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Tall Blacks coach Pero Cameron will guide a largely untested group at the Fiba Asia Cup in Indonesia.
The concept of ‘Baby Blacks’ is not new when it comes to New Zealand at the Fiba Asia Cup men’s basketball tournament. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t worthy.
Just as Paul Henare did in 2017 (the first time the tournament was hosted) when he launched a new generation of Kiwi basketball players onto the world stage, coach Pero Cameron will take a largely youthful Tall Blacks side into the 2022 edition of the event. in Jakarta, Indonesia.
It’s a celebration of necessity, with a swag of regulars absent due to pledges to their clubs, and partly by inclination, with the Asia Cup now a standalone event, with no qualifying implications for major leagues. It represents an ideal opportunity to broaden the net in terms of player identification and development.
Cameron’s young squad – Tohi Smith-Milner, 39, and Sam Timmins, 12, are the only players with double-digit capital letters – tipping their campaign against India on Wednesday, and they will complete their Group D games with matchups against Lebanon and the Philippines to decide on knockout stages.
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“We have a young group, no doubt, but I’m excited about some of these young guys coming through the program,” said Cameron.
“We have some US College players here that we haven’t been able to get in the past, and of course we have some experienced leaders on the team in Tohi, Taylor [Britt] and Sam to keep the ship steady.”
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Tohi Smith-Milner is by far the most capped player in the Tall Blacks for the Fiba Asia Cup in Indonesia.
Cameron’s team consists of four uncapped players – Isaac Davidson, Kane Keil, Max Darling and Sam Mennenga – and together 14 caps for six others. Even Britt, who has been on the sidelines of the squad for a while, has only four appearances to his name.
“For some players it’s their first time in the black shirt, while a few others have been part of our age group teams that have gone to World Cups in the past. There are a lot of good things about this squad and I’m looking forward to seeing what they can do as a unit,” Cameron added.
It’s certainly a capable unit, with collegiate players Taine Murray, Kruz Perrot-Hunt and Mennenga getting the chance to showcase their development, the well-traveled Darling making significant contributions to small striker, and Timmins, Jordan Hunt and Smith- Milner probably bear the weight in the interior.
“It’s a tough tournament and we’re going to have to bring our A-game from day one,” added Cameron. “This is New Zealand’s second time going to the Asian Cup and it was an uphill battle then; we finished fourth and of course we want to improve that this time.
“It’s just great to be back in that competitive environment where everyone is playing and going up against some top countries like Iran, Lebanon, China, Australia and Japan – that’s what we need to grow this Tall Blacks program. “
Tall Blacks team for Fiba Asia Cup: Flynn Cameron, Isaac Davidson, Jordan Hunt, Kane Keil, Kruz Perrott-Hunt, Max Darling, Sam Mennenga, Sam Timmins, Taine Murray, Taki Fahrensohn, Taylor Britt, Tohi Smith-Milner.
Pool games (NZT tips): July 13 against India 4pm; July 16, against Lebanon at 1:00 AM; July 18, against Philippines at 1 p.m.