Jayden Bezzant
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Jayden Tuatahi Bezzant (born 9 January 1996) is a New Zealand
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
player for the
Tauranga Whai The Tauranga Whai are a New Zealand professional basketball team based in Tauranga, Bay of Plenty. The Whai compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at Mercury Baypark. Team history In December 2021, the Bay ...
of the New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL). He played
college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...
in the United States for the
Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks The Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks (formerly the Crusaders) are the athletic teams that represent Northwest Nazarene University, located in Nampa, Idaho, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the Division II level of the National Collegiate At ...
between 2016 and 2020 before beginning his career in the New Zealand NBL. He debuted for the
New Zealand Breakers The New Zealand Breakers (also known as the Bank of New Zealand, BNZ Breakers for sponsorship reasons) are a New Zealand professional basketball team based in Auckland. The Breakers are the only non-Australian side currently competing in Austral ...
of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL) during the 2022–23 season and debuted for the New Zealand Tall Blacks in 2022.


Early life

Bezzant was born in
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...
, New Zealand. He spent time living in
Tauranga Tauranga (, Māori language for "resting place," or "safe anchorage") is a coastal city in the Bay of Plenty Region and the List of cities in New Zealand, fifth-most populous city of New Zealand, with an urban population of or roughly 3% of t ...
before returning to Hamilton where he attended St John's College, the high school his father played for in 1992. Bezzant played for Waikato Basketball and Tauranga City Basketball. In January 2014, Bezzant moved to the United States to attend
Westwind Preparatory Academy Westwind Preparatory Academy was a college preparatory public charter high school in Phoenix, Arizona, operated by Westwind Children's Services, a nonprofit operator of several other Phoenix-area charter schools, Westwind Community Schools. The ...
in
Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...
.


College career

Bezzant initially joined the
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) is a public research university with its main campus in Edinburg, Texas, and multiple other campuses throughout the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas. It is the southernmost member of the Uni ...
, an
NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...
school in
Edinburg, Texas Edinburg ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. The population was 100,243 at the 2020 census, and in 2022, its estimated population was 104,294, making it the second-largest city in Hidalgo County, and th ...
, but after redshirting the 2015–16 season, a coaching change saw him lose his spot on the team and he subsequently transferred to
Northwest Nazarene University Northwest Nazarene University (NNU) is a private Nazarene university in Nampa, Idaho. History Eugene Emerson organized a combination grade school and Bible school in 1913 as Idaho Holiness School. It was renamed twice in 1916, first to Nor ...
in
Nampa, Idaho Nampa () is the most populous city in Canyon County, Idaho, United States. The population was 100,200 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is Idaho's List of cities in Idaho, third-most populous city. Nampa is about west of Boise, Id ...
, in 2016. Bezzant debuted for the
Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks The Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks (formerly the Crusaders) are the athletic teams that represent Northwest Nazarene University, located in Nampa, Idaho, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the Division II level of the National Collegiate At ...
of the
Great Northwest Athletic Conference The Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. It has historically operated in the northwestern United States, but a ...
(GNAC) in the
NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is the intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environment ...
in the 2016–17 season. He began playing
shooting guard The shooting guard (SG), also known as the two, two guard or off guard,Shooting guards are 6'3"–6'7"BBC Sports academy URL last accessed 2006-09-09. is one of the five traditional basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game ...
despite having grown up playing
point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the Basketball positions, five positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position and is usually the shortest player ...
. In 25 games, he made 19 starts and averaged 9.3 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.4 steals per game. In 26 games in 2017–18, Bezzant made 25 starts and averaged 14.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Bezzant moved to a permanent reserve role for the Nighthawks during the 2018–19 season. On 2 February 2019, he scored 30 points, with 25 coming after halftime, in a 92–89 overtime win over MSU Billings. In 26 games, he made eight starts and averaged 13.1 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. He was named All-GNAC Honorable Mention. Following the 2018–19 season, Bezzant left the Nighthawks program to return to New Zealand after he received a professional contract opportunity. During the off-season, he was encouraged by the coaching staff to reconsider and finish his degree. He eventually decided to come back to Northwest Nazarene but was ineligible to play in the first semester of the 2019–20 season due to poor grades the previous spring. To earn eligibility again, he took 21 credits in the fall semester. In his season debut on 2 January 2020, Bezzant hit a game-winning 3-pointer with 10 seconds left in a 74–71 win over Simon Fraser. He made the switch to point guard from shooting guard for his final season. In 19 games in 2019–20, he made 18 starts and averaged 14.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. He was named first-team All-GNAC.


Professional career

Prior to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, Bezzant had signed with the
Franklin Bulls The Franklin Bulls are a New Zealand professional basketball team based in Pukekohe. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball League (NBL), playing their home games at the Franklin Pool and Leisure Centre, known as the Stockyard. Team hi ...
of the New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL) for the 2020 season. In June 2020, Bezzant was acquired in a draft by the
Manawatu Jets The Manawatu Jets are a New Zealand professional men's basketball team based in Palmerston North. The Jets compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at Central Energy Trust Arena. For sponsorship reasons, they ...
for the New Zealand NBL Showdown in Auckland. He started every game for the Jets and helped the team reach the final, where they lost 79–77 to the
Otago Nuggets The Otago Nuggets are a New Zealand professional men's basketball team based in Dunedin. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at the Edgar Centre. For sponsorship reasons, they are known as the ...
. He impressed throughout the Showdown with his ability to score and create chances for his team-mates, demonstrating calmness and confidence in high-pressure situations. He averaged 17.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists, in just over 30 minutes a game. In November 2020, Bezzant re-signed with the Jets for the
2021 New Zealand NBL season The 2021 NBL season was the 40th season of the National Basketball League. As a result of the modified, COVID-affected 2020 season, three of the top four teams in 2019 (Wellington Saints, Hawke's Bay Hawks and Southland Sharks) did not compete. ...
. He averaged 15.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. In January 2022, Bezzant signed with the Franklin Bulls for the
2022 New Zealand NBL season The 2022 NBL season was the 41st season of the National Basketball League. For the second year in a row, the league fielded 10 teams, with the only changes being the rebrand of the Auckland Huskies to Auckland Tuatara and Taranaki Mountainairs t ...
. He missed games during the season with national 3x3 duties. In the season finale on 7 August, he scored 31 points in a 104–99 overtime loss to the Otago Nuggets. In December 2022, Bezzant joined the
New Zealand Breakers The New Zealand Breakers (also known as the Bank of New Zealand, BNZ Breakers for sponsorship reasons) are a New Zealand professional basketball team based in Auckland. The Breakers are the only non-Australian side currently competing in Austral ...
of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL) as a Covid replacement player. He played his one and only game for the Breakers on 26 December, recording one rebound in seven minutes against the
Tasmania JackJumpers The Tasmania JackJumpers are an Australian professional basketball team based in Hobart, Tasmania, who entered the National Basketball League (NBL) in the 2021–22 season, and play their home games at MyState Bank Arena and the Silverdome. T ...
. He remained with the Breakers for the rest of the 2022–23 season. In March 2023, Bezzant re-signed with the Bulls for the
2023 New Zealand NBL season The 2023 NBL season was the 42nd season of the National Basketball League. For the third year in a row, the league fielded 10 teams. The regular season commenced on 6 April in Pukekohe, with the Franklin Bulls hosting the Hawke's Bay Hawks at F ...
. His numbers declined in 2023 as his role shifted to one off the bench. He played all 20 games and averaged 6.8 points and 2.7 assists per game. Following the season, he played
3x3 basketball 3x3 basketball (stylized as ''ƐX3'', pronounced ''three-ex-three'') is a Variations of basketball, variation of basketball played three-a-side, with one Backboard (basketball), backboard and in a basketball court, half-court setup. This basketba ...
in China. In December 2023, Bezzant signed with the
Tauranga Whai The Tauranga Whai are a New Zealand professional basketball team based in Tauranga, Bay of Plenty. The Whai compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at Mercury Baypark. Team history In December 2021, the Bay ...
, a new franchise entering the New Zealand NBL for the first time in
2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...
. In January 2025, Bezzant re-signed with the Whai for the
2025 New Zealand NBL season The 2025 NBL season is the 44th season of the National Basketball League. The competition increased to 12 teams in 2025 with the debut of the Indian Panthers, but later decreased to 11 teams in May following the withdrawal of the Panthers. The ...
.


National team career

Bezzant debuted for
New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
with the Junior Tall Blacks at the 2014
FIBA Oceania Under-18 Championship The FIBA U17 Oceania Cup, formerly the FIBA Under-17 Oceania Championship, is an international junior men's basketball tournament in the FIBA Oceania zone, inaugurated in 2002. The current champions are Australia men's national under-19 basketba ...
. In February 2022, Bezzant played two games for the Tall Blacks during the FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian Qualifiers. He also played for the New Zealand 3x3 team at the 2022 FIBA 3x3 World Cup,
2022 FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup The 2022 FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup was the fifth edition of the FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup. The games of the final tournament were held in Singapore between 6 July and 10 July 2022. Participating teams The FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup returns for its fifth edition this ye ...
, and
2022 Commonwealth Games The 2022 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Birmingham 2022, were an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth of Nations that took place in Birmingham, England betw ...
. He won a silver medal at the Asia Cup.


Personal life

Bezzant is the son of Brett and Teresa. He has two sisters. His grandmother, Mary Ellen Bezzant, was a sports administrator at St John's College in Hamilton.


References


External links


Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks college bio
* *
Franklin Bulls player profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bezzant, Jayden 1996 births Living people Basketball players at the 2022 Commonwealth Games College men's basketball players in the United States Franklin Bulls players Manawatu Jets players New Zealand men's basketball players New Zealand Breakers players New Zealand expatriate basketball people in the United States Northwest Nazarene University alumni People educated at St John's College, Hamilton Point guards Shooting guards Sportspeople from Hamilton, New Zealand Tauranga Whai players 21st-century New Zealand sportsmen