The Tall Blacks have today named its final squad of 12 for the FIBA Asia Cup 2022 in Jakarta, Indonesia from 12-24 July.
The squad includes: Flynn Cameron, Isaac Davidson, Jordan Hunt, Kane Keil, Kruz Perrott-Hunt, Max Darling, Sam Mennenga, Sam Timmins, Taine Murray, Taki Fahrensohn, Taylor Britt and Tohi Smith-Milner.
With four players – Davidson, Keil, Darling, Mennenga – all in line for their first Tall Blacks cap, and a combined 14 caps for six other players on the roster, Head Coach Pero Cameron views this tournament as an opportunity for his young athletes to gain international experience.
“We’ve got a young group no doubt, but I’m excited about some of these young guys coming through the programme,” says Cameron.
“We have some US College-based players here that we haven’t been able to get in the past, and obviously we’ve got a couple of experienced leaders in the team in Tohi [Smith-Milner], Taylor [Britt] and Sam [Timmins] to help steady the ship.
“For some players it’s their first time in the black singlet, while a few others have been part of our age group teams that have gone to World Cups in the past. There’s a lot of really good things about this squad and I’m looking forward to seeing what they can do as a unit.”
Cameron acknowledges that the FIBA Asia Cup will be a much-needed challenge for the Tall Blacks.
“We’re excited about the Asia Cup, it’s a tough tournament and we’ll have to bring our ‘A’ game from day one. This is New Zealand’s second time going to the Asia Cup and it was a tough battle back then too; we finished fourth and obviously we want to improve on that this time around.
“It’s just great to be back in that competitive environment with everybody playing, going up against some top countries like Iran, Lebanon, China, Australia and Japan – it’s what we need to keep growing this Tall Blacks programme.”
The players have been in Auckland this week for a training camp and will travel to Jakarta this afternoon in preparation for the FIBA Asia Cup, where they’ll compete in Pool D alongside the Philippines, India and Lebanon. 16 teams in total are set to compete in this event, with the winner taking home the Asia Cup trophy – currently held by Australia.
The Tall Blacks claimed their ticket to Jakarta after making history in their very first game of the Asia Cup Qualifiers – beating the Boomers in Australia for the first time in over 10 years. They followed up that win with another against Guam to confirm a trip back to the Asia Cup.
The FIBA Asia Cup tips off from 12 June in Jakarta, Indonesia, with the Tall Blacks taking on their first opponent India on 13 July at 11am local time.
All games will be available to watch live on Maori Television, or online at nz.basketball/tv
Find out more at www.fiba.basketball/asiacup/2022
Tall Blacks Squad of 12 – FIBA Asia Cup 2022 (24 June 2022)
Flynn Cameron, Riverside California (1 cap)
Isaac Davidson, NZ Breakers / Franklin Bulls (0 caps)
Jordan Hunt, Hawkes Bay Hawks (1 caps)
Kane Keil, Franklin Bulls (0 caps)
Kruz Perrott-Hunt, University of South Dakota (2 caps)
Max Darling, Canterbury Rams (0 caps)
Sam Mennenga, Davidson College (0 caps)
Sam Timmins, NZ Breakers / Otago Nuggets (12 caps)
Taine Murray, University of Virginia (3 caps)
Taki Fahrensohn, Auckland Tuatara (3 caps)
Taylor Britt, Canterbury Rams (4 caps)
Tohi Smith-Milner, South East Melbourne Phoenix / Sandringham Sabres (39 caps)
Head Coach: Pero Cameron
Assistant Coach: Ross McMains
Assistant Coach: Zico Coronel
Team Manager: Gavin Briggs
Doctor: Dr Logan Poloai
Physiotherapist: Todd Wolfe
Massage Therapist: Shelley Moana Hiha
Strength & Conditioning Coach: Logan Botica
