23 for ’23 Gilas Cadet Tuffin added to Tall Black pool

Besides trying to lift Taranaki to the top of the NZ NBL, Ken Tuffin will face a dilemma in the next few days.

A good problem, though.

The 6-foot-4 swingman, who studies and plays for Far Eastern University, has been selected to join the New Zealand Tall Blacks pool for the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games and the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

The 23-year-old has been impressing in the ongoing 2020 Sal’s NBL Showdown, posting numbers of 9.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.0 assists.

It definitely has caught the eye of New Zealand Basketball.

“Without question, players have had more opportunities given there are no imports in this league,” said Tall Blacks head coach Pero Cameron. “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.”

Tuffin is also part of the 23 for 2023 Gilas Cadets pool formed by Chot Reyes back in 2019, though.

Tuffin is just one of the 10 new players in the pool that includes former La Salle big man Taane Samuel; Otago’s Jordan Hunt and Kane Keil; Manawatu’s Jayden Bezzant; Franklin’s Isaac Davidson, Nikau McCullough, Dom Kelman-Poto, and Joel Vaiangina.