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15 - 17
August 2015
New Zealand (NZL)
14/08/2015
News
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Tall Ferns looking for blockbuster upset

MELBOURNE (2015 FIBA Oceania Women's Championship) - Rarely would the New Zealand Tall Ferns have been compared with Tom Cruise, but like the Hollywood star they keep backing up for another 'Mission Impossible'.

With their only FIBA Oceania Women's Championship title coming in 1993, when Australia didn't compete, the Tall Ferns could be forgiven for approaching Saturday's Game 1 in Melbourne with a glass-half-empty approach.

But in contrast, they have hit the ground running trying to surprise their world number two-ranked foe and return to the Olympic Games after missing the 2012 edition in London.

First they recruited a spy from the Aussie camp, championship-winning WNBL coach Chris Lucas, who has also spent time as assistant coach of the Opals and the U17 Sapphires.

Arguably the best coach in the Australian league, Lucas has intimate knowledge of Australia's stars to couple with his vast experience.

"I wanted someone who could challenge me philosophically and someone who has also been in my position as an international head coach," Tall Ferns coach Kennedy Kereama said of his new recruit.

"He understands the psyche of the Australians, the people we are trying to beat this year. He's also worked with a couple of the New Zealand players already and built a great rapport with them."

Tall Ferns sharp-shooter Micaela Cocks was Lucas' strike weapon off the bench for the Townsville Fire last season, after averaging an impressive 16.4 points a game in the past two series against the Opals.

Cocks joins Lisa Wallbutton and Natalie Taylor as the key veterans in a young group whose average age is just 23.

"Our senior players are not silly, they know what is in front of them," Lucas said.

"Australia is extremely talented there is no question about that, they are bigger than us, and their scoring ability is going to be strong.

"But it is exciting for the future. The way that New Zealand plays their basketball, they will take it up to Australia, they won't stand down."

To offset their inexperience the Tall Ferns have completed their most thorough preparation in recent times, playing at the William Jones Cup before hosting a three-test series against Japan.

While they weren't able to topple the Japanese, with each game they got closer, and in the final outing dominated the boards 47-36, an effort they must replicate against the much bigger Australians.

"Us winning that possession game is important and obviously winning the rebound count is something we have to be the best at if we want to compete," Kereama said.

And with the two teams possessing differing levels of talent, Kereama says his team will have to get all the little things right to take Game 1 and put one foot on the beaches of Rio.

"The focus is now directly on Australia, everything we do will be geared around how we defend their systems," he said.

"Players will be required to remember a lot of information on different players."

Game 1 of the 2015 FIBA Oceania Women's Championship takes place on Saturday 15 August (18:30 local time/GMT+10) in Melbourne with Game 2 to follow on Monday 17 August in Tauranga. Both games are live on LiveBasketball.TV (registration and subscription required; games geo-blocked in Australia and New Zealand).

FIBA