KEN Tuffin has been added to the New Zealand Tall Blacks pool for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games and the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England.
The Fil-Kiwi gunner was one of the 10 new players in the Basketball New Zealand shortlist after his stellar debut campaign with the Taranaki Mountainairs.
The 6-foot-4 forward from Far Eastern University, averaged 9.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in his first season in the semi-pro league.He was one of the two Airs who made the cut, together with Shane Temara.
Former La Salle big man Taane Samuel of the Manawatu Jets was also included in the list.
Tuffin has previously been included in the Gilas cadets team in coach Chot Reyes' '23-for-2023' pool back in 2019, which was geared towards forming a young team for the 2023 Fiba World Cup.
However, that pool has since been dissolved after Reyes was replaced as Gilas coach.
Completing the newcomers in the Tall Blacks pool were Otago Nuggets' Jordan Hunt and Kane Keil, Manawatu Jets' Jayden Bezzant, Franklin Bulls' Isaac Davidson, Nikau McCullough, Dom Kelman-Poto, and Joel Vaiangina.
“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," said Tall Blacks head coach Pero Cameron.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
