Basketball: Coach expects Cameron to fire

Tall Blacks captain Pero Cameron made the all-star team in Indianapolis four years ago. Paul Kane / Getty Images

Can Tall Blacks captain Pero Cameron repeat his World Basketball Championship heroics of four years ago?

The man who knows his game better than anyone, coach Tab Baldwin, has no hesitation in saying yes.

As the team prepared to start the 2006 tournament in Japan, Baldwin gave his captain the ultimate vote of confidence after some scratchy performances in the Tall Blacks' leadup.

"I fully expect all along he has been gearing himself up for the world championship," Baldwin said.

"Pero's not a young athlete anymore, and I have so much trust and faith in him and his ability to rise to the occasion that I believe we're going to see Pero play some excellent basketball in Japan."

At 32, the 1.98m tall and 120kg Cameron is again tasked with leading the way in Japan as he did so effectively when the Tall Blacks stunned the basketball world in Indianapolis, finishing fourth.

He hit shots from everywhere, crashed into taller opponents under the basket and grabbed key rebounds.

It earned him a place in the tournament's all-star five alongside German star Dirk Nowitzki and Chinese beanpole Yao Ming.

Cameron acknowledged himself he was off key in the recent series against Australia. He was struck down by a viral infection in Brazil during the South American tour before finding some form in the two wins against Qatar.

He scored 16 points, only behind scoring machine Phill Jones, in the second match in Invercargill at the weekend, which eased his coach's mind.

"I think he played really well against Qatar and he's starting to play more like he did towards the end of the Turkish season when he was playing some great basketball."

Cameron, who followed Baldwin to Turkey to play club basketball for Banvitspour and has signed there for another season, has been part of the core Tall Blacks group for the better part of a decade.

Their strength, as Australia coach Brian Goorjian observed last month, was their finely honed combinations compared with other teams who were thrown together at late notice.

Much like the last world championship, the Tall Blacks' strengths and weaknesses are clear.

"We are an experienced team, a team that's very mature," Baldwin said. "The one weakness that teams will point at, and we will look at ourselves, is that we don't have a lot of depth in our front line.

"We have a lot of experience in our front line with the exception of Craig Bradshaw, but he's playing like an experienced player.

"We just have to work very hard to make sure our tactics and strategies don't allow us to be exposed for a lack of depth in our front line."

Slick outside shooting and tough defence, led by Cameron, will again be their key.

First up are the tough Spanish team, ranked fifth in the world, in Hiroshima tomorrow night.

Baldwin knows Spain, with their high-octane running game, won't underestimate the Tall Blacks and he's not worried about losing the element of surprise this time.

"They're a great team, you just need to look at their results and look at their experience ... But I don't think teams will spend time trying to work out our systems and try to counter everything we do.

"They would need a lot of time to do that. They know they have to play hard and play well to beat us."


Here they are

Dillon Boucher
* Forward, age 29, 1.96m.
* Defensive specialist who provides non-stop hustle. A Tall Blacks regular since 2001.

Craig Bradshaw
* Forward, 22, 2.05m.
* International debut against Australia, 2004, and went to the Athens Olympics that year.

Pero Cameron
* Forward, 32, 1.98m.
* Captain. Backbone of the Tall Blacks since debuting in 1994, instrumental in their semifinal finish at the 2002 world championships.

Mark Dickel
* Guard, 29, 1.88m.
* Nicknamed "Sparky" for his electric speed, part of the national team since 1994. Tested positive to cannabis use last week.

Casey Frank
* Forward, 28, 2.03m.
* Frank came to New Zealand in 2002 to play for Auckland in the NBL and has been here since. Has played pro basketball in the US, France and Sweden. Tall Blacks debut in 2005.

Paul Henare
* Guard, 27, 1.82m.
* Henare debuted for New Zealand in 1998. The team's safest ball handler has played in the Yugoslavian national league, and captains the NZ Breakers.

Mika Vukona
* Forward, 24, 1.93m.
* A powerful rebounder and tough defender, Vukona made his international debut on 2005 tour of China. Voted Outstanding Kiwi Forward in 2005 and Breakers Players' Player of the Year 2006.

Phill Jones
* Guard, 32, 1.96m.
* Outstanding guard for nearly a decade. Debuted for the Tall Blacks in 1994. Jones ranked second among all scorers at the Athens Olympics, averaging 21.0 points.

Aaron Olson
* Guard, 28, 1.95m.
* Canadian-born Olson qualifies for the Tall Blacks through his Kiwi mother. Known for his outside shooting and gritty defence, he debuted for New Zealand in 2003.

Kirk Penney
* Guard, 25, 1.95m.
* Twice named an all-conference player during an outstanding college career with University of Wisconsin, and became the second Kiwi in the NBA when he appeared for the Miami Heat in 2003.

Tony Rampton
* Centre, 32, 2.13m
* Attended Iowa State University and represented New Zealand at the world U23 championships in 1997. Tall Blacks debut in 1999, and was a key figure in New Zealand's victory over Australia to qualify for the 2002 world championships.

Paora Winitana
* Guard/forward, 29, 1.95m.
* Leads the pre-match haka, has unquestioned athletic ability and is best going to the basket. Selected for the 2004 Athens Olympics and 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games.

- NZPA