Basketball: Long work-out to prepare Tall Blacks for world champs

The Tall Blacks will have a 14-game build-up to the world championships in Japan, double that of their run to Indianapolis in 2002.

Basketball New Zealand has arranged a schedule including a tour of South America and games against Qatar in the South Island as a last pre-championships work-out.

Coach Tab Baldwin has named a 29-man train-on squad with a host of new prospects including Canterbury guard Jeremy Kench, Waikato forward Ben Hill and Mike Fitchett from Nelson, Manawatu utility Aaron Nowell, Australia-based Aaron and Calum Baynes and Zane Meehl, son of Tall Black Warwick.

There are six players from United States colleges and seven from the Aussie NBL.

Sean Marks is not listed but hope remains that he will reverse his decision to retire from international basketball. Otago centre Miles Pearce returns to national consideration after missing out in recent years.

The squad will be trimmed to 20 in mid-June for a training camp beginning on July 3.

Only 12 can go to Japan and of the 29 named perhaps there will be four newcomers because eight are dead certs: Captain Pero Cameron, point guards Mark Dickel and Paul Henare, shooting guards Kirk Penney and Aaron Olson, centre Tony Rampton, small forward Dillon Boucher and one American resident forward, either incumbent Ed Book or possibly more likely, Auckland captain Casey Frank.

The Tall Blacks play South American heavyweights Brazil and Argentina as well as Venezuela in a four-way tournament and Baldwin expects those teams to field their top players from the NBA.

Before flying to Japan the Tall Blacks play Qatar, world ranking 28, in Dunedin on August 11 and Invercargill on August 13.

Tall Blacks
World championship build-up:

July 12 and 14 v Australia, Napier.
July 18 and 19 v Australia, venue TBC.
July 22, 23, 26 and 29 v Brazil, venue TBC.
July 30 v Argentina, Buenos Aires.
July 31 v Brazil, Buenos Aires.
August 1 v Venezuela, Buenos Aires.
August 2 v Argentina, Buenos Aires.
August 11 v Qatar, Dunedin.
August 13 v Qatar, Invercargill.