Basketball: Skipper out of squad's US tour

By PETER JESSUP

The New Zealand development squad tour to the United States looks set to go ahead, but they will leave without the first-named captain, Dillon Boucher.

Boucher, the Auckland captain and Tall Black, has a tough time ahead with one week of training and a game with the Adelaide 36ers in a bid to secure a season-long job there.

The Adelaide side are coached by Phil Smyth, who resigned after eight months as coach of Australia when they lost the world championship qualifying series to New Zealand.

Boucher leaves at the weekend. The contract allows the club to cut him at the end of one week.

"It's brutal, but from their point of view if I don't work out they have to find another import," Boucher said.

The Australian league allows two overseas players, and they are usually Americans.

If Boucher makes the grade, he will be the third Tall Black playing in the Australian league after Mark Dickel, of the Victorian Titans, and Tony Rampton, of the Cairns Taipans.

Boucher said he was sure he could cut it against the Australians and wanted to go to Adelaide committed to earning a job.

It was his decision not to keep his options open with the New Zealand development side, who are due to leave on November 1 for eight games in 12 days.

Auckland guard Paul Henare has also pulled out of that tour, citing personal reasons. He and his wife of a year have just had their first child.

The replacements are Ben Valentine, 20, of Auckland, and Michael Fitchett, 19, of Nelson. Auckland's Daryl Cartwright, who was a standby player for the series with the Australian Boomers, is the new captain.

The squad were yesterday invited to carry on from the US to Lisbon for a five-way international tournament including the Portuguese side and others from Europe. A decision on whether to accept has yet to be made.

There is also hope that the development side will get to watch the Washington Wizards practise and one of their games for the experience of meeting the wizard of basketball, Michael Jordan, as he makes his comeback.

Basketball New Zealand is maintaining contact with the Government and will take advice from it on the safety of the visit in light of the terrorist attacks, but is inclined to go.

A final decision will be made in the middle of next week after manager David Crocker returns from Europe.