All Press Releases

New Zealand U21 - Season 71 Review

3/26/2026  0 replies  (1)  

New Zealand Buzzerbeater U21 Season One Review: Progress, Pain, and Promise

1/21/2026  0 replies    

New Zealand Buzzerbeater National Panel Appoints Hodgo as U21 Manager

10/21/2025  0 replies    

Strong finish

9/1/2025  0 replies    

Looking ahead

4/1/2025  0 replies    

Season recap

11/26/2024  0 replies    

Re-elected

9/25/2024  0 replies    

Recap of first two seasons

8/21/2024  0 replies    

Season 64

3/12/2024  0 replies    

Season 61 Consolation Tournament

8/22/2023  0 replies    

Season 60 Asia Cup

5/18/2023  0 replies    

The climb begins...

2/18/2023  0 replies    

Train a Kiwi!

11/22/2022  0 replies    

Change of manager as NZ U21 look to kick on into the future

1/19/2022  0 replies    

Unfinished Business

6/9/2020  0 replies    

New Beginnings!

11/29/2019  0 replies    

46-47

5/17/2019  0 replies    

46

5/14/2019  0 replies    

New Chapter

10/11/2017  0 replies    

Calling all NZ U21 trainees

3/21/2017  0 replies    

IMPORTANT: Game Shape & Training

9/18/2016  0 replies    

Training & Game Shape

8/12/2015  0 replies    

Training & Game Shape

8/12/2015  0 replies    

NZ claim Top 20 scalp to go 2 and 1

9/22/2014  0 replies    

NZ grab epic win

3/17/2014  0 replies    

Another game, another win....

10/21/2013  0 replies    

Kiwis make it 3 and 0

10/14/2013  0 replies    

NZ gets 2nd win over Japan

10/7/2013  0 replies    

Where the hell is Azərbaycan?

9/30/2013  0 replies    

Chuck Knight wins MVP

9/11/2013  0 replies    

Iran loss brings changes to NZ U21

9/6/2013  0 replies    

NZ gets 2nd round victory

8/26/2013  0 replies    

Another big loss for NZ

8/19/2013  0 replies    

China wakes NZ from dream

8/12/2013  0 replies    

NZ beats Lebanon in friendly

8/5/2013  0 replies    

NZ finish 1st round off with another win

7/29/2013  0 replies    

NZ grabs 3rd win

7/22/2013  0 replies    

Management takes Las Vegas over Philippines

7/11/2013  0 replies    

New Zealand opens season with a win

6/24/2013  0 replies    

NZ U21 under new management

6/17/2013  0 replies    

Players decide not to front up for Indian match

11/28/2011  2 replies    

NZ Look To Begin Asia Championships Strongly

4/29/2011  0 replies    

Mercurio Hero In NZ Win

5/5/2010  2 replies    

NZ One Win Away From Round 2

4/27/2010  0 replies    

NZ U21 Beat Vietnam

4/12/2010  4 replies    

U21's Go Into Training Camp

4/2/2010  2 replies    

Press Announcements

New Zealand U21 - Season 71 Review

Season 71 marked my second season in charge of the New Zealand U21 side, and overall it was another reasonable effort given the size of our talent pool compared to many of the nations we faced.

We opened with a narrow 88–85 loss to Portugal (37), a game that showed we could be competitive against stronger programmes even if we couldn’t quite close it out. We also picked up a good win over Hanguk (81), winning 111–87, and put together an impressive offensive performance against Misr (93), scoring 163 points.

As expected, the global competition proved a step up from the Asia campaign last season. Losses to sides like Suomi (20), Hrvatksa (25), Panama (59) and Ceska Rep. (46) showed the depth some countries have across their rosters. Despite that, we did reach a peak ranking of 63 during the season, which is a fair reflection of where we currently sit.

The squad was generally well balanced, but comparing ourselves to the top nations shows where we can improve. Defensive training remains an area where we could make gains, particularly with more single position focus on Outside Defence. As a general trend, NZ trainers also tend to favour One on One training quite heavily, and passing can sometimes get overlooked. A bit more balance in those areas would help round out future squads.

Thanks to the NZ managers who continue to train local players. Your support is what keeps the programme competitive.

The selectors have now moved on from the outgoing 21-year-olds and thank them for their contribution. Hopefully some can continue through to NT level. Focus now shifts to the next group, with the incoming 19 and 20-year-olds to get opportunities in scrimmages as we start building toward the next cycle.

As always, feel free to BB-Mail me if you want to discuss players or training.

Hodgo
NZ U21 Manager
Reply to this



View message in thread.
Advertisement