Dunn selected in Junior Tall Ferns
BASKETBALL: Southland’s Aliyah Dunn has again been selected in the New Zealand Junior Tall Ferns basketball team to play China in September.
The Verdon College pupil is part of the 14-strong squad named to play two games against China under-19 in Christchurch.
Dunn was also part of the team which earlier this year travelled to China to play games.
The current team was named following the national under-19 championships last week.
Junior Tall Ferns coach Brent Matehaere wants his team to play an attractive style of basketball.
‘‘We are trying to create a brand of basketball that the girls enjoy and want to perform. They have to be locked into every possession, that’s our focus in order to give ourselves a chance of success on the international stage.’’
The games against China are a key component of the team’s preparation for the Oceania champion- ships in Fiji in December. They will double as the qualifying tournament for the 2017 under-19 world championships.
Before naming the team, Matehaere attended the New Zea- land under-19 championships in Nelson last week to check in on a number of players.
‘‘We wanted to see if they have done the things we asked them to do between the tour of China back in April and now, to see if they are making those steps in the right direction,’’ he said.
‘‘The selection process began in early 2015 and we [Matehaere and assistant coaches Bronwen Davidson and Trent Adam] have been observing players both in New Zealand and overseas since then.
‘‘We’ve sat down together as coaches and assessed how we’re going to beat Australia at the Oceania championships – that’s our goal. We believe that we can put together a group that can challenge the Australian way of playing and challenge their systems,’’ Matehaere said.
Having home internationals for New Zealand age-group teams is a rarity and the opportunities are not lost on Matehaere.