# 2019 New Zealand NBL season

The 2019 NBL season was the 38th season of the National Basketball League. The competition increased to nine teams in 2019 with the Southern Huskies joining the league for the first time, marking the first time ever that an Australian team has joined a New Zealand competition.
The regular season commenced on Thursday 11 April in Palmerston North with the Manawatu Jets hosting the Super City Rangers at Arena Manawatu. The season contained 14 weeks of regular season games followed by a Final Four weekend in July. The Saints won their 11th NBL championship in 2019 behind their second 20–0 campaign in three seasons.

## Team information

| Team | City | Arena | Head Coach | Import | Import | Import |
| Canterbury Rams | Christchurch | Cowles Stadium | Mick Downer | Cameron Gliddon | Emmett Naar | Isaiah Wilkins |
| Hawke's Bay Hawks | Napier | Pettigrew Green Arena | Zico Coronel | Brandon Bowman | Daniel Kickert | E. J. Singler |
| Manawatu Jets | Palmerston North | Arena Manawatu | Tim McTamney | Wally Ellenson | Kuran Iverson | Daishon Knight |
| Nelson Giants | Nelson | Trafalgar Centre | Michael Fitchett | Daniel Grida | Jordair Jett | Rhys Vague |
| Southern Huskies | Tasmania, Australia | Derwent Entertainment Centre / Silverdome | Anthony Stewart | Jalen Billups | Tre Nichols | |
| Southland Sharks | Invercargill | Stadium Southland | Judd Flavell | Todd Blanchfield | Roberto Nelson | Jarrad Weeks |
| Super City Rangers | Auckland | Massey Leisure Centre / AUT Sport & Fitness Centre | Jeff Green | Nnanna Egwu | Venky Jois | Tim Quarterman |
| Taranaki Mountainairs | New Plymouth | TSB Stadium | Dave Bublitz | Justin Cousin | Chris Early | |
| Wellington Saints | Wellington | TSB Bank Arena | Paul Henare | Sunday Dech | Nick Kay | |

## Summary
### Regular season standings

| Pos | Team | W | L | Qualification |
| 1 | Wellington Saints | 18 | 0 | Final Four |
| 2 | Hawke's Bay Hawks | 14 | 4 | Final Four |
| 3 | Canterbury Rams | 13 | 5 | Final Four |
| 4 | Southland Sharks | 12 | 6 | Final Four |
| 5 | Southern Huskies | 9 | 9 | |
| 6 | Nelson Giants | 7 | 11 | |
| 7 | Super City Rangers | 3 | 15 | |
| 8 | Taranaki Mountainairs | 3 | 15 | |
| 9 | Manawatu Jets | 2 | 16 | |

### Final Four

| Semi Finals | Semi Finals | Semi Finals | Final | Final |
| 1 | Wellington Saints | 95 | | |
| 4 | Southland Sharks | 89 | | |
| 4 | Southland Sharks | 89 | Wellington Saints | 78 |
| | | | Hawke's Bay Hawks | 68 |
| 2 | Hawke's Bay Hawks | 74 | Hawke's Bay Hawks | 68 |
| 3 | Canterbury Rams | 68 | | |

## Awards
### Player of the Week

| Round | Player | Team |
| 1 | Ethan Rusbatch | Hawke's Bay Hawks |
| 2 | Jalen Billups | Southern Huskies |
| 3 | Robert Loe | Wellington Saints |
| 4 | Wally Ellenson | Manawatu Jets |
| 5 | Jarrad Weeks | Southland Sharks |
| 6 | E. J. Singler | Hawke's Bay Hawks |
| 7 | Tim Quarterman | Super City Rangers |
| 8 | Marcel Jones | Southern Huskies |
| 9 | Tim Quarterman | Super City Rangers |
| 10 | Nick Kay | Wellington Saints |
| 11 | Thomas Abercrombie | Wellington Saints |
| 12 | Brandon Bowman | Hawke's Bay Hawks |
| 13 | Jarrad Weeks | Southland Sharks |
| 14 | Jarrod Kenny | Hawke's Bay Hawks |

### Team of the Week

| Round | Team | Team | Team | Team | Team |
| 1 | Mitch McCarron Sharks | Ethan Rusbatch Hawks | E. J. Singler Hawks | Nick Kay Saints | Venky Jois Rangers |
| 2 | Tre Nichols Huskies | Ethan Rusbatch (2) Hawks | Craig Moller Huskies | Jalen Billups Huskies | Michael Karena Rams |
| 3 | Jordair Jett Giants | Shea Ili Saints | Kevin Foster Mountainairs | Robert Loe Saints | Rhys Vague Giants |
| 4 | Jarrad Weeks Sharks | Shea Ili (2) Saints | Tim Quarterman Rangers | Chris Early Mountainairs | Wally Ellenson Jets |
| 5 | Jarrad Weeks (2) Sharks | Jordair Jett (2) Giants | Daishon Knight Jets | Tim Quarterman (2) Rangers | Kuran Iverson Jets |
| 6 | Tim Quarterman (3) Rangers | E. J. Singler (2) Hawks | Brandon Bowman Hawks | Jordan Ngatai Saints | Nick Kay (2) Saints |
| 7 | Ethan Rusbatch (3) Hawks | Tim Quarterman (4) Rangers | E. J. Singler (3) Hawks | Jalen Billups (2) Huskies | Daniel Kickert Hawks |
| 8 | Roberto Nelson Sharks | Tim Quarterman (5) Rangers | Marcel Jones Huskies | Brandon Bowman (2) Hawks | Nnanna Egwu Rangers |
| 9 | Tim Quarterman (6) Rangers | Todd Blanchfield Sharks | Ethan Rusbatch (4) Hawks | Brandon Bowman (3) Hawks | Rhys Vague (2) Giants |
| 10 | Derone Raukawa Mountainairs | Todd Blanchfield (2) Sharks | Daishon Knight (2) Jets | Nick Kay (3) Saints | Brandon Bowman (4) Hawks |
| 11 | Daishon Knight (3) Jets | Wally Ellenson (2) Jets | Thomas Abercrombie Saints | Venky Jois (2) Rangers | Nnanna Egwu (2) Rangers |
| 12 | Shea Ili (3) Saints | Emmett Naar Rams | Hyrum Harris Sharks | Nick Kay (4) Saints | Brandon Bowman (5) Hawks |
| 13 | Jarrad Weeks (3) Sharks | Jarrod Kenny Hawks | Cameron Gliddon Rams | Brandon Bowman (6) Hawks | Taane Samuel Jets |
| 14 | Jarrod Kenny (2) Hawks | Jordair Jett (3) Giants | Marcel Jones (2) Huskies | Jalen Billups (3) Huskies | Tyrell Harrison Giants |

### Statistics leaders

Stats as of the end of the regular season
| Category | Player | Team | Stat |
| Points per game | Tim Quarterman | Super City Rangers | 28.0 |
| Rebounds per game | Venky Jois | Super City Rangers | 11.5 |
| Assists per game | Jarrod Kenny | Hawke's Bay Hawks | 6.8 |
| Steals per game | Tim Quarterman | Super City Rangers | 3.3 |
| Blocks per game | Nnanna Egwu | Super City Rangers | 1.9 |

### Regular season

* Most Valuable Player: Nick Kay (Wellington Saints)
* Most Outstanding Guard: Cameron Gliddon (Canterbury Rams)
* Most Outstanding NZ Guard: Shea Ili (Wellington Saints)
* Most Outstanding Forward: Nick Kay (Wellington Saints)
* Most Outstanding NZ Forward/Centre: Robert Loe (Wellington Saints)
* Scoring Champion: Tim Quarterman (Super City Rangers)
* Rebounding Champion: Marcel Jones (Southern Huskies)
* Assist Champion: Jarrod Kenny (Hawke's Bay Hawks)
* Golden Hands: Nick Kay (Wellington Saints)
* Most Improved Player: Ethan Rusbatch (Hawke's Bay Hawks)
* Defensive Player of the Year: Isaiah Wilkins (Canterbury Rams)
* Youth Player of the Year: Tyrell Harrison (Nelson Giants)
* Coach of the Year: Mick Downer (Canterbury Rams)
* All-Star Five:
** G: Shea Ili (Wellington Saints)
** G: Cameron Gliddon (Canterbury Rams)
** F: E. J. Singler (Hawke's Bay Hawks)
** F: Nick Kay (Wellington Saints)
** C: Brandon Bowman (Hawke's Bay Hawks)

### Final Four

* Grand Final MVP: Thomas Abercrombie (Wellington Saints)