Basketball: Cameron's chemistry lesson

New Zealand coach Tab Baldwin will again combine with captain Pero Cameron (left) for the world champs in Japan. Picture / Mark Mitchell

MELBOURNE - Trying to get Pero Cameron to gush about his career highlights is as hard as getting Shane Warne to admit he doesn't like text messaging.

Mention Indianapolis 2002, and it seems almost embarrassing to the friendly giant of New Zealand basketball that he was named one of the five players of the tournament, an inspiration as the Tall Blacks hit the rarefied air of fourth place.

"If we hadn't won any games no one would have given me any accolades. Team success creates success for individuals," he says, firmly. Change subject.

A month from the 2006 worlds in Japan and he's more concerned about his efforts in the transtasman series which have been worryingly below the usual Cameron levels in a black singlet.

In Hobart on Monday he hit just one of his seven shots, and missed three from three from the foul line. He got in foul trouble and coach Tab Baldwin played him for only 20 minutes.

His team let the Aussies storm back from 17 points down to pip them 78-79. Little wonder he is wearing a grey beanie wandering around the team's Melbourne hotel foyer with a look that might scare children.

There was one magic moment in Hobart, an around-the-back Cameron pass to Aaron Olson who duly deposited the two points. Cue the "form is temporary" line.

He refuses to dwell on the past, good or bad, and the Cameron grin doesn't take long to surface as he eyes the next two months.

Forget what happens in the four-match transtasman series, it's all geared towards their world championship opener against Spain, he says.

"Physically I feel fine. My fitness levels are increasing with all the training and games. Mentally I feel great and I feel like the team relationship as a whole is great. We're all on the same page. We've got two very good coaches."

It's largely the same personnel this time, four years wiser, and canny coach Tab Baldwin again pulling the strings with assistant Nenad Vucinic.

The word "chemistry" features often and was a key part of the Tall Blacks' 2002 journey.

Unheralded before the tournament started, they mixed it up with taller and more skilful opponents and at the end were sandwiched between two world giants, third-placed Germany and fifth-placed Spain.

The tournament All-Star five read: Dirk Nowitzki (Germany), Yao Ming (China), Predrag Stojakovic (Yugoslavia), Manu Ginobli (Argentina), and ... wait for it: P Cameron, born in Tokoroa.

The previous four are NBA big names but while Cameron was eyed by NBA scouts after the 2004 Olympics, it didn't progress further.

The event of four years ago is a high bar to reach in the next tournament and this time everyone will see the men in black coming.

But it seems confidence isn't an issue.

"We all want to get there, we want to get gold and be No 1. We can't do it individually and Tab has a very good plan," Cameron says.

"We need to function efficiently as a team because individually we're not as capable as some of these other teams with six, seven, eight guys who are NBA prospects.

"We need chemistry to get good shots and make it difficult for the other team to get easy shots. If we don't have that we'll be found wanting."

The opener against Spain is the key match for the Tall Blacks to draw their line in the sand.

"I'm not worried about top-four, it's all aimed at winning that first game against Spain. After that we analyse the next game."

New Zealand basketball fans can only hope Cameron, 32, returns to his vintage best - nailing shots from everywhere, hurling miracle assists and crashing bodies under the basket.

He's taking wife Jenelle and children Tobias, Flynn and Layla off to Turkey again after the worlds for another year at Banvitspour, a happy environment, then after that is uncertain.

But despite his recent form, Cameron warns not to write his basketballing obituary yet.

- NZPA