BBNZ has confirmed the travelling roster of 14 players for the FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian Qualifiers in Manila, Philippines from 24-28 February 2022.
The Tall Blacks travelling squad includes: Jayden Bezzant, Taylor Britt, Joe Cook-Green, Taki Fahrensohn, Benjamin Gold, Hyrum Harris, Brayden Inger, Robert Loe, Dion Prewster, Richie Rodger, Ethan Rusbatch, Taane Samuel, Tom Vodanovich and Tai Wynyard.
They will be joined in the tournament bubble by Head Coach Pero Cameron and Assistant Coaches Trent Adam and Daryl Cartwright.
The FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian Qualifiers will see the 27th-ranked Tall Blacks facing off against the Philippines (33rd), Korea (30th) and India (80th) over four games. All games will be played at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in the Cubao area of Quezon City, with the four Tall Blacks games screened live on Spark Sport from 24 – 28 February 2022.
Head Coach, Pero Cameron says that he is excited to get back on the court with the Tall Blacks after a long hiatus.
“It’s been quite a while since we’ve been in action, our last time being against the Boomers in Cairns last February,” commented Cameron.
“Looking back on that, I really take my hat off to the people who stepped up and made themselves available for playing under those circumstances; it was a good experience despite the loss.
“And now a year later, we’re able to put this team together for Manila and prepare for some tough teams in Korea and the Philippines; obviously there’s a lot of prep required and a lot of logistics going on in the background to make this happen.
“I think it’s great that we’re back playing, especially given everything that’s happening in Australasia at the moment with Covid. We’re going into a different country and we’ll be relying on FIBA and the local basketball federation to help us make this a success. And we know these things are always tentative; we’ve had these windows postponed and cancelled in the past so you always have to be ready for anything.”
Cameron says that the squad are an intriguing mix of veterans and young talent, with several athletes set to make their Tall Blacks debut.
“It’s a good squad and I’m excited by it, we’ve got a solid mix of vets with good leadership and they’re get an opportunity to go out there and get some minutes, and we’ve got some great young guys too who I’m looking forward to see play. We’ll have several debutants who will wear the back singlet for the first time, so obviously they’ll be looking forward to that experience.
“We’re got a couple of younger athletes who got identified early and then maybe fell of the radar for one reason or another, so this is a fresh chance for them; some went off to college, some have had professional experiences in different parts of the world and have come back on our radar because others weren’t available – but also because they’re part of our depth charts and are players we identified as athletes with huge potential for the Tall Blacks.
“The likes of Taane Samuel, who gets an opportunity after having a great year with Wellington last season in the NBL; he’s one of several good players coming through who performed well last year and earned this opportunity for himself.
“It’ll be interesting to see how they go in the black singlet, players like Brayden Inger and Taki Fahrensohn, young Joe Cook-Green who’s been over in Perth the last couple of years. We’ve also got a couple of guys returning to the Tall Blacks after being in the Aussie NBL, solid players like Tom Vodanovich, Dion Prewster who’s been with Melbourne, Rob Loe who’s been at the Breakers.”
Cameron says that the Tall Blacks will be taking it a game at a time and won’t take any of the other teams lightly.
“For me, we’re not looking past the first game, which is against India – we’ll get there and we’ve got limited time together as a group, so we need to be ready for them – we’re not taking anyone lightly.
“Of course we’re doing lots of preparation and scouting for all three teams, but for now our eyes and minds are all firmly on that first game against India.”
Cameron says that the representing your country in sport is a special experience and one that the squad will treasure.
“I can’t wait to get on the floor and get a couple of trainings under the belt, to meet the group and do the things that we normally do in this setting.
“And it’s always special; travelling as a team and gelling as a group; and at the same time the younger guys are learning about what it means to be a Tall Black, the pride of putting on that black singlet – and the expectations placed on them to wear it with respect and pride.”
The Tall Blacks will travel to Manila, Philippines on 21 February for the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers, taking on Philippines, Korea and India over four games from 24 – 28 February.
Tall Blacks Travelling Squad of 14
The Tall Blacks travelling squad of 14 players for the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers are:
- Jayden Bezzant, Point Guard
- Taylor Britt, Point Guard
- Joe Cook-Green, Point Guard
- Richie Rodger, Point Guard
- Dion Prewster, Shooting Guard
- Ethan Rusbatch, Shooting Guard
- Taki Fahrensohn, Small Forward
- Hyrum Harris, Small Forward
- Brayden Inger, Small Forward
- Ben Gold, Power Forward
- Taane Samuel, Power Forward
- Tom Vodanovich, Power Forward
- Rob Loe, Centre
- Tai Wynyard, Centre
Tall Blacks Coaching and Support Staff
The Tall Blacks coaching and support staff for the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers are:
- Pero Cameron, Head Coach
- Trent Adam, Assistant Coach
- Daryl Cartwright, Assistant Coach
- Dr Hamish Osbourne, Team Doctor
- Anousith Bouaaphone, Physio
- Shelley Hiha, Team Massage Therapist
- Logan Botica, Performance Coach
- Melinda Hodgson, Team Manager
- James Craw, Comms and Media
Schedule (to be screened on Spark Sport)
NZL v INDIA 24 Feb 2022, 8pm
NZL v KOREA 25 Feb 2022, 8pm
NZL v PHILLIPINES 28th Feb 2022, 12am
INDIA v NZL 28th Feb 2022, 8pm
* All times NZT
Follow the FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian Qualifiers at:
www.fiba.basketball/basketballworldcup/2023/asian-qualifiers
https://nz.basketball/national-teams/tall-blacks/
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