For the second time in 24 hours the Tall Blacks came up just short against powerhouse European opposition, this time losing a game they led throughout against world number 13 ranked Slovenia, losing 68-73.
With the goal of taking on Australia in the Oceania Series in August and the prize of a place at the Rio Olympic Games up for grabs, the Tall Blacks can be forgiven for playing the long game and not being too worried about these early matches. Just don’t tell coach Paul Henare that, ever the competitor, he was disappointed to miss in a tight finish two days in a row.
“These are rare chances against world class teams, chances that we have to take with both hands. We didn’t do that today in a game we could and should have won so of course we are disappointed, I would be annoyed if we weren’t.
It was a few defensive lapses in the final 5 minutes and a lack of composure on the offensive end that ultimately cost us against a desperate Slovenian team looking to impress in front of their home crowd.
“But I am proud of this group and the way they are learning as individuals and as a team, we are building something special and must continue to raise our standards and not drop our expectations, Australia is going to be very tough. We must improve, we must get better and learn from these games in these environments.”
Assistant coach Pero Cameron was of a similar view post game but is pleased with what he has seen so far on tour, with a win over Great Britain followed by the two narrow losses against Croatia and Slovenia.
“This tour has been great to show the depth we have in the game. We have a strong group of players here, all competing hard and trying not to be the ones left out for the Aussie games. That is driving them, that and the desire to play well in the black singlet, to do themselves and the history of the Tall Blacks proud.
“They will learn from these losses and become stronger for it, especially the younger players who are beginning to see what is required to play at this level. Shea Ili, Reuben Te Rangi, Rob Loe, Isaac Fotu, Tai Wynyard – the list is a long one of young players who are learning to play at the highest level while our senior players too are being reminded of the levels they have to reach if we are going to compete with a very good Australian team. We do it day in day out in practice where we beat up on each other all the time, the trick is to take that into a game situation and play with consistency.”
The Tall Blacks showed few signs of the rigours of last night’s clash in Croatia and the 5 hour bus trip that preceded today’s game played in the shadows of the Alps at Kidricevo. The New Zealanders started strongly and led for much of the game, at times by 8, with the team matching their much bigger opponents on the boards in the first half and keeping turnovers to a minimum (6 in the first half).
Again everyone was playing a part, with Henare, Cameron and McMains rotating their roster, giving almost all players plenty of court time and a chance to impress, Duane bailey the only exception with just 8 seconds of play after he tweaked a leg muscle in the warm ups. Reuben Te Rangi was again given plenty of opportunity at point guard and brought the ball up the floor with good composure, ending with 10 points on 4 of 7 shooting. Corey Webster ended with a game high 19 points but was down on his usual accuracy as the physical effort of the two games and travel took a toll. Isaac Fotu had 13 and captain Mika Vukona produced an 8 rebound 6 point game in typically robust style, and Tom Abercombie had 8 points and 5 boards playing with 3 stitches in a chin wound suffered against Croatia.
The Kiwis led by 5 at halftime and 3 with one quarter to play, but couldn’t withstand a late charge from the home side who had the crowd behind them and the calls going their way.
The Tall Blacks will now head to China on Saturday (NZT), arriving late on Sunday afternoon ready to take on Mexico, Venezuela and host China in the Stankovic Cup, the final games before taking on Australia in Melbourne on August 15 and then in Wellington on August 18, with the winner earning a spot at the Rio Olympics.
Slovenia 73
Tall Blacks 68: Webster 19, Fotu 13, Te Rangi 10,
