By PETER JESSUP
New Zealand face the unknown when they meet the Hungarians in Auckland tomorrow night for the first of five tests.
The Tall Blacks will be without long-term captain Pero Cameron, who has struggled with a calf injury since he returned from a season in England.
The leader will
be Mark Dickel, chosen by coach Tab Baldwin because he wanted someone to drive the team, not just lead it.
Scans on Cameron's injury yesterday showed progress was being made in rehab, and he will play the Europe tour and world championships.
Point-guard Dickel, 25, was a star at the Sydney Olympics and has just signed for a third season in the Australian league with the Victorian Titans. His father, Carl, coached Otago and the Tall Ferns team to Sydney, which was also a factor in Dickel's selection, Baldwin said.
"He has a coach's brain out there and anything I want to get to the players, I've got as good a conduit as possible."
Coach and new captain are pleased with the intensity in training camp this week. They expect tough physical encounters against a skilful Hungarian outfit.
They will have an advantage first-up, given that the visitors arrived yesterday and are missing five first-starters from their European championship team. They are using the tour as a chance to blood newcomers.
Their star is forward Kornel David, 31, who has been four years in the NBA with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons and now the Washington Wizards, after starting with the Toronto Raptors.
International governing body FIBA ranks the Tall Blacks 19, and Hungary 24.
The first game at the North Shore Events Centre will be a matter of testing each other out. There have been no matches in recent history, no player cross-over and neither side are sure of the other's style.
Baldwin indicated he would have an extensive post-mortem of the video and have a specific plan for the next games.
