Kenneth Tuffin

In this Philippine name, the middle name or maternal family name is Diocares and the surname or paternal family name is Tuffin.

Kenneth James Diocares Tuffin^[1] (born 5 May 1997) is a Filipino-New Zealand basketball player for the Phoenix Fuel Masters of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).

Kenneth Tuffin

No. 20 – Phoenix Fuel Masters
Position	Small forward / shooting guard
League	PBA
Personal information
Born	(1997-05-05) 5 May 1997 (age 28) Wellington, New Zealand
Nationality	Filipino / New Zealand
Listed height	194 cm (6 ft 4 in)
Career information
High school	St Patrick's College, Silverstream
College	FEU (2016–2019)
PBA draft	2023: 1st round, 6th overall pick
Selected by the Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters
Playing career	2020–present
Career history
2020	Taranaki Mountainairs
2021–2023	Wellington Saints
2023–present	Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters / Phoenix Fuel Masters
Career highlights
PBA All-Rookie Team (2024) NZNBL champion (2021)

Early life and education

Tuffin was born on 5 May 1997^[2] in New Zealand, spending his childhood in Wellington. As a child, Tuffin had watched games of the New Zealand National Basketball League^[3] and his father used to take him to basketball games.^[4]

For his high school studies, Tuffin attended St. Patrick's College in Upper Hutt.^[5] He was widely involved in his high school's academic program, playing for St Patrick's basketball, cricket, and rugby teams.^[6]

He moved to the Philippines at age 18 to pursue collegiate studies at the Far Eastern University in Manila.^[3]

Collegiate career

Tuffin played for the FEU Tamaraws basketball team which played at the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP).^[3] FEU did not finish outside the Final Four, in all seasons that Tuffin played (Season 79 to 82; 2016–2019).^[5] In Season 82, Tuffin was made captain of the Tamaraws.^[7]

Professional career

New Zealand

Taranaki Mountaineers (2020)

Tuffin was the 44th overall selection in New Zealand NBL for the 2020 season. He was selected by the Taranaki Mountainairs. Prior to the draft, Tuffin secured consent from FEU to play in the NBL and joined the league as an amateur player.^[8]

He planned to play professionally after he graduated from FEU to potentially play in the Philippine Basketball Association.^[9][10] However in December 2020, he decided to forego his final year of eligibility to play for FEU after UAAP Season 83's cancellation and decided to turn professional.^[11]

Wellington Saints (2021–2023)

After suiting up for the Taranaki Mountaineers, Tuffin moved to the Wellington Saints for the 2021 season.^[12] Tuffin was acquired by Wellington after the team decided to skip the 2020 season.^[13][14] He continued on with the Saints in 2022^[15] and 2023.^[16]

Philippines

Phoenix Fuel Masters (2023–present)

In 2023, he returned to the Philippines and applied for the PBA season 48 draft,^[17] where he was selected sixth overall by the Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters. On October 2, 2023, he signed a three-year rookie contract with the team.^[18]

Career statistics

PBA

Legend
GP	Games played	MPG	Minutes per game	FG%	Field-goal percentage
3FG%	3-point field-goal percentage	4P%	4-point field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

As of the end of 2024–25 season^[19]

Season-by-season averages

Year	Team	GP	MPG	FG%	3P%	4P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2023–24	Phoenix Super LPG / Phoenix	28	30.7	.425	.352	—	.647	5.0	1.8	.6	.1	10.7
2024–25	Phoenix	33	22.6	.509	.421	—	.813	4.3	.9	.5	.1	7.9
Career		61	26.3	.460	.377	—	.727	4.6	1.3	.6	.1	9.2

NZNBL

Legend
GP	Games played	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field-goal percentage	3P%	3-point field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

Season-by-season averages

Year	Team	GP	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2020	Taranaki	15	23.6	.450	.431	.938	4.3	.9	.7	.2	9.2
2021	Wellington	20	22.8	.496	.493	.737	3.3	.8	1.2	.1	8.4
2022	Wellington	19	22.9	.403	.378	.750	2.7	1.0	.8	.1	8.2
2023	Wellington	19	14.0	.379	.324	.900	2.0	.6	.7	.1	3.7
Career		73	20.7	.437	.417	.808	3.0	.8	.9	.1	7.3

National team career

Tuffin is eligible to play for the national teams of the Philippines and New Zealand. He is among the 23 youths included in the Philippines' #23for23 pool of players for the 2023 FIBA World Cup.^[20] He was also included in New Zealand's pool for the 2020 Summer Olympics and the 2022 Commonwealth Games.^[21]

Personal life

Tuffin's mother was born in Rosario, La Union, and has relatives living in the provinces of Pampanga and Pangasinan.^[10]