The Tall Blacks take to the floor for the first time in over a year tonight, when they face India in their first FIBA World Cup Qualifiers game in Manila, Philippines – the first of two games New Zealand will play against them.
Although New Zealand (27) and India (80) sit far apart in the FIBA rankings, Head coach Pero Cameron says they’re not a team to be taken lightly.
“We’re not looking past our first game, which is against India. We’ve got limited time together as a group, so we need to be ready for them – we’re not taking anyone them or anyone else lightly,” says Cameron.
“We’ve been doing lots of preparation and scouting for all three teams, but for now our eyes and minds are all firmly on this first game against India, and we feel we’re ready.”
India will come into this game as underdogs, especially given their relative youth – an average age of 23 years vs. 25 years for New Zealand – although they have the height on their roster to potentially pose a few match-up problems against the Kiwis.
A familiar face for India will be 21-year-old power forward/centre Princepal Singh, who has spent time with the NZ Breakers as a development player as well as a season in the NBA G-League. Also in the line-up is 18-year-old small forward Pranav Prince, an NBA Academy India graduate who has been playing collegiate basketball in the United States.
The Tall Blacks will look to rely on their veteran players to establish the tone in this game, led by captain Dion Prewster (10 apps) and 6’11” centre Rob Loe (86 apps). The latter, alongside Tai Wynyard (15 apps), will be tasked with countering the sheer size of the Indian centre trio of Princepal Singh, Amritpal Singh and Palpreet Singh Brar – all 6’10” or taller.
Working in New Zealand’s favour will be the fact their entire roster can comfortably shoot the three; in particular 6’5” guard Ethan Rusbatch (35 apps) and 6’7” power forward Tom Vodanovich (5 apps); this will come in handy if India utilises a zone defence as expected.
Complimenting the veterans will be several younger players who have previously seen international duty in Hyrum Harris, Ben Gold and Taylor Britt; all expected to get decent minutes versus India. Joining these players will be four rookies hoping to taste their first minutes in the black singlet, with Jayden Bezzant, Taane Samuel, Joe Cook-Green and Taki Fahrensohn added to the game day squad.
Coach Pero has liked what he sees in practices so far, especially around the intensity and the younger players willingness to ‘step up’ against the veterans.
“Practice has been really good so far, the guys are up for it and you can tell some of them have itchy feet [to play], a lot of energy has been bought out by the usual suspects too like Tom [Vodanovich], Ethan [Rusbatch], Dion [Prewster] and obviously Rob [Loe] chipping in there throughout the day.
“We had a couple of challenging moments out there on the court the first day, with [Taki] Fahrenson going right at one of the older guys which is awesome to see, and Joe Cook-Green getting into it as well – that’s what you want.
“I’m seeing a lot of good things out there which I love, a lot of energy, commitment and enthusiasm – just seeing that blend of youth and experience gelling together, feeding and vibing off of each other.
Coach Pero says that he is looking forward to tonight’s game as a gauge on how ready this group is, especially after the squad’s limited ability to practice together so far.
“I’m really looking forward to the next couple of days, tonight’s game against India is going to be a battle out there but that’s what it’s like at this level.
“Not everyone gets to represent their country at this level, so it’s good to see these guys embracing it, and the see our vets helping to show the rookies how it’s done.”
The Tall Blacks face India in their first game of the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers game in Manila, Philippines. Tip-off is at 3pm Manila time (8pm NZT) at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in the Cubao area of Quezon City.
Catch the Tall Blacks in action live on Spark Sport.
Tall Blacks Squad vs India
- #2, Taane Samuel, Power Forward
- #5, Taylor Britt, Point Guard
- #6, Jayden Bezzant, Point Guard
- #8, Tai Wynyard, Centre
- #11, Joe Cook-Green, Point Guard
- #12, Ben Gold, Power Forward
- #13, Dion Prewster, Shooting Guard (Captain)
- #14, Rob Loe, Centre
- #15, Tom Vodanovich, Power Forward
- #20, Taki Fahrensohn, Small Forward
- #22, Hyrum Harris, Small Forward
- #25, Ethan Rusbatch, Shooting Guard
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