Head coach Pero Cameron has today named an extended squad of athletes for the Tall Black’s upcoming FIBA World Cup campaign in the Philippines this August.
The 21 athletes on the Tall Black’s extended FIBA World Cup squad are:
Corey Webster, Dan Fotu, Ethan Rusbatch, Finn Delany, Flynn Cameron, Hyrum Harris, Isaac Fotu, Izayah Le’Afa, Jordan Hunt, Jordan Ngatai, Kruz Perrott-Hunt, Reuben Te Rangi, Sam Mennenga, Sam Timmins, Shea Ili, Tai Webster, Taine Murray, Taylor Britt, Tohi Smith-Milner, Walter Brown and Yanni Wetzell.
The list sees 16 players who participated in the 2022/23 FIBA World Cup Qualifier games in the mix for the final World Cup squad of 12, as well as three 2022 FIBA Asia Cup squad members in Perrott-Hunt, Mennenga and Murray. Also on the list is Tai Webster – a 2019 FIBA World Cup veteran – and German-based centre Wetzell, who would be in line to make his senior national team debut.
Coach Cameron will assess these 21 athletes over the next month, before trimming the list down to 18 players to attend a Tall Blacks training camp in Auckland from 25-31 July. A Tall Blacks squad will then travel to Japan, Germany and China as part of a pre-World Cup Preparation tour, with a final squad of 12 athletes selected prior to the start of the FIBA World Cup on 27 August.
Coach Cameron says that this is an exciting and dynamic squad, which features many familiar faces from both the Qualifiers and Asia Cup teams – as well as some new inclusions.
“We’ve lost a couple of really good players who have moved on this year, in Tom [Abercrombie] and Rob [Loe], and both we and the athletes realise the huge commitment and preparation required for this World Cup and everything leading up to it – it’s not taken lightly,” says Cameron.
“We’re excited to see which new players can step into those gaps and that’s what the recent FIBA windows have been about; building depth as well as well as qualifying [for the World Cup]. Player availability around these different windows has been a curse and a blessing for us to be honest, the positive is that it’s allowed us to see a lot of players and for them to get experience at that level.
“So yes we’ll miss some of our veterans from past campaigns, but it’s exciting to see these new athletes coming through and the impact they can have.”
Coach Cameron says this announcement also ‘puts to rest’ ongoing speculation around NBA centre, Steven Adams being part of the Tall Blacks for this World Cup campaign.
“We were having good and productive conversations with Steven earlier and he was considering a lot of things; but he suffered a pretty serious knee injury. We just wish him all the best to get back on his feet and for playing again in his next NBA season.”
Coach Cameron sees the next two months as an important time to evaluate and assess the extended squad on a number of levels.
“Campaigns [like the pre-World Cup tour] are good for a number of reasons, not just helping to choose good combinations in your final group but giving these players experience against top teams – just getting them battle-ready for the World Cup.
“For us we get to see how players perform under stress too; there’s a lot of travel and a lot of different cultures and variables they’ll encounter and deal with – all the while focusing on their performance on the court. That’s want we want to do, perform at our very best and do well, as the World Cup is a massive event and it doesn’t really get biggest than this for the athletes and our Tall Blacks programme.
“So we’ll all put in the hard yards to get there and we don’t want to let anyone down – we’ve got high expectations within our group and we’re preparing to be at our very best for this FIBA World Cup.”
The FIBA World Cup 2023, set to take place from 25 August to 10 September, will see New Zealand facing the United States, Greece and Jordan in the Group Phase in the Philippines capital city of Manila. All games will be shown free to air on TVNZ. Find out more at www.fiba.basketball/basketballworldcup/2023
Prior to departing for the overseas preparation games and FIBA World Cup, the Tall Blacks will also be hosting a ‘Road to the World Cup 2023 Dinner’ at Auckland’s Pullman Hotel. Find out more at https://nzbasketball.flicket.co.nz/
Tall Blacks Extended Squad of 21 – FIBA World Cup 2023
Corey Webster, Canterbury Rams / Perth Wildcats
Dan Fotu, Franklin Bulls / NZ Breakers
Ethan Rusbatch, Hawkes Bay Hawks
Finn Delany, Telekom Baskets Bonn
Flynn Cameron, Melbourne United
Hyrum Harris, Hawkes Bay Hawks / Perth Wildcats
Isaac Fotu, Utsunomiya Brex
Izayah Le’Afa, Wellington Saints / NZ Breakers
Jordan Hunt, Hawkes Bay Hawks
Jordan Ngatai, Hawkes Bay Hawks
Kruz Perrott-Hunt, Auckland Tuatara
Reuben Te Rangi, Auckland Tuatara / S.E. Melbourne Phoenix
Sam Mennenga, Cairns Taipans
Sam Timmins, Otago Nuggets
Shea Ili, Melbourne United
Tai Webster, Otago Nuggets / Perth Wildcats
Taine Murray, Virginia Cavaliers
Taylor Britt, Canterbury Rams
Tohi Smith-Milner, Wellington Saints
Walter Brown, Canterbury Rams / Tasmania Jackjumpers
Yanni Wetzell, Alba Berlin
