Basketball: Tall Blacks 'sitters' leave few spaces

Tall Blacks prospects assemble today for a camp in Auckland at which numbers will be whittled down ahead of the four-test series with Australia and the build-up to the August World Championships.

Coach Tab Baldwin studied the NBL semifinals at the weekend and declared himself happy with the standard of play and intensity.

Those involved in the NBL final on Saturday will be released to their teams for training. The national team assembles next Monday to prepare for the two tests against Australia in Napier then games in Hobart and Melbourne, a South American tournament, home games against Qatar and then the Japan World Champs.

Baldwin agreed that Stars captain Casey Frank and energy man Dillon Boucher had "a pretty good hold on roster spots" among the 12 he can take to the World Championships.

There appear to be some other sitters, with perhaps just three spots open to those in the camp this week. Hawks point guard Paul Henare is sure to be back-up for Moscow-based Mark Dickel. Israel-based Kirk Penney is a sitter for one shooting guard position as is veteran Phill Jones.

Pero Cameron will be starting centre and captain and Taranaki's Tony Rampton has produced good form in both the ANBL and NBL to push for the back-up spot he used to hold, height another advantage he has over other contenders.

Craig Bradshaw from Winthrop University in the US is said to have impressed Baldwin and looks likely to be one of nine assured of a spot.

Breakers guard Aaron Olson faces a fight this time, though he may edge Paora Winitana simply because the latter's religious beliefs prevent him playing on Sundays.

Breaker and 2006 Tall Black Mika Vukona and former Tall Black Miles Pearce are contenders at small forward and Waikato's Ben Hill has been a stand-out scorer in a poorly performing team.

The Boomers yesterday named a 19-man squad that will go into camp this week before being trimmed to 12 for the New Zealand games.

NZ Tall Blacks

Calum Baynes (Hawkes Bay Hawks), Dillon Boucher (Auckland Stars), Gerard Bowden (Savannah College of Art and Design, US), Craig Bradshaw (Winthrop University, US), Pero Cameron (Banvitspor, Turkey), Mark Dickel (Lokomotiv Rostov, Russia), Michael Fitchett (Nelson Giants), Casey Frank (Stars), Jason Greig (Otago Nuggets), Paul Henare (Hawks), Ben Hill (Waikato Pistons), Phill Jones (Giants), Jeremy Kench (Canterbury Rams), Calum Macleod (Valparaiso University, US), Troy McLean (Harbour Heat), Aaron Nowell (Manawatu Jets), Aaron Olson (NZ Breakers), Miles Pearce (Nuggets), Kirk Penney (Maccabi Tel Aviv, Israel), Tony Rampton (Taranaki Mountain Airs), Jeremiah Trueman (San Diego Christina College, US), Mika Vukona (Giants), Paora Winitana (Hawks).

Australian Boomers squad: David Andersen, Chris Anstey, David Barlow, Andrew Bogut, Aaron Bruce, Wade Helliwell, Nathan Jawai, Luke Kendall, Daniel Kickert, Sam Mackinnon, Alex Maric, Steven Markovic, Patrick Mills, Brad Newley, Matthew Nielsen, Russell Hinder, Glen Saville, Jason Smith, Mark Worthington.