Basketball: Bartlett, Kenny enjoy distraction

Everard Bartlett has the freedom to go on the offence. Photo/Paul Taylor

It's still hurting and that feeling isn't about to dissipate anytime soon for Everard Bartlett, especially when he steps on to THAT court again tonight.

However, the fact IMS Payroll Hawks player Bartlett and teammate Jarrod Kenny went straight to the New Zealand camp in Auckland last week for the trials after the Bartercard National Basketball League (NBL) Final Fours in Wellington does help take things off their mind.

"The pain never goes away after a finals," said the 28-year-old last night before the world No19 Tall Blacks tip off in their first test match against No31 Korea at the TSB Arena in the capital.

"We came so close and tripped at the last hurdle so we'll be feeling the pain for a long time," the Hawks shooting guard said from his Wellington hotel, after the Shane Heal-coached Pacific Jewellers Saints thumped them 85-69 in the grand final a fortnight ago.

It was the Tab Baldwin-coached Hawks' lowest score of the 2014 NBL season even though they were unbeaten at home and had won the minor premiership bragging rights.

"This camp and the tour series is definitely taking our minds off it [the NBL grand final loss]," Bartlett said, as the Nenad Vucinic-coached New Zealanders also face Korea in Tauranga on Thursday and Auckland on Saturday.

The 17-strong Tall Blacks squad, with the help of assistant coaches Paul Henare and Pero Cameron, will all be hanging out for minutes on the court.

Bartlett will play second fiddle to classy shooting guard Kirk Penney.

Ultimately, after the tour of Lithuania, China, Greece, Latvia and Serbia, the Kiwis are effectively vying for a berth to the Fiba-sanctioned World Cup in Spain next month.

Bartlett has been in the New Zealand squad since 2012 and should he make the cut for the overseas tour, it'll be his third year.

"It's a big prep time and there'll be a lot of games."

The former Perth Wildcats player has had a memorable NBL 2014 after a season to forget with the Paora Winitana-captained Hawks last year when he discovered the Aussie franchise had dropped him with a changing of guards in their coaching department.

"It did take its toll and spurred me on this year."

He has since dropped baskets from downtown and, at times to the thrill of the Pettigrew-Green Arena faithful, even from the carpark. His achievements this winter included double-double points and assists, often playing through niggly injuries because the team regularly relied on his starting-five prowess when the chips were down.

"I got a lot of compliments because I was working hard and consistently performing," he said, something the Tall Blacks stable of coaches took into account as well after Vucinic and Cameron acknowledged that during a press conference minutes before the NBL grand final had tipped off at the TSB Arena.

Bartlett had to answer an SOS from his wife and children, based in Perth, late last month because of ailments but returned a few days later for the Final Fours.

So what was going well for him this season?

"It had a lot to do with being in the right space mentally," he explained.

That peace of mind also extended to off-court management, he felt, lauding Baldwin and the Hawke's Bay NBL franchise for their professionalism and dedication.

"It just made it so easy for us players to focus on playing basketball."

Hawks point guard Kenny has hurt his ankle but is likely to be fit for the next two Tall Blacks tests.