Boucher backed for Tall Blacks
Senior Tall Blacks are laying out the welcome mat for former Breakers and national team forward Dillon Boucher to join the side’s coaching staff.
The Tall Blacks yesterday had their Fiba Asia Cup qualifying clash against Australia’s Boomers confirmed for February 20 in Brisbane, while last week Kiwi hoops legend Pero Cameron was announced as the interim head coach for the 2020 campaign.
Cameron’s coaching crew will include fellow assistant coach (under Paul Henare) Ross McMains, with other appointments to be made in due course.
Boucher, who had an outstanding career as a player with the Tall Blacks, has already indicated he is keen to be a part of Cameron’s setup and there would appear to be nothing standing in his way, apart from his relative inexperience as a coach.
Boucher had one brief stint on the national team’s coaching panel in 2009 but has mostly concentrated, post his professional playing career, on his front office roles at the New Zealand Breakers up to this point. In
September he shocked Kiwi hoops circles by announcing he was stepping down from his job as general manager at the Kiwi ANBL club.
It would appear the way has been paved for Boucher, who is also advising the Franklin Bulls on their first foray into the New Zealand NBL, to take that first significant stride down the coaching pathway.
Experienced Tall Blacks and Breakers forward Tom Abercrombie told Stuff he was in favour of Boucher joining the national team’s coaching brains trust.
‘‘He’d be great,’’ said Abercrombie. ‘‘I’ve only been coached by Dillon one time with the Tall Blacks when Nenad [Vucinic] was head coach, and he was fantastic. I’ve always said he would make an incredible coach, but he’s obviously gone into different areas.
‘‘If he puts his hand up and wants to do it, he will be good.’’
Current Tall Blacks centre Rob Loe agreed.
‘‘He was assistant coach my first year in the Tall Blacks in 2009 for one year or so. It would be great to see him back and around the Tall Blacks.’’
Both also backed Cameron to make a good fist of the head coaching role for 2020 when he guides the national men’s team through their first two games of Asia Cup qualifying (they will also meet Guam on the road) and then June’s ‘‘last-chance’’ tilt at Olympic qualifying via the winner-take-all qualifying tournament in Belgrade in June.
Basketball NZ has said it will revisit the Tall Blacks coaching position after that campaign to take into account the next full World Cup and Olympic cycle, though Cameron has indicated his keenness to continue beyond next year.
The Tall Blacks have been drawn in the first Asia Cup qualifying round in Group C alongside the Boomers, Guam and Hong Kong.