Young Tall Blacks embrace challenge

The ‘Baby Blacks’ concept is not a new one when it comes to New Zealand at the Fiba Asia Cup men’s basketball tournament.

But that doesn’t mean it’s not a worthy one.

Just as Paul Henare did in 2017 (the first time the tournament was staged) when he launched a new generation of Kiwi basketballers on to the world stage, coach Pero Cameron will take a largely youthful Tall Blacks side to the 2022 edition of the event in Jakarta, Indonesia.

That’s party by necessity, with a swag of regulars absent through commitments to their clubs, and partly by inclination, with the Asia

Cup now a stand-alone event, with no qualification implications for major competitions. It shapes as an ideal chance to widen the net in terms of player identification and development.

Cameron’s young squad – Tohi Smith-Milner, with 39, and Sam Timmins, 12, are the only players with double-figures in caps – tip off their campaign today against India, and will complete their Group D games with matchups against Lebanon and the Philippines to decide seedings for the knockout stages.

‘‘We’ve got a young group no doubt, but I’m excited about some of these young guys coming through the programme,’’ said Cameron of a squad which features four uncapped players – Isaac Davidson, Kane Keil, Max Darling and Sam Mennenga – and a combined 14 caps for six others.

‘‘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.’’

Tall Blacks team for Fiba Asia Cup: Flynn Cameron, Isaac Davidson, Jordan Hunt, Kane Keil, Kruz PerrottHunt, Max Darling, Sam Mennenga, Sam Timmins, Taine Murray, Taki Fahrensohn, Taylor Britt, Tohi SmithMilner.

Pool games (tips NZT): Today, v India 4pm; July 16, v Lebanon 1am; July 18, v Philippines 1am.