Strong squad should feature on podium
Basketball The Tall Blacks will be one of the strongest sides at the Commonwealth Games, after revealing a solid 12-man squad yesterday.
They’ll be without their three best players — Isaac Fotu, Corey Webster and Tai Webster — none of whom were made available by their European sides, but the return of Mika Vukona and Tom Abercrombie gives the side an experienced core.
The squad is weaker than their recent team for the Fiba World Cup qualifiers, but stronger than the one which finished fourth at the Asia Cup last year, and is likely to perform well against weaker Games opposition.
Vukona, Abercrombie, Jarrod Kenny, Alex Pledger and Rob Loe all missed the Asia Cup but will travel to the Gold Coast, where they will be joined by some of the standouts from the Asia Cup, such as Shea Ili, Reuben Te Rangi and Finn Delany. Rounding out the 12 are point guard Derone Raukawa, swingmen Ethan Rusbatch and Jordan Ngatai, and Melbourne United forward Tohi Smith-Milner.
Tall Blacks coach Paul Henare says he is happy with the experience the
Mika Vukona played at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
Photosport Shea Ili, Jarrod Kenny, Derone Raukawa, Reuben Te Rangi, Ethan Rusbatch, Tom Abercrombie, Jordan Ngatai, Tohi Smith-Milner, Mika Vukona, Finn Delany, Alex Pledger, Rob Loe
group has cultivated in the past year.
“While some of this group are younger in years, they have all benefited from recent international basketball, through the 2017 Asia Cup when we took a very inexperienced team away, to recent New Zealand Select tours to China, and many were involved in recent Fiba World Cup qualifying windows,” said Henare.
“Guys like Ethan, Derone and Tohi are young but bring the experience of that Asia Cup campaign to every team they play for, while others such as Shea, Finn, Jordan and Reuben all benefited hugely from that experience and have a great understanding of the pressure they will face in the next few weeks.”
The Tall Blacks won silver the last time basketball was at the Commonwealth Games, in 2006. Vukona is the only survivor from that squad, and is excited for the chance to go one better 12 years on.
“I remember that tournament vividly. We led the Aussies going into the final quarter and it was only a couple of key moments that saw the game go away from us. To have another chance at winning a medal and to do so with this new group of players and coaches is a huge honour.”
On paper, the Tall Blacks are the second strongest squad at the Games, behind Australia. The pair are in Pool A with Nigeria and Canada. The top two progress to the semifinals.