Basketball: Injuries leave gaps in Tall Blacks

Injuries to centres Sean Marks and Tony Rampton pose an early challenge for the Tall Blacks in their build-up to the world championships in the United States in August.

Neither will be available for the next stage of "the road to Indianapolis," the second round of trials in Hamilton next month, or the subsequent visit to China from May 30 to June 6.

Marks must have surgery on his left hand next week after dislocating the same finger 12 times during the recently completed NBA regular season with the Miami Heat.

He will be in a cast for six weeks, but his rehabilitation will be aimed at getting back on court for the final stages of the Tall Blacks' world championship preparation.

Rampton, a star of last year's victory over Australia in the Oceania qualifying series and on contract with the Cairns Taipans in the Australian NBL, is recovering from an operation to remove calcium deposits from his ankle and will probably be unavailable for the China tour.

Losing both 2.13m giants will severely test New Zealand's depth in the big positions, particularly if China call on their "Great Wall" - NBA centres ZhiZhi Wang, of the Dallas Mavericks, Mengke Bateer, of the Denver Nuggets, and 2.28m Yao Ming, who is expected to be the top pick in this year's NBA draft.

"This is obviously a difficult scenario for us, because Sean and Tony comprise most of our quality size so important in international competition, and especially against China," Tall Black coach Tab Baldwin said yesterday.

"But at the same time, it presents us an opportunity to extend our trial situation and look at other players."

With Marks and Rampton temporarily out of the picture, Baldwin has opted for size to fill the one spot available to a naturalised American - incumbent Willie Burton from Hawkes Bay will face challenges from Auckland's Kenny Stone and Nelson's Ed Book.

Three players will return from off-season contracts overseas for the second round of trials in Hamilton.

Captain Pero Cameron and guards Phill Jones and Mark Dickel, all key members of the side who defeated the Boomers last year, missed the first trial last month in Lower Hutt as they fulfilled their foreign commitments.

Cameron was in England, Jones in Finland and Dickel in Australia.

But Baldwin has named all three among the 14 players invited to the camp in Hamilton from May 12-15.

Squad newcomers Troy McLean (Wellington), Paora Winitana (North Harbour) and Australian-born New Zealander Miles Pearce have survived the cut. At the end of the trial, Baldwin will name a 12-man team for the trip to China.

Squad: Ed Book (Nelson), Dillon Boucher (Waikato), Willie Burton (Hawkes Bay), Pero Cameron (Waikato), Mark Dickel, Judd Flavell (Nelson), Paul Henare (Hawkes Bay), Robert Hickey (Hawkes Bay), Phill Jones (Nelson), Troy McLean (Wellington), Miles Pearce (Manawatu), Damon Rampton (Nelson), Kenny Stone (Auckland) and Paora Winitana (North Harbour).

- NZPA