Cameron relishes the tall challenge ahead
The Tall Blacks are now decided underdogs for the upcoming World Cup in China as circumstance continues to conspire against them. What’s new, ponders Pero Cameron.
‘‘That’s just normal,’’ says the Kiwi hoops legend and assistant coach of the New Zealand basketball side which has just started preparations for China. ‘‘We like it. If we can fly under the radar . . . great. If someone wants to be complacent . . . great.
‘‘Preparation is everything for us. It’s always going to be tough. When has it never been tough? That’s how it is. Fine, we accept it and let’s move on.’’
Cameron is talking about a landscape pitted with obstacles and setbacks ahead of the latest tilt at World Cup glory.
It’s not enough that the country’s finest player continues to show no interest in representing the country. The Tall Blacks have long ago learned to live without Steven Adams in their ranks.
But in the leadup to their selection camp which began in Auckland yesterday, to lose their last two captains, and spiritual leaders, to injury was a blow no one saw coming.
First came the news that veteran power forward Mika Vukona was out with a knee injury. Then, just a day later, the crushing blow that versatile, in-form swingman Reuben Te Rangi had joined him after picking up his own knee issue.
That’s two rotation players out for China. Two locker-room leaders marked absent. Suddenly a road that was steep as it was – with the Tall Blacks thrust into a brutal pool alongside Brazil, Greece and Montenegro – has become downright precipitous.
‘‘It’s all about moving on and up,’’ Cameron told Stuff as he, head coach Paul Henare and fellow assistant Michael Fitchett gathered an extended squad of 20 to work through their paces at the St Kentigern College gym over three days. By tomorrow that will be trimmed to 14 to jet out for a camp and twin internationals in Japan.
‘‘We know what Mika and Reuben bring to the team, and what they’ve done over the past year and a half in qualifying. It’s going to be tough to get by and there are a lot of things we’re going to miss from them. But they will want us to go out and achieve and it is now about the black singlet and bleeding black.’’
Possibly no-one embodies that more than Cameron, who was the force of nature at the heart of New Zealand’s finest ever international hoops achievement in 2002 when they finished fourth at the world championship in Indianapolis.
Cameron made the All-Star Five at that event. The other four? NBA legends Manu Ginobili, Dirk Nowitzki, Yao Ming and Peja Stojakovic.
This Kiwi knows what it’s like to scale the figurative mountain.
Now he does so again with a group that has some talent – Tai Webster and Isaac Fotu ply their trades in the big leagues of Europe, Finn Delany has been sniffing round the NBA and Corey Webster, Tom Abercrombie and Alex Pledger are international veterans – but will simply have to be better than the sum of their parts if they’re any chance to make it out of their group in China.
‘‘We’re always undersized,’’ declares Cameron. ‘‘We may be short and we’re not that fast either. That’s our motto. We’ve got to be smart and play hard. That’s how we are.
‘‘A lot of these teams they don’t really look at us. That’s fine . . . but we are who we are, and we’re finding out more and more every day in this trial period. We’ll put a plan together and go at it.’’
And the next month, adds Cameron, will be vital to shaping this group into the tight, scrappy unit they will need to be when they step on court against Brazil in Nanjing on September 1.
‘‘It’s huge. It starts right now preparing for our first game against Brazil. These games are really important to see the different ways, styles and personnel we can use against these guys. We’ve got to make some decisions down the track but right now we’re in trial time.’’