It’s Rio or bust for Ferns
Two wins. That’s all it could take for the Tall Ferns to book themselves a spot at the Rio Olympics.
Kennedy Kereama’s New Zealand women’s basketballers line up at the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Nantes, France, this week (June 13-19), one of 12 teams vying for five spots at the Games.
It won’t be easy, but after an extensive and high-quality buildup the Ferns go in with a mindset that if they play well enough, it’s an achievable goal. And a heck of a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
‘‘It’s very realistic,’’ said Kereama after a buildup tour that encompassed 13 games in four countries. ‘‘The stakes are high but, if we play to our potential, I have no doubt we have a team capable of getting it done.’’
The Ferns are in Group A, alongside hosts France, ranked No 4 in the world, and Cuba who are 13th on Fiba’s global rankings. They will need at least one win from those two games to progress to the quarterfinals.
The four winners from the round of eight will automatically qualify for Rio, as will the overall winner of the losers’ bracket of four.
‘‘We’ve definitely got a good shot,’’ said experienced perimeter player Toni Edmondson. ‘‘Cuba are very gettable and I think we match up well against them.’’
The Ferns have had a mixed buildup, with just four wins through those 13 preparation games. But they’ve been trending in the right direction and managed a notable upset of world No 3 Spain in their penultimate hit-out.
In Jillian Harmon they have a quality scoring big, more than capable of getting a double-double on her night.
But she’ll need help inside from the likes of Penina Davidson, Kalani Purcell, Chevannah Paalvast and the experienced Lisa Wallbutton.
Cox, Edmondson, Erin Rooney and Jordan Hunter will carry the load in the guard-line, with Stella Beck also a key contributor in the small forward spot.
The Ferns will have the luxury of scouting France and Cuba on the first day of the tournament tomorrow before entering the fray on day two.
From there, they’re two big wins from a spot in Rio.