Basketball: Tall Blacks glad to have Dickel back on board

Mark Dickel described his cannabis use as 'a lapse of judgment and momentary weakness'. Sandra Teddy / Getty Images

The drugs cloud hanging over Mark Dickel's participation in the world basketball championship lifted yesterday when he was cleared to join his Tall Blacks colleagues in Japan.

The experienced point guard, who has just served a two-match suspension for testing positive to cannabis, was provisionally included in the 12-man squad named yesterday before their opening match against Spain on Saturday.

His status remained uncertain, though, with Dickel also taking part in a Sports Disputes Tribunal hearing in Wellington to consider his case.

Within two hours of being named as a provisional choice, Dickel's plane ticket out of Auckland on Thursday was confirmed when the tribunal decided to warn and reprimand him.

Other options open to the tribunal included fining Dickel, 29 and a Tall Black since 1994, or imposing a suspension because cannabis use is banned under the World Anti-Doping Code prohibited list.

The tribunal said Dickel did not use cannabis to enhance sports performance and in this case it had been used recreationally - at a party in the United States five weeks before the drugs test, which was returned after an international against Australia in Napier on July 12.

It said Dickel described his cannabis use as "a lapse of judgment and momentary weakness" when with friends.

"He expressed considerable remorse and has been exposed to adverse publicity," the tribunal said, adding that Dickel's two-match ban had cost him about $1000 in match fees and allowances.

Basketball New Zealand acting chief executive Barry Wilson welcomed the tribunal's decision, describing it as "fair given the circumstances".

"As an organisation, we are committed to drug-free sport and believe our actions on this occasion have shown that."

Earlier, New Zealand team management responded to the positive drugs test result, announced last Friday, by banning Dickel for the home series against Qatar, won 2-0 by New Zealand.

Team management always hoped any further punishment would not stop Dickel taking his place on the playing roster in Japan.

Coach Tab Baldwin was a relieved man, saying Dickel's predicament had been a disruption as the team prepared for the championship.

"Our only wish is for Mark to be back on board as soon as possible," Baldwin said shortly before he was granted his wish.

It would have seriously dented the team's prospects if Dickel missed the championship.

"It would hurt us if we didn't have Mark available simply because we'd go to the world champs with only one specialist point guard [Paul Henare]," he said.

"If Paul Henare got hurt we'd obviously be in pretty dire straits."

Baldwin had placed Waikato forward Ben Hill on standby in case Dickel was ruled out.

Hill had lost his place in the squad to Nelson forward Mika Vukona, who swayed the selectors with an industrious performance against Qatar in Invercargill on Sunday.

Vukona, omitted from the squad for recent tours of Australia and South America, brought energy off the bench with four points, six rebounds and two assists in 11 minutes during the team's 99-76 win.

Baldwin said the decision to demote Hill, who debuted against Australia last month, had been difficult.

"We [selectors] felt Benny demonstrated at times a little bit of inexperience at this level, which concerned us.

"We felt comfortable that Mika would give us more of what we wanted, particularly at the defensive end and in rebounding. He showed against Qatar that he had a great desire to work his way back into the squad."

Vukona, 24, who first played for New Zealand last year, admitted he thought the chance of making the team for Japan had passed him by.

"I hoped I'd done enough [against Qatar] just to be looked at. I hadn't planned on this," Vukona said.

Baldwin cushioned the blow for Hill by saying he saw a future for the Waikato forward at international level.

"Very few players walk into this environment and right away stand out," said Baldwin.

"I think he can be a great contributor to Tall Blacks basketball, not just a guy who sits on the fringes.

"He could really work his way into being a key performer for the team."

* Tall Blacks squad: Dillon Boucher, Craig Bradshaw, Pero Cameron, Mark Dickel, Casey Frank, Paul Henare, Phill Jones, Aaron Olson, Kirk Penney, Tony Rampton, Mika Vukona, Paora Winitana.

- NZPA