The Tall Blacks face the Philippines on Friday and Guam on Monday in home matches during this Basketball World Cup qualifying window.
Head coach Judd Flavell, who took a position with Japanese club Shinshu Brave Warriors in March after spending 17 seasons as an NBL assistant in Australia, made retaining the Tall Blacks role a requirement when accepting the club job. "That was my number one condition that I wasn't going to walk away from this," Flavell said. "I'm not interested in doing a half job of it."
Eight players who featured in February's away wins over these opponents return for this window: Taylor Britt, Carlin Davison, Sam Mennenga, Taine Murray, Jordan Ngatai, Tohi Smith-Milner, Reuben Te Rangi and Sam Timmins.
Tai Webster, 31, returns to the national team after a seven-year absence, having last appeared at the 2019 World Cup in China. Melbourne United's Shea Ili is available again after missing out since May 2025 while managing concussion and hamstring issues. Sam Waardenburg, who debuted in 2023 but has appeared only four times for New Zealand due to injury setbacks, is in the squad.
Britt will reach 50 caps if he plays both games, having featured in all but one of the team's 22 matches since the 2024 Olympic qualifying tournament. Six players in the current squad have reached or will reach the 50-game milestone: Ili, Ngatai, Smith-Milner, Te Rangi, Webster and Britt.
Ngatai, who has been in the Tall Blacks environment for more than 13 years, said availability during qualifying windows depends on club commitments. "Not every window is guaranteed, in a sense, because we are playing different [club] seasons through those times, so I'm just trying to stay as healthy as I can be, as fresh as I can be," he said.
New Zealand defeated the Philippines 69-66 in Manila in February and holds a four-game winning streak against them. Points accumulated in the first qualifying round transfer to the second round, which begins later this year when New Zealand meets west Asian opponents. The World Cup will be held in Qatar in 13 months.