Basketball: Uncertainty in Games squad selection

The Tall Blacks training squad for the 2006 Commonwealth Games has been named, but coach Tab Baldwin will still be sweating on the availability of some key players.

Baldwin, currently coaching in Turkey, named 16 players yesterday in his official Games squad including captain Pero Cameron who joined Baldwin at Banvitspor this year.

The squad also includes Westlake Boys' High School guard Tom Abercrombie plus other newcomers in centre Calum MacLeod, Waitakere forward Leon Henry and Breakers guard Brent Charleton.

But before Baldwin confirms his final 12 ahead of the New Zealand Olympic Committee's February 28 deadline, he has left the door open for some frontline players in Europe and the Middle East.

Phill Jones, Italy, Kirk Penney, Israel, and Mark Dickel in Russia will need to gain late releases from their contracts to play in Melbourne next March while American Casey Frank was waiting to gain New Zealand citizenship.

Further complicating selection is former Wellington centre Craig Bradshaw, who may not know until March whether his Winthrop University team will play in the NCAA tournament.

There is far more certainty around Tall Ferns coach Mike McHugh's squad for Melbourne.

Young Counties-Manukau forward Kim Barnes is the bolter in his 14.

But McHugh has retained the core of the young team he has brought through since a rash of retirements following the Athens Olympics.

Apart from Barnes, the only other player yet to play under McHugh is Australian-based forward Aneka Kerr, an Athens Olympian, who missed this year after knee surgery.

Tall Blacks:
Thomas Abercrombie, Ed Book, Dillon Boucher, Craig Bradshaw, Pero Cameron, Brent Charleton, Paul Henare, Leon Henry, Mike Homik, Calum Macleod, Troy McLean, Aaron Olson, Tony Rampton, Lindsay Tait, Mika Vukona, Paora Winitana.

Tall Ferns:
Kim Barnes, Micaela Cocks, Rebecca Cotton, Aneka Kerr, Donna Loffhagen, Angela Marino, Jessica McCormack, Kate McMeeken-Ruscoe, Lisa Pardon, Charmian Purcell, Jody Tini, Leanne Walker, Lisa Wallbutton, Noni Wharemate.

- nzpa