Basketball: Denham to help prepare for qualifier

WELLINGTON - Long-serving New Zealand basketball representative Glen Denham has been recalled to the Tall Blacks squad to prepare for their Olympic Games qualifying match in Auckland next month.

Denham was yesterday named in coach Keith Mair's squad of 14 which will be narrowed down to 10 for the match against Guam at the North Shore Events Centre on October 2. New Zealand will play American Samoa for one Olympic women's spot the same day.

Other Pacific nations, including Samoa and Fiji, have withdrawn from the Oceania qualifying tournament leaving just the two teams to vie for the one games spot.

Australia, as Olympic Games host, have automatic entry to the games.

Auckland's Pero Cameron will return to captain the Tall Blacks for the one-off game from his English club Chester.

Seven New Zealand players are unavailable for the game - Sean Marks, Paul Henare, Kirk Penney, Michael Tompson, Mark Dickel (all in the United States), Phill Jones (in Greece) and Ralph Lattimore (injured).

The squad will assemble in the week before the game against Guam, and will also use the time to prepare for an eight-game tour of the United States scheduled for November 3-17.

The 12 players for this tour will be the squad of 14 named yesterday, minus Cameron, who is returning to England, and Denham, who is unavailable.

New Zealand: Pero Cameron (capt, Auckland), Chris Tupu (Wellington), Kent Mori (Taranaki), Judd Flavell (Nelson), Brendon Cathie-Pongia (North Harbour), David Langrell (Canterbury), Dillon Boucher (Auckland), Brad Riley (Nelson), Andrew Parke (North Harbour), Glen Denham (Otago), Andrew Gardiner (Wellington), Peter Pokai (Nelson), Robert Hickey(Canterbury), Tony Rampton (Taranaki).

New Zealand women's coach Carl Dickel yesterday named an experienced and mainly New Zealand-based team for the American Samoa match.

Dickel has recalled Waikato's Jodi Tini to the New Zealand team and selected one rookie, forward Justine Tuhakaraina of Waikato.

Taranaki's Kirstin Egan will lead the team.

New Zealand: Kirstin Egan (capt, Taranaki), Megan Compain (Palmerston North), Rebecca Cotton (Wellington), Gina Farmer (Canterbury), Sally Farmer (Waikato), Dianne L'Ami (Taranaki), Tracey Kelly (Sydney), Jodi Tini (Waikato),Justine Tuhakaraina (Waikato), Leanne Walker (Waikato).