NZ NBL puts Ken Tuffin among Top 5 “Players to Surprise”

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

 

It took only one month for the whole New Zealand Basketball League to notice what former FEU Tamaraw team captain Ken Tuffin can do on the hardwood.

Drafted by the Steelformers Taranaki Mountainairs, the 23-year-old rookie is currently making waves and is displaying solid numbers in the big boy league.

The versatile swingman is averaging 10.4 points and 5.7 rebounds in 12 games with the Mountainairs while shooting 44-percent from rainbow country and an impressive 94-percent from the free-throw stripe.

Despite being a rookie in the league, Tuffin was able to impress in the span of 12 games and help steer his squad to a 7-5 record in more than 15 minutes of playing time per game.

However, Tuffin said that he won’t fully commit and stay long in the NZ NBL because he is still a part of the 2023 Gilas Pilipinas pool of cadets that will clash with the titans in the next FIBA World Cup Qualifiers.

Tuffin joins Ashton McQueen, Matt Bardsley, Nate Wilson, and Ben Carlile-Smith as the top five “Players to Surprise” ranked by the NZ NBL.