KEY POINTS:
It's not entirely true what they say about old dogs and new tricks.
Inspirational Tall Blacks basketball captain Pero Cameron is a valid case in point.
At 33 and very much in the twilight of a rewarding international career, Cameron has the glistening sheen of a keen puppy as he adjusts to the commands of a new master.
New Zealand coach Nenad Vucinic, whose team are seeking a 3-0 series result in the third test against Venezuela in Wellington tonight, has implemented significant structural changes since assuming control from Tab Baldwin.
Vucinic wants to make playmakers of everyone on the roster, meaning the players have had to buy into a punishing fitness regime to ensure they are physically capable of producing the sort of run-and-gun style he favours.
"Nenad has brought in an up tempo style, a running style that incorporates everyone from number one to number 12 on the bench. The dividends of that should pay off late in the game," Cameron told NZPA.
If anyone could have been expected to baulk at the increased workload demanded of them it would have been Cameron, a barn door of a forward who has been the heart and soul of the Tall Blacks in recent years.
He has fought many battles with his weight since debuting as a Tall Black in 1994. Invariably listed at 130kg in match programmes dating back years, Cameron is in fine trim, with team insiders saying he is in the best physical condition they've seen since he led New Zealand to fourth place at the 2002 world championship.
While it is a stretch to describe the 1.98m forward as lean and mean -- although rivals will attest to his continuing mean streak on the court -- Cameron's toned appearance says everything of his commitment to the cause as he endeavours to steer his team to next year's Olympic Games in Beijing.
Without saying so, Cameron clearly regards the global showpiece as the perfect stage on which to sign off his international career.
He was one of the first to buy into Vucinic's vision and spent six to eight weeks pushing himself to the limits ahead of the team's three-week training camp which preceded the series against Venezuela.
"If you do that, you can do the training, it all happens for you. If you don't and can't do the training then things can come a little unstuck," he said of the personal fitness programme he undertook.
"I'm feeling better, much better. But it's early days yet and we still have a month before our first match against Australia."
Despite upcoming tests in China and Europe, Australia remains very much at the forefront of Cameron's mind.
The three-match Olympic qualifying series against Australia starts in Melbourne on August 20, and the Boris Stankovic Cup tournament in China and three-test series against Latvia and Croatia are very much building blocks to the team's crucial appointment across the Tasman.
"The goal is to be the best we can be performance-wise and we have to do it two of three times come August 20. If we can do that we can start looking at Beijing next year."
He said New Zealand had let themselves down at the 2000 and 2004 Olympics and he wanted a chance to put that right.
"It's still a big ask for us to get to Beijing, but we need to do the job."
Venezuela were a worthy obstacle early on that road to Beijing, with Cameron describing the South Americans as much improved since the two countries met last year in Argentina.
"They have a lot more energy and a lot more hunger. They are a lot better athletes, and it shows.
"Their energetic style is up tempo and it suits them."
It will suit Cameron fine to complete a series cleansweep tonight before heading to China as the countdown to Australia gathers pace.
"If we gel as a team, and we are building, then good things happen.
There is definitely a good vibe about the place."
- NZPA
