Elevated to the Silver Ferns in 2002 as a 19-year-old, towering Taranaki goal shoot Daneka Wipiiti sprung to early prominence while playing for the Western Flyers.

Wipiiti continued to blossom after switching to the Northern Force, delivering a breakthrough year in 2002 when she put up more shots than any other shooter in the National Bank Cup and becoming the tallest Silver Fern in the process.

Coming from a basketball background, Wipiiti was a strong ball handler, had a good understanding of the workings of the circle and its space, and was an accurate shooter from range.

At the peak of her powers, Wipiiti was an impressive and influential figure under the hoop in offering another dimension to the team’s choice of shooter. Calm under pressure, Wipiiti had a confidence to turn and shoot from any point in the circle.

Wipiiti made her Silver Ferns debut in 2002 against Barbados in Invercargill and went on to play 18 Tests, including two Commonwealth Games (2002, 2010).