PERSONAL STATEMENT

2018 is when Basketball and I started to truly connect with one another.

I was selected for my High School Varsity team at the age of 13 and earned selection for the New Zealand U14 Girls Basketball team as a starter, winning Gold in Melbourne, Australia. In 2019, I became the first female in New Zealand Basketball history to be selected to the Jr NBA Global Championship as captain of the Jr NBA Asia Pacific team.

A Sophomore in 2020, I was named Captain of my High School Varsity team, MVP at the conclusion of our season, ranked 4th highest points scorer in the high school competition, as well as captained the U15 Girls Representative side to win the National U15 Championship title, gaining selection to the tournament Team and named Tournament MVP.

In November of that same year, I was named High School Female Basketball Player of the Year and then selected to compete in the Women’s National Basketball League. A Pro/Am competition for our country’s elite female basketball players. As the youngest ever to compete at this level, I played in all 6 games and averaged 20 minutes per game, contributing 4.5 PPG and 5.5 RPG.

December 2020, I attended the National selection camp (top 24 girls in the country) for the New Zealand U16 Girls Basketball team who will compete in the Asia Cup Qualifier in 2021.  The top 4 International teams from this tournament will qualify for the 2022 FIBA U17 World Cup.

As a Year 12 student or Junior in 2021, I do have time to finely tune my field of study, but I have interests in Psychology, Cognitive, and Neurosciences which were key drivers behind my decision to complete my final 2 years of High School studying for the IB Diploma where Psychology is a course subject.

Away from Basketball, I also enjoy other sports of interest like Netball, Touch Rugby, Dragon Boating, and recently Strength and Conditioning training with High-Performance Sport NZ.

My proudest progress so far is learning the Maori language, and twice visiting the homeland of Samoa where my grandparents were born and raised. Learning my culture and language gives me my superpowers with a purpose to succeed and give back, living up to the sacrifices they have made.

My name is Lilly Rakera Taulelei. I was born in Los Angeles, California in March 2005 making me a dual citizen of the US and New Zealand. I have lived in New Zealand since the age of two, currently learning two languages with an interest in the Sciences and Liberal Arts. In 2023, I plan to study and play basketball in the US.

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