Basketball: Cull hardens resolve for 2004 qualifiers

By PETER JESSUP

The mood in the New Zealand camp at breakfast yesterday was sombre but committed as four players cut from the Olympic qualifying series against Australia had their last meal with the team.

Forwards Mike Homik and Brendon Polyblank and guards Paora Winitana and Lindsay Tait will not take part in the three-game series that tips off in Bendigo tonight, but the experience of watching them cut had hardened resolve in the rest, said coach Tab Baldwin.

"They've been supportive of the guys who won't play. Breakfast was quiet - everyone took a knock.

"But I think now there's some determination to get some wins to lift spirits. We didn't get the results we wanted in Europe [three losses at the Turkey World Cup] but nothing will distract us from this series."

Auckland shooting guard Aaron Olson was one winner, chosen because he had proved in Turkey that he could also control from point at international level.

"I wanted to give Aaron time there at the Istanbul tournament and he came up trumps," Baldwin said. "He's another scorer out on the floor when he's at the point. He puts pressure on Mark Dickel and Paul Henare, he's a good floor general and great defender."

Australian-born Miles Pearce gets a forward spot ahead of Wellington's Polyblank, the latter suffering diarrhoea after the Turkey tour. Henare and Tony Rampton had the illness while in Turkey.

"That didn't help us," Baldwin said, but better attitude and commitment were required if the Tall Blacks were to improve a 3-33 record against the Australians in FIBA Olympic qualifying games. The Boomers have won 14 series to the one the New Zealanders seized in 1999.

Since 2001, when they lost the world championship qualifying series, the Boomers have waited desperately for revenge. Baldwin said the Tall Blacks were trying to detach themselves from that sort of emotion "because I don't believe it will serve us any purpose".

Not so for Boomers' coach Brian Goorjian, whose predecessor, Phil Smyth, was sacked after losing.

"It becomes important to Australian basketball that we are the best team in the Oceania region," Goorjian said. "It has been something that has traditionally belonged to Australia, and we need to get that back for Australian basketball and the general public support of the Boomers and Australian basketball.

"This is going to be the fiercest battle in the history of this series because of what took place last time - that New Zealand have played in the world championship and got fourth in the world ranking.

"We have been embarrassed and humiliated and are trying to fight back and step back.

"For the first time, Australia are going to give New Zealand great credibility and respect - we don't want to remain in the position we've been in over the last two years."

The Boomers took first points in the psychological battle when the Tall Blacks were sent to train at the substandard Bendigo YMCA while the home team had the match venue. The court at the "Y" was about 2m short and 1m too narrow, one hoop was broken and the other bent, and the floor was dirty.

"We couldn't use it for anything serious because the guys would get used to those dimensions and it wouldn't have helped," Baldwin said.

"It was pretty unprofessional."

After two sessions at the hall in Eagle Hawk just outside Bendigo, the Tall Blacks shifted to the back court at the main leisure centre.

There is still concern about Pero Cameron's injury to the index finger of his shooting hand, suffered in the NBL final.

"Pero is way short of 100 per cent - you can see it's bothering him a lot," Baldwin said. Cameron will play with the finger taped.

Baldwin expects Australia to try a running game, and then fall back on three-time Olympian Shane Heal's long-range ability when stopped. But Heal has been struggling with an Achilles tendon injury.

The Boomers suffered another setback when a torn stomach muscle forced centre Paul Rogers out of the series.

Rogers, the 2000 Australian national league Most Valuable Player, suffered the injury during the Boomers' tour of Europe.

An MRI scan indicated he would struggle to get through the three-match assignment.

It is the second time Rogers has missed a transtasman series. Injury also ruled him out of New Zealand's historic 2001 win.

Goorjian said the Boomers had respect for shooting guards Phill Jones and Kirk Penney from the perimeter. But it is point guard Dickel they fear.

"Dickel is the centrepiece to the team. Our ability to control and contain him and keep him from controlling the tempo of the game will be key for us.

"That has been a weakness of ours overseas [six losses, two wins on the European tour]."

With Australia having lost rugby's Bledisloe Cup and the world netball championship in the past month, another defeat at the hands of New Zealanders would not sit well.

"Most Australians don't like to be beaten by New Zealanders at anything and it seems to be happening a lot lately with the netball and the rugby union," Heal said.

"There's a bit of pride to be upheld.

"But they're an improving nation. They've got two players in the NBA now, they're fourth in the world and they probably come here as favourites."

Daunting history Of the 15 FIBA Oceania Olympic qualifying series, Australia have won 14 to New Zealand's one - in 1999, when they beat Guam. (Australia were automatic qualifiers as host nation.)

Overall, Australia have won 33 games to New Zealand's three - in 1978, 67-65, and in 2001, 85-78 and 89-78.

This series determines seedings for Athens because the region gets two spots at next year's Olympics.

Game one is in Bendigo tonight, the second is in Geelong on Wednesday night and the third in Melbourne on Thursday. All will screen on TV2 from 10.30pm each night.

Squads:

Tall Blacks:

Forwards: Pero Cameron (capt, Waikato Titans/Breakers); Miles Pearce (Hunter Pirates); Dillon Boucher (Waikato Titans/Breakers); Tony Rampton (Cairns Taipans). Forward-centre: Ed Book (Nelson Giants). Guards: Phill Jones (Nelson Giants/Breakers); Paul Henare (Hawkes Bay Hawks/Breakers); Aaron Olson (Auckland Stars/Breakers); Kirk Penney (University of Wisconsin/Minnesota Timberwolves trialist); Mark Dickel (Otago Nuggets/Oostende Belgium).

Boomers:

Centre: Chris Anstey (formerly NBA, Ural Great, Russia, 65 games for Australia). Forwards: Tony Ronaldson (Perth Wildcats, 209 tests); Matthew Nielsen (Sydney Kings, 61 tests); Stephen Black (Brisbane Bullets, debut); Sam Mackinnon (West Sydney, debut). Guard/forward: Glen Saville (Wollongong Hawks, 57 tests).

Guards: Matthew Campbell (Wollongong Hawks, 25 tests); John Rillie (West Sydney, 20 tests); Shane Heal (formerly Sydney Kings, 186 tests); Jason Smith (Sydney Kings, 38 tests); David Stiff (Sydney Kings, debut).