New era, familiar face: Tauranga Whai appoint new head coach for 2025 season

Tane Bennett has been appointed the head coach of the Whai Tauihi team for the 2025 season. Photo / Supplied

Tauranga’s professional women’s basketball team has a new head coach — and it’s a familiar face.

The Whai franchise has turned to Tane Bennett, who already knows the ins and outs of the 2024 championship-winning team having previously coached in a different role.

The Tauranga local will coach the Whai for the upcoming Tauihi league 2025 season, a statement from the team said.

Bennett started in the Whai academy, which led to roles assisting in the local league’s women’s and men’s teams.

He has been head coach of the Whai Rapid League, a standalone competition with shorter 16-minute games that are played before regular-season Tauihi games.

Tane Bennett (left), and Whai import Mikayla Cowling, was head coach of the Whai Rapid League team in 2024 and assistant coach of the Tauihi team. Photo / Supplied

The Rapid League served as a testing ground for the coaching systems and culture Bennett shaped.

His background in sports performance analysis helped the Whai make franchise history last season when they won their first title in front of a home crowd, since joining the national professional Tauihi League three years ago.

Whai general manager John Miller said in the statement that Bennett represented everything Whai stood for.

“Local talent, hard work, and long-term investment in people.

“He’s grounded in Tauranga, he’s helped build this programme from the ground up, and he’s absolutely ready to lead this team into its next chapter.”

Kaitlyn Morrell is a multimedia journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has lived in the region for several years and studied journalism at Massey University.