Kalani Purcell
{{Update|date=January 2025}}
{{short description|New Zealand basketball player}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=June 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2022}}
{{Infobox basketball biography
| name = Kalani Purcell
| image =
| league =
| team =
| number =
| position = Forward
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 2
| weight_lbs =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1995|01|13}}
| birth_place = Auckland, New Zealand
| high_school = John Paul College (Brisbane, Queensland)
| college =
- Hutchinson CC (2013–2015)
- BYU (2015–2017)
| draft_league = WNBA
| draft_year = 2017
| career_start = 2012
| career_end =
| years1 = 2012
| team1 = South West Metro Pirates
| years2 = 2013
| team2 = Waikato Wizards
| years3 = 2014
| team3 = Auckland Lady Hawks
| years4 = 2017
| team4 = Brisbane Spartans
| years5 = 2017–2020
| team5 = Melbourne Boomers
| years6 = 2018
| team6 = South West Metro Pirates
| years7 = 2019
| team7 = Auckland Dream
| years8 = 2020–2022
| team8 = Southern Districts Spartans
| years9 = 2021–2022
| team9 = Sydney Uni Flames
| years10 = 2023
| team10 = Tokomanawa Queens
| years11 = 2024
| team11 = Southern Districts Spartans
| highlights =
- {{abbr|WBC|Women's Basketball Championship}} champion (2019)
- 2× WCC First Team (2016, 2017)
- WCC Defensive Player of the Year (2017)
- WCC Newcomer of the Year (2016)
| medal_templates =
{{MedalCountry | {{NZL}} }}
{{MedalSport | Women's Basketball}}
{{MedalCompetition|Commonwealth Games}}
{{MedalBronze| 2018 Gold Coast | Team competition}}
{{MedalCompetition|FIBA Oceania Championship}}
{{MedalSilver|2013 Australia / New Zealand | Team}}
{{MedalSilver|2015 Australia / New Zealand | Team}}
}}
Kalani Purcell (born 13 January 1995) is a New Zealand professional basketball player.
Early life
Purcell was born in Auckland, New Zealand.{{cite web |title=Kalani Purcell - Women's Basketball 2016-2017 |url=https://byucougars.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/season/2016-2017/player/kalani-purcell |website=BYU Athletics - Official Athletics Website - BYU Cougars |access-date=21 January 2025}} She later moved to Australia, where she attended John Paul College in Brisbane, Queensland.
College career
Purcell began her college career at Hutchinson Community College in Hutchinson, Kansas for the Blue Dragons.{{cite web|url=http://www.kjccc.org/sports/wbkb/2014-15/players/kalanipurcellc7c7|title=Kalani Purcell #32 F Hutchinson Community College – Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference|publisher=kjccc.org}} After two seasons with Hutchinson, Purcell became the most decorated player in Blue Dragons history, earning her a transfer to Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah for the Cougars.{{cite web|url=http://www.sltrib.com/home/4937641-155/byu-womens-basketball-purcell-has-found|title=BYU women's basketball: Purcell has found success, happiness and love in Provo|publisher=sltrib.com}} During her time at BYU, Purcell received several awards in the West Coast Conference of NCAA Division I.
= Statistics =
{{WNBA player statistics start}}
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2013–14
| style="text-align:left;"| Hutchinson
| 36 || 5 || 26.3 || .522 || .421 || .593 || 10.3 || 3.7 || 3.6 || 1.4 || 3.2 || 13.7
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2014–15
| style="text-align:left;"| Hutchinson
| 34 || 34 || 31.0 || .561 || .174 || .733 || 11.9 || 5.1 || 3.5 || 1.2 || 3.0 || 18.1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2015–16
| style="text-align:left;"| Brigham Young
| 33 || 33 || 35.6 || .451 || .237 || .678 || 12.6 || 4.7 || 2.0 || 0.7 || 4.3 || 12.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2016–17
| style="text-align:left;"| Brigham Young
| 32 || 32 || 36.8 || .469 || .286 || .622 || 10.5 || 4.9 || 2.2 || 1.3 || 4.9 || 12.7
|-
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career
| 135 || 104 || 32.2 || .504 || .270 || .658 || 11.3 || 4.5 || 2.8 || 1.1 || 3.8 || 14.1
{{S-end}}
Professional career
=WNBL=
Purcell joined the Melbourne Boomers of the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) for the 2017–18 season.{{cite web|url=http://wnbl.com.au/melbourne_news/deakin-melbourne-boomers-land-key-tall-ferns-forward/|title=Deakin Melbourne Boomers Land Key Tall Ferns Forward|publisher=wnbl.com.au}}{{dead link|date=April 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} She continued with the Boomers in 2018–19, 2019–20,{{cite web|url=https://www.instagram.com/p/By_bu3MFlS_/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/s/instagram/By_bu3MFlS_ |archive-date=24 December 2021 |url-access=limited|title=KALANI PURCELL|publisher=instagram.com}}{{cbignore}} and the 2020 WNBL Hub season.{{cite web |title=Kalani Purcell, Basketball Player, News, Stats - australiabasket |url=https://basketball.australiabasket.com/player/Kalani-Purcell/183742?Women=1 |website=Eurobasket LLC |access-date=21 January 2025 |url-access=subscription}} She joined the Sydney Uni Flames for the 2021–22 WNBL season.
National team
=Youth level=
Purcell made her international debut for the New Zealand under-17 team at the 2009 FIBA Oceania Under-16 Championship in Brisbane, Queensland, at just the age of 14.{{cite web|url=https://archive.fiba.com/pages/eng/fa/player/p/pid/79156/sid/4716/tid/337/_/2009_FIBA_Oceania_U16_Championship_for_Women/index.html|title= Kalani Purcell's profile - 2009 FIBA Oceania U16 Championship for Women - ARCHIVE.FIBA.COM |publisher=archive.fiba.com}}
=Senior level=
Purcell made her senior international debut with the Tall Ferns at the 2013 FIBA Oceania Championship. She went on to play for the Tall Ferns at the 2016 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Nantes, France. Her last appearance for the Tall Ferns was at the 2021 FIBA Women's Asia Cup.{{cite web |title=Kalani Purcell (New Zealand) - Basketball Stats, Height, Age {{!}} FIBA Basketball |url=https://www.fiba.basketball/en/players/176662-kalani-purcell |website=www.fiba.basketball |access-date=21 January 2025 |language=en |date=21 January 2025}}
Purcell played for the New Zealand women's national 3x3 team at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.{{cite web |title=Kalani Purcell {{!}} New Zealand Olympic Team |url=https://olympic.org.nz/athletes/kalani-purcell |website=olympic.org.nz |access-date=21 January 2025 |language=en}}
Personal life
Purcell is the youngest of seven children to Ingrid and Brian Purcell. Two of her older sisters, Charmian and Natalie, have also represented the Tall Ferns and are both Olympians.{{cite web|url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/basketball/9014036/New-Tall-Fern-following-in-sisters-footsteps|title=New Tall Fern following in sisters' footsteps|publisher=stuff.co.nz}}
Purcell and her partner, NBL player Tyrell Harrison, had their first child in 2023.{{cite web|last=Hinton|first=Marc|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/basketball/300858513/tyrell-harrison-standing-tall-for-franklin-bulls-through-impressive-start-to-nbl|title=Tyrell Harrison standing tall for Franklin Bulls through impressive start to NBL|work=stuff.co.nz|date=20 April 2023|access-date=20 April 2023}}{{cite web|last=Tailor|first=Leena|url=https://www.nowtolove.co.nz/parenting/pregnancy-birth/basketball-stars-tyrell-and-kalani-expecting-baby-girl-47050|title=Basketball stars Tyrell and Kelani's baby joy|work=nowtolove.co.nz|date=18 May 2023|access-date=31 May 2023}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{2018 New Zealand Commonwealth Games team}}
{{2022 New Zealand Commonwealth Games team}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Purcell, Kalani}}
Category:BYU Cougars women's basketball players
Category:Forwards (basketball)
Category:Junior college women's basketball players in the United States
Category:New Zealand expatriate basketball people in the United States
Category:New Zealand expatriate basketball people in Australia
Category:New Zealand women's basketball players
Category:Basketball players at the 2018 Commonwealth Games
Category:Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for New Zealand
Category:Commonwealth Games medallists in basketball
Category:People educated at John Paul College (Brisbane)
Category:Medallists at the 2018 Commonwealth Games
Category:Basketball players at the 2022 Commonwealth Games