Basketball: Both teams downplay chances in test

1.00pm

Preparation was the key word on the eve of the Tall Blacks-Boomers three-test basketball series in Hamilton tonight.

Both coaching staffs were claiming poor build-ups and downplaying their chances ahead of game one of the series at the Mystery Creek Events Centre.

While the New Zealand extended squad has been in camp since June 30 and the 15-man team since Monday, the Australian team started their season in May and played five games against European opponents last month.

Despite that, Boomers coach Brian Goorjian, who arrived in Hamilton with the team last night, was attempting to lower their favouritism status. Goorjian contended that bringing a number of new players into his national team was a disadvantage while New Zealand had a stable core group.

"We're at similar stages," he said. "They're where they are and we're where we are. I look at the group the Tall Blacks have, that have played juniors together and know each other well."

Tall Blacks assistant coach Nenad Vucinic was not buying into Goorjian's theory, saying there is no substitute for time on court.

The Australians went 3-2 on their tour to Italy, with wins over France and Croatia twice, and two losses to Italy, games Vucinic believed put them well ahead of the Tall Blacks.

"We think we're well under-done and under-prepared for a game against the type of opposition in Australia," Vucinic said last night.

The TAB concurred, opening the head-to-head odds for game one with Australia $1.20 favourites and New Zealand $4.

Coach Tab Baldwin's squad were humbled 3-0 by the Boomers in the Oceania qualification series last September and have lost their last six internationals after going 2-7 during 2003.

Playing at home they also have to deal with high expectations from casual sports fans, fuelled by their semifinal appearance at the 2002 World Basketball Championships.

"Public expectations since the World Champs have risen 200 million per cent but we like it that way," Vucinic said.

This series, part of both teams' Athens Olympic build-ups, should be remembered for what it is -- the seventh ranked nation in the FIBA rankings, in Australia, versus No 20, New Zealand.

"We like those expectations and enjoy playing under that," Vucinic said.

The Tall Blacks split their last four tests at Mystery Creek, with wins over the Czech Republic in 2003 and England in 2000, and losses to Australia in 2001 and Canada in 1998.

Pero Cameron's playing prospects for tonight appeared improved. Cameron took a full part in the Tall Blacks afternoon session yesterday, running freely and showing little sign of his calf injury.

"It's feeling good, I suppose. We'll see how tomorrow goes but I want to play," Cameron said after training.

Centre Ed Book sat out the second half of yesterday's training with a leg strain but it is not expected to keep him out of the line-up.

- NZPA