Perhaps the youngest ever Tall Blacks team to take the court in an official FIBA tournament will do so tonight when Paul Henares fresh side take on Kazakhstan in their first game at the 2017 Asia Cup in Beirut, Lebanon.
With an average age of just 23, the Tall Blacks are taking a step into the unknown when they play Kazakhstan, Lebanon and South Korea in three pool games, with the top three teams earning the right to stay in the tournament, with the winner of the group automatically progressing to the quarterfinals.
Henare though does not second guess himself when it comes to the decision to give his senior players a breather as he contemplates a busy international calendar, with FIBA World Cup qualifying games and the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games assuming top priority for a group of players that are not paid to pull on the black singlet.
"I wouldnt change a thing about the way we have approached this international window. We are playing the long game here, for the benefit of our experienced players to ensure they are fully committed and available come the international windows and Commonwealth Games, but also for the benefit of this group on tour, and they are the sole focus as we start the Asia Cup.
"We are building depth for the future while enabling a very capable group of young men to find their feet on the international stage. There are no excuses, we will hit the floor knowing the task that is in front of us and we are aiming to win every game we play, that is simply the Tall Blacks way. If anything, this has gone better than I had planned, I know that the players as individuals and as a team have worked their butts off, trained hard, travelled well and picked up some good experiences to learn from."
