Basketball: Tall Black coach's divided loyalties

By PETER JESSUP

Tall Black coach Tab Baldwin will have divided attention during tomorrow's NBL final, the Auckland team in which he is a shareholder plays away to Nelson, who are coached by his great friend and assistant at national level Nenad Vucinic.

There is experience to burn around the final. Vucinic has been involved with eight finals series, Ed Book and Phill Jones have been with him most of that time and forward Mika Vukona has played in five at Nelson and Manawatu.

For Auckland, coach Kenny Stone was part of the team that beat Nelson in four finals games and Dillon Boucher has six titles.

Baldwin has been more than satisfied with what he's seen throughout the league season and is pleased he can settle down to watch the final for entertainment value.

"I expect a great game, plenty of intensity, a physical game because both sides can get physical in the rebounding. Hopefully there won't be any injuries."

There are several Tall Black contenders involved - Book and Jones, Boucher and Aaron Olson look certainties for the Australian three-test series, Giants Vukona and Lance Baker, Stars Lindsay Tait and Daniel Barritt are part of the 25-man train-on squad that will assemble in Whangarei next week.

There are also eight Breakers - Jones, Baker and Vukona at the Giants and Tait, Boucher, Olson, Mike Homik and Blake Truslove for the Stars. It's a credit to the Breakers' selection process and coaching, Baldwin said.

"At the beginning of the season everyone was talking about all the Australians but the only Aussie in the final is Truslove, so maybe that was overstated. Both these teams started slowly and maybe that was because the Breakers were tired after their season but at the right end of the NBL they have stepped up, they've all played well under pressure.

"Two weeks ago no one thought these teams would be in the final. Now they are, no one is surprised because they are both class acts."

The battle of the rebounds may decide things, Baldwin feels. Vukona and Darnell McCulloch are experts at getting the loose balls, Boucher and Frank have to match them. Auckland needs to put pressure on the Giants' guard line to win.

* The Tall Blacks squad of 25 plays a probables/possibles game in Whangarei on July 4. Ten players will be cut to leave the 15 to face Australia next month.

A further five will go before the team departs for a European build-up to its Athens Olympics tournament, three to reach the Olympic allowance of 12 players and two to accommodate the arrival of NBA players Sean Marks and Kirk Penney.

TEAMS

STARS

Lindsay Tait, Daniel Barritt, Reece Cassidy, Steven Bill, Aaron Olson, Dillon Boucher, Mike Homik, Blake Truslove, Casey Frank, Ben Valentine.

GIANTS

Ollie Hill, Lance Baker, Mark Jones, Chris Daniel, Tu Umaga-Marshall, Lance Toma, Phill Jones, Mika Vukona, Greg Lindstrom, Jeremiah Trueman, Ed Book, Darnell McCulloch.

KEY PLAYERS

GIANTS

Phill Jones 360pts from 123/286 field goals, 44/107 three-pointers, 70/79 free-throws, 88 rebounds, 67 assists, 52 turn-overs.

Darnell McCulloch 282pts, 131rebs.

Ed Book 200pts, 101rebs.

Lance Baker 216pts, 37rebs.

Mika Vukona 155pts, 123rebs.

STARS

Lindsay Tait 379pts from 135/265 field goals, 41/93 three-pointers, 68/82 free-throws, 60 rebounds, 68 assists, 63 turn-overs.

Casey Frank 319pts, 168rebs.

Aaron Olson 312pts, 51rebs.

Dillon Boucher 160pts, 123rebs.

Mike Homik 119pts, 71rebs.