foot-11 center and the brother of the Airs’ standout import last season, Sam Froling, will head to New Plymouth, joining imports Owen Foxwell and Armon Fletcher, and Carlin Davison.
Froling, 26, played four NBL games for the ill-fated Southern Huskies in 2019, and has played parts of five seasons in the ANBL, the last with the Bullets in 2022-23.
The Nuggets' new import Donald Carey is coming off two seasons with the Maine Celtics, the Boston Celtics' G-League affiliate, where 6-foot-5 guard averaged around 11 minutes a game off the bench.
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Auckland Tuatara
Rob Loe, Tom Vodanovich, Dan Fotu, Dylan Wilkie, Josh Wyllie, Charles Pride*, Will 'Davo' Hickey*, Buay Tuach*, Cooper Te Ratana, Nick Barrow, Chris McIntosh, Josh Leger, Matthew Dalton, Chris Wyllie, Bart Jackowski, KC Ioane, Noa Latu, Noah Rasmussen
Indian Panthers
Lokendra Singh, Jaideep Rathore, Alex Robinson Jr*, Riyanshu Negi, Vaisakh Manoj, Aaron Verghese Blessen
Franklin Bulls
Ethan Rusbatch, Halasiale Maile, Tobias Cameron, KC Nwafor, Corey Perry, Harrison Coker-Grey, Brody Perry, Payton Hughes, Harrison Kelso, Zion Anderson, Flynn Cameron, Tae Hardy*, Till Gloger*, Reuben Te Rangi, Christian Vano
Tauranga Whai
Jayden Bezzant, Sean Bairstow*, Te Tuhi Lewis, Jett Thompson, Chris Jones*, Kruz Perrott-Hunt, Denhym Brooke, Carter Hopoi, Jayden Boucher
Taranaki Airs
Dom Kelman-Poto, Scott Telfer, Jack Exeter, Owen Foxwell*, Jack Andrew, Armon Fletcher*, Quintin Bailey, Harry Froling*
Manawatu Jets
Dontae Russo-Nance, Kenny Goins*, Isaac Miller-Jose, Dion Collins, Makhel Mitchell*, Miles Gibson*, Zavier Pearn, Tinashe Matambanadzo, Hikaia Lambert, Tautoko Wynyward, Corey Webster
Hawke's Bay Hawks
Jackson Ball, Jacob Murphy, Clifton Bush II, Ezrah Eagle, Harry Keighley, Kobe Kara, Maz Taylor, Isaac Allan, Lennox Singh, Campbell Scott, Darnell Cowart*, Luca Yates, Dan Grida*, Wani Swaka Lo Buluk*, Ryder Moore
Wellington Saints
Hyrum Harris, Troy Plumtree, Izayah Le'afa, Shea Ili, Rangimarie Dougall-Mita, Nick Marshall*, Kazlo Evans Jr, Lukah Richards, Nick Muszynski*, Arthur Pilcher, Hassan Munir, Tyrael-Cage Heke, Shaun Bruce*
Nelson Giants
Alex McNaught, Liam Judd, Aston Inwood, Hayden Jones, Lachlan Crate, Sam Dempster, Brice Johnson*, Callum McRae, Callum Dalton*, James Matthews, Kaleb Chamberlain, Jaylen Forbes*, Will Blight, Coen Williams
Canterbury Rams
Taylor Britt, Kaia Isaac, Max Darling, Walter Brown, Sean Macdonald*, Tama Isaac, Mana Martin, Jake Holmes, Ihaka Cate, Tawhiri Cate, Kyle Bowen*, Jonty Bond, Tony Worthington, CJ Penha Jr*, Tohi Smith-Milner, Max De Geest, Corban Mason, Sam Smith
Otago Nuggets
Matthew Bardsley, Darcy Knox, Josh Aitcheson, Jono Janssen, Caleb Smiler, Michael Ruske, Mac Stodart, Jose Perez*, Danyon Ashcroft, Patrick Freeman, Donald Carey*, Christian Martin
Southland Sharks
Alonzo Burton, Johnny Helu, Sam Timmins, Keylan Boone*, Tukaha Cooper, Caleb Asberry*, Hayden Collier, Dane Bertinshaw, Josiah Allick*, Quake Webster, Riley Snow, Joseph Riwhi, Will Leger, Jack Ramage