Wynyard to Play for New Zealand at FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky basketball’s Tai Wynyard will once again suit up for his home country of New Zealand. Wynyard was selected to represent the Kiwis at this year’s FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup.

Wynyard, who will be a redshirt sophomore next season, was selected as one of 12 members of the Junior Tall Blacks for the 2017 FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup, which will be held July 1-9 in Cairo. 

No stranger to international competition with New Zealand, Wynyard has played in the 2013 FIBA U16 Oceania Championship, the 2014 FIBA U18 Oceania Championship and the 2015 FIBA Oceania Championship. He was also named the most valuable player of the FIBA 3×3 World Cup in 2015 after he led his team to the gold medal. He played again in the 3×3 World Cup in 2016.

There is a possibility Wynyard could face his current college head coach, John Calipari, in the upcoming tournament. Calipari was recently named the head coach of the 2017 USA Basketball Men’s U19 World Cup Team that will compete in Cairo. 

Wynyard just finished his second season at Kentucky. After enrolling midyear for the 2015-16 season and ultimately redshirting, Wynyard appeared in 15 games in 2016-17. He averaged 3.6 minutes a game and scored 11 points with 13 rebounds and three blocks.