What We Learned: Boomers v Tall Blacks

Monday, May 12, 2025

With the Trans-Tasman Series wrapped up, here’s what we learned from some of the NBL stars who were in action.

Australia won the Trans-Tasman Throwdown Series over New Zealand, 2-1, but it wasn’t before the Tall Blacks convincingly beat the Boomers in the final game.

Leading by as many as 30 at one point, New Zealand claimed its first victory over Australia in over five years.

With the Series wrapped up, here’s what we learned from some of the NBL stars who were in action.

Pepper is still hot
Perth Wildcats’ young gun Elijah Pepper is primed for a breakout NBL26 season. The 24-year-old continues to show how potent he is offensively, capitalising on the opportunity and finishing with a game-high 28 points in Game 3. Pepper has been phenomenal for the Warwick Senators to begin the NBL1 West season, with multiple 50-point games in the opening weeks. Pepper scored double-figures in all three games of the Trans-Tasman Throwdown, further highlighting that he is ready for a breakout campaign in the upcoming NBL season.

Britt is legit
One of the Breakers’ newest signings Taylor Britt has put his best foot forward following a stellar series for the Tall Blacks. The young guard had 23 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in their Game 3 win, displaying an improved offensive package that will have New Zealand fans excited to have him in a Breakers jersey. Britt’s previous NBL stint earned him an NBL Championship as a development player for the Perth Wildcats in 2020, but will be expected to take on a bigger role for the Breakers in NBL26.

FIBA Te Rangi is a real thing
There’s been something special about the way Reuban Te Rangi plays when he wears a Tall Blacks jersey, and this series further cemented that notion. The 30-year-old played a key part if each of the games, with a perfect 5/5 shooting first half in Game 3 as the highlight. Breakers fans have every reason to be excited from what they saw from Te Rangi across the series, with Dillon Boucher alluding to unlocking ‘FIBA Te Rangi’s’ confidence when he returns to the club in NBL26.

No championship hangover
Illawarra Hawks championship winning forward Todd Blanchfield was a key contributor in the series off the bench, both with his outside shooting and ability to crash the glass. The 439-game veteran is doing anything but slowing down, beginning his NBL1 East season the week after the Hawks Game 5 win in NBL25 and then putting on the green and gold and helping the Boomers to a series win. Blanchfield hit three threes in each of the last two games of the series for Australia.

Cooks chipping away
His standout performance came in a big Game 2 win, but Kings’ forward Xavier Cooks is back on the court and continuing to build towards the NBL26 season. The two-time champion and former MVP had 16 points and eight rebounds in just 21 minutes of Game 2, utilising his size and length all over the floor. While he was quiet in the other two games, Cooks was vocal about using this series as an opportunity to get back into a game environment and work towards his next season with Sydney.