‘Exceeded people’s expectations’: U17 basketball team’s fairy-tale World Cup run

“We’re a country of five million people against countries that have got millions and billions more than us and we’re competing with the best in the world.”

That faith extends to the playing group, with Nelson Giants guard Hayden Jones a firm believer in his team’s abilities.

“I always knew that we could go far with our group. This is a cool moment for us. Top four was just a thought in the back of our mind, it was more just trying to get through the pool stages and get into the top eight.”

Finishing in the top four on the world stage is in Jones’ blood.

Dad Phill Jones was a member of the Tall Blacks side that also claimed fourth at the 2002 Fiba World Championships.

Those bragging rights will now be shared in the Jones household moving forward.

The 17-year-old credits the NBL’s Rapid League – the bite-sized basketball games before the main course – for accelerating his development.

The standalone competition gives substitutes and up-and-comers much-needed minutes that they may not see during an NBL contest.

“We’re playing against grown men, so just being able to play with the physicality and IQ of some of those players is cool,” Jones says.

“Playing alongside some of the older guys as well has taught me how to play both mentally and physically, so they’ve been good mentors towards me and playing against some very top talent has prepared me well for this campaign.”

With a portion of the squad having played alongside each other through the age grades, the growing connection between the teenage ballers has laid the platform for a positive team culture.

“We work hard for each other, we do everything for the people that have helped us get to where we are and we play for them as well as ourselves, so it’s just a great camaraderie within the group,” says Haddleton.

“The boys all get on with each other really well, we try to have fun as much as possible and so it’s all about making sure that we give each other the best chance to succeed.

“The majority of the group’s been together for nearly three years and you guys are seeing the results.”

The team’s leading scorer at the tournament, 17-year-old forward Oscar Goodman, shares the same sentiment.

“I’ve played with a bunch of them since Oceania Championships through to the Asian Championships and into the World Cup.

“But then there have been boys who have just come along the journey with us, and I think they’ve fitted in really well and we’ve just melded together, so it’s been a super fun team to be a part of these last three years.”

Goodman, a member of the NBA Global Academy, averaged 17 points, 6.3 rebounds and three assists during the campaign.

The road to fourth place saw wins over Turkey, Argentina, Italy in the group stages, Egypt in the round of 16 and Lithuania in the quarter-finals, before the Under-17 side ran into the United States juggernaut in the semifinal.

The American roster, boasting several prospects already seen on 2026 NBA mock drafts, such as A.J. Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer and Koa Peat, proved to be New Zealand’s Mt Everest at the tournament.

“Even though it was a hard game, and they got the better of us, I think we stayed together and showed that we can compete with these guys for the most part,” Goodman says.

Haddleton points to strong development work as the key behind the success of his age-group side.

“We’ve got teams succeeding all over the place and it’s largely in part due to a lot of the great coaching that’s going on around the country. Groups like ours don’t get to where we are without all those coaches back home that don’t get noticed putting in all the hard yards.”

He says sustainability will be key if basketball in New Zealand hopes to build off his team’s recent success.

“There’s never any doubt on the talent that comes through age groups. It’s about how we can retain them in the future.

“There’s probably a lot of work that’s going on at Basketball NZ to try and build infrastructure and programmes that help the future people come through and succeed.”

As for the current under-17 crop?

“These guys will be part of the Tall Blacks for sure.”