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Posted on Thursday, March 5th, 2026<\/p>\n
The Reunion: Matt Lacey on Taine Murray\u2019s Arrival at the Whai<\/p>\n
The Whai are making serious moves for the 2026 season, and the latest signing is one that will have the local basketball community buzzing. Taine Murray is coming home to Aotearoa. After stints at the University of Virginia and the Brisbane Bullets, Murray is reuniting with a coach who knows his game better than perhaps anyone else: Matt Lacey.<\/p>\n
We sat down with Coach Lacey to talk about the history between the two, the “pro\u2019s pro” mentality Taine brings to the locker room, and why this signing is a massive win for the fans in the Bay.<\/p>\n
What was your initial reaction when the opportunity came up to reunite with Taine at the Whai?
\nThis was an exciting opportunity. I know Taine super well, and I\u2019m very familiar with his character and the way he plays. When the chance came up, it was a no-brainer. He\u2019s coming off his collegiate experience at the University of Virginia and his first season with the Bullets, so it\u2019s another great opportunity to coach him at a stage of his career where he\u2019s really looking to take those next steps forward.<\/p>\n
You and Taine have a strong history together. What stands out most to you about your relationship and the journey you\u2019ve both been on since working together previously?
\nThe thing that really sticks out about Taine is his work ethic. I\u2019ve seen him transform from a young rugby player into the hardest-working player I\u2019ve ever coached at any level. That passion is what has allowed him to succeed in elite environments at the collegiate level and continue to progress in his professional career.<\/p>\n
Beyond the stats, culture is such a huge part of what you\u2019re building here. What does Taine bring to this Whai group in terms of the “intangibles” and team chemistry?
\nFor us, we wanted to make sure that we’re continually taking steps forward each year in terms of how we go about things\u2014the players we recruit and the standards we hold on and off the floor. Taine encapsulates a lot of that in terms of his professionalism, how he goes about his work, and the goals he has. He\u2019s going to be a massive addition in terms of what he does on the floor, but also his daily habits rubbing off on the guys trying to go on the same journey. We have a lot of young players and amateurs who I think will learn a lot from him.<\/p>\n
For Whai fans, what excites you most about seeing Taine back in your system for the 2026 season?
\nHe\u2019s a player who has a great amount of length and athleticism. I think he’ll be someone who plays out in transition and will be fun to watch in that regard. He\u2019ll also be a player who plays both ends\u2014a real core piece of our defensive system. Fans can expect someone who will make highlight plays, but also someone who will do the things that contribute to winning.<\/p>\n
With the 2026 season fast approaching, the addition of a high-IQ, high-energy player like Taine Murray suggests the Whai aren’t just looking to compete\u2026 they\u2019re looking to lead. It\u2019s going to be a fun year for Whai fans.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Posted on Thursday, March 5th, 2026 The Reunion: Matt Lacey on Taine Murray\u2019s Arrival at the Whai The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":519723,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[574],"tags":[64,63,726,85],"class_list":["post-519722","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-basketball","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-basketball","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/519722","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=519722"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/519722\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/519723"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=519722"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=519722"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=519722"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}