Basketball: Baldwin to face off against Tall Blacks

Former Tall Blacks coach Tab Baldwin has been appointed coach of Lebanon for this year’s world championships. Photo / Mark Mitchell

New Zealand will have a familiar foe plotting their downfall at this year's basketball world championships after Tab Baldwin was announced today as coach of Lebanon.

Baldwin, 51, who guided the Tall Blacks to the 2002 world championship semifinals, will guide a Lebanon side who are in the same pool as New Zealand at the championships in Turkey starting on August 28. The other sides are France, Spain, Lithuania and Canada.

Baldwin's new post was announced this morning by Lebanon Basketball Federation president Pierre Kakhia.

"New Zealand is one of the teams we face. He knows the mentality and the way their players play," Kakhia told the fiba.com website.

"He has a good CV (curriculum vitae).

"He is the coach through the qualification for London 2012 (Olympics). We asked him to bring his assistants, physical trainers."

Baldwin will take charge of a preliminary group of Lebanon players on June 7 and will have a budget of US$1 million ($1.4 million).

He has been coaching at club level in Europe since finishing his six-year Tall Blacks' tenure in 2006. He has been mentor at Turkish club Kepez Bld for the past two years.

Baldwin's reputation has been tarnished this year by the Auckland Stars' dumping from this year's National Basketball League amid alleged financial irregularities.

An absentee owner of the Stars club, Baldwin bore the brunt of the blame when the NBL's administration found it to be insolvent while there were also allegations of missed payments to players and coaches.

- NZPA