Mainland Eagles Alumni Update 15/11/23

Our Mainland Eagles alumni updates are a recap showcasing and celebrating notable performances of our alumni all-around the world.

Charlotte Whittaker (2019) and the Colorado Buffaloes started the season with a headline-worthy bang after taking down a star-studded LSU squad 92-78. Charlotte followed this up with a 9 point, 4 rebound performance against Le Moyne University.

After being a part of the championship winning Canterbury Rams squad, Quinn Clinton (2018) is making a transition from playing to coaching. Quinn was recently announced as the new head coach for the Mainland Eagles Academy and will be an assistant coach with the Canterbury Rams for the 2024 season. 

Esra McGoldrick (2018), Lauren Whittaker (2024), Lauryn Hippolite (2018) and Zoe Richards (2016) have all been announced on the extended Tall Ferns squad, who are in contention for the FIBA Olympic Qualifier Tournament in February next year.

Fresh off an NBL1 season in Australia with the Rockhampton Rockets, Angus McWilliam (2018) joined the Oklahoma City Blue of the NBA G League for their preseason training camp. While Angus did not make the final roster, this is still an extraordinary achievement.

Joe Cook-Green (2016) and his team Metalac Valjevo sit at a record of 3-4 in the Serbian KLS. Joe is scoring 9.4 points per game and had a 19 point outing in the team’s first win of the season last month. 

After being a finalist for the Tauihi Most Improved Player award, Esra McGoldrick (2018) has made her WNBL debut for the Bendigo Spirit. Esra is making early contributions on the backboards for the Spirit, pulling down 4.0 rebounds per game in just 14 minutes.

Hunter Adam (2023) is quickly finding his footing at Davidson University, playing 16 minutes in a win against the University of Maryland and making 3 three pointers off the bench against Clemson.

2022’s Female Junior Player of the Year Maia Jones (2023) had an electric exhibition debut, dropping 22 points against Chico State. To start Saint Mary’s regular season, Maia is averaging 5 points per game in 19 minutes. 

Richie Rodger (2016) was selected seventh overall in the PBA Draft by the NLEX Road Warriors, embarking on his first professional season overseas. Richie played 10 minutes in his debut in the Philippines at the Commissioner’s Cup where he played alongside former NBA lottery pick Thomas Robinson. 

Maddie Morrow (2023) is shooting the ball well, averaging 6 points per game for Academy of Art University, where she’ll later be joined by Karereatua Williams (2023).

Tsubasa Nisbet (2018) is currently playing in Japan with the Mitsubishi Electric Koalas. She is averaging 2.7 points per game for the Koalas alongside 1.8 rebounds per game across nine appearances. The Koalas next play Saturday, November 18th.

Redshirt Freshman Josh Book (2022) is proving to be a valuable contributor off of Missouri Western State’s bench, scoring 11.0 points per game across their first two wins of the season.

Molly Cockburn (2020) has also had an exciting start to her fourth collegiate season, scoring 13 points against St. Mary (NE) on 100% shooting from the field. 

Mason Whittaker (2021) and Helen Matthews (2020) are both presently recovering from injuries. Mason is coming back from a knee injury and is expected to return soon while Helen will be redshirting this season, recovering from an ACL injury.

Mac Stodart (2020) and Josh Lowe (2018) are back for their junior and graduate seasons, respectively. Lowe put up 7 points in a win against Covenant College and Stodart got the start in both of his matches this past week, playing 33 minutes in a win against Cameron University.