Airs ready to showcase youth
With a few players unavailable, some of the younger Taranaki Mountain Airs will get their chance to shine when they take on Malaysia in New Plymouth this week.
The Mountain Airs will carry a 10-man roster into Thursday night’s match at the New Plymouth YMCA, which will include development players Matthew O’Connell and Oscar Robertson.
Mountain Airs incumbent captain Aaron Bailey-Nowell is being held out of the match due to injury, while guards Alonzo Burton and Jaylen Gerrand are both unavailable for the match - opening up some meaningful minutes for the squad.
With Bailey-Nowell out, point guard Houston O’Riley was handed the reins as captain and said he backed the young squad to be up to the task on the night.
‘‘They’ve probably got a fairly good squad. I’m expecting them to have a few quick guys which will be right in Beauden (Giddy) and Matty’s area so we should be alright.’’
With Robertson and O’Connell having recently taken part at an NBA Youth Camp in China, O’Riley said they had come into trainings with some confidence and he expected that to translate on Thursday night.
‘‘Matty’s looking really good at the moment and he’s been giving me a Beauden a run for a few nights so it’d be good to see him get some decent minutes.’’
With O’Connell and Giddy fighting for minutes at the point guard spot, O’Riley said he would be happy to take a back seat to give the young guys some time on the court. ‘‘I’ll probably get competitive on the night so we’ll se how close it is, but it’ll be good for Beauden to get in there and run things, and it’ss be good for the likes of Matty and Oscar to see the floor.’’
Giddy was one of several players in the team for Thursday’s game who saw limited minutes with the Mountain Airs this season and would be looking to take advantage of the opportunity at hand. The match will also see
Quintin Bailey return to the squad after spending the past year at college in the States.
Malaysia will come into the match on the third night of a backto-back-to-back, playing the HoopNation New Zealand Select squad in Wanganui and Hawera on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively.
Taranaki Basketball Club chairman Bernie Smith said the match would provide local fans an opportunity to see homegrown talent on the floor, with no imports in the squad for the match.
‘‘The team is a testament to the growth of Taranaki Basketball in recent years being able to field a quality team to take on the Malaysian national team.’’