KEY POINTS:
Home and away encounters with Australia on June 26 and 28 will set New Zealand on the path towards the August Olympic qualifying tournament in Athens.
The Tall Blacks, facing a rebuilding phase with the retirement or unavailability of several veterans, will play at least eight games on their way to the Athens tournament and their last-chance attempt at snatching a spot at the Beijing Olympics.
They will begin their competitive buildup with a home internatioanl against the Boomers, with a venue yet to be finalized, then travel across the Tasman for the Ramsay Shield series decider.
Three games in Canada from July 1-5 will break up the journey to Europe, where coach Nenad Vucinic will complete his preparations at a four-team tournament in Slovenia (July 8-10).
The Olympic qualifying event is scheduled for July 14-20, with the top three teams securing berths at Beijing.
"Usually, we have another month to prepare for major events but this year we simply don't have enough time to fit in more than one home game," said Basketball New Zealand national teams general manager Grant Chapman.
"Since we can't assemble a full squad until after the National Basketball League finals (June 19-21), we won't get to spend much time in camp.
"We just have to be resourceful with the time we have, but Kiwis have a knack for making the most of less-than-ideal situations.
"Under the circumstances, I think we have about the right balance of games and recovery to ensure everyone is ready for a tough challenge."
New Zealand have drawn the powerful Germany and African upstarts Cape Verde in pool play at Athens.
Should they progress to quarterfinals, they will likely face either world championship runners-up Greece or a Brazilian squad laden with National Basketball Association talent.
- NZPA
