AUCKLAND (New Zealand) - New Zealand have named Judd Flavell as coach, the third consecutive time the country has called on a member of the famous 2002 team that reached the last four of the FIBA Basketball World Cup in Indianapolis to lead the national side.
Flavell follows in the footsteps of FIBA Hall of Famer Pero Cameron, who coached the team at the 2022 FIBA Asia Cup in Jakarta, then in the Asian Qualifiers for the FIBA Basketball World Cup, at the 2023 World Cup in Manila and this summer at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Piraeus. New Zealand announced in August that Cameron had accepted an offer to coach Ningbo Rockets in China.
Before Cameron, Paul Henare, another member of the 2002 team, held the reins of the Tall Blacks at FIBA Asia Cup 2017 and at the 2019 World Cup in China. Henare is coaching Shimane Susanoo Magic in Japan's B. League.
New Zealand are No. 22 in the FIBA World Ranking, Presented by Nike.
Flavell has strong ties to the national team program. He was head coach of the New Zealand U18 team in 2013. Flavell served as an assistant with the Junior Tall Blacks in 2014, and as an assistant with the Tall Blacks in 2020.
"There's a lot of emotions that came up for me, because I feel so passionate about the black singlet, about the Tall Blacks, what we've done and achieved on the international stage in the past," Flavell said.
"And also seeing where we are currently at with the program; you can't help but get excited looking ahead at the pool of talent that we have coming through with the youngsters."
This summer, New Zealand finished fourth at the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup in Istanbul.
"There's a lot of emotions that came up for me, because I feel so passionate about the black singlet, about the Tall Blacks"
Flavell is not taking this opportunity lightly.
"For me it’s been a long journey, coming from being part of the Tall Blacks program as a player – growing up and having that dream of putting on the black singlet – and then being involved in some of our finer moments in 2001-02, then being an assistant coach," he said. "I feel really feel privileged and honored to be given this responsibility."
On the club scene, Judd spent 13 seasons as an assistant with the New Zealand Breakers in the Australian NBL, helping the team win four championships in a five-year stretch, before joining the South East Melbourne Phoenix as an assistant for three seasons.
In New Zealand's NBL, Flavell was the head coach when the Auckland Pirates won the title in 2012, and he was at the helm of Southland Sharks in 2018 when they won the championship. His Canterbury Rams teams won New Zealand NBL crown in 2023, and 2024, when was named Sal’s NBL Coach of the Year.
He takes over a New Zealand team that has won its first two games in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers. He will have a baptism of fire as Tall Blacks coach with the team playing in Manila against the Philippines, who are also 2-0, in the next international window on November 21. New Zealand then host Chinese Taipei on November 25.
After finishing fourth at the Asia Cup in Lebanon in 2017, New Zealand were third in 2022 in Jakarta.
FIBA