New-Zealand - Tall Ferns get ready for Olympics
The New Zealand women's basketball team begins its Olympic preparations today in Canberra. Coach Mike McHugh is stressing the development of a will to win as one of his priorities. "This is about setting the tone for the year. It's about establishing the performance measures we want to achieve towards our goal -- the highest-placed finish we can get at the Olympics."
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The New Zealand women's basketball team begins its Olympic preparations today in Canberra.
Coach Mike McHugh is stressing the development of a will to win as one of his priorities.
"This is about setting the tone for the year. It's about establishing the performance measures we want to achieve towards our goal -- the highest-placed finish we can get at the Olympics."
New Zealand qualified for Beijing with a win over Fiji at last year's Oceania championships, but needs better results than last year, when injury and unavailability saw several rookies thrown in the deep end of international basketball.
McHugh feels that with most of his players gaining experience in the Australian league under the Christchurch Sirens banner as well as some rebuilding since the last Olympics, the team had "developed some really strong chemistry already, but going to the Olympics is another level".
"One of our strengths has to be to fight together. We have to develop a great will to win within the group," McHugh said yesterday.
At Canberra's Australian Institute of Sport, where the Ferns will train alongside the world champion Australian Opals over the next five days, McHugh will get his first good look at Clare Bodensteiner.
Bodensteiner, who was born in Christchurch and grew up in Idaho, came to the attention of Basketball New Zealand in the last two months after she asked about playing in the national league. She comes with a recommendation from Stanford University coach Tara VanDerveer, a former US national team coach.
At the end of the camp, McHugh will name 12 players to contest the pre-Olympic event in Beijing against Australia, the United States, China, Cuba and Korea in April .
The squad: Suzie Bates (Christchurch Sirens), Clare Bodensteiner, Jody Cameron (Harbour Breeze), Micaela Cocks (University of Oregon), Toni Edmondson (Christchurch Sirens), Aneka Kerr (Christchurch Sirens), Karlene Kingi (Christchurch Sirens), Angela Marino (Adelaide Lightning), Jessica McCormack, Kate McMeeken-Ruscoe (Christchurch Sirens), Lisa Pardon (Bendigo Spirit), Charmian Purcell (Christchurch Sirens), Natalie Purcell (Christchurch Sirens), Lisa Wallbutton (Christchurch Sirens) and Noni Wharemate (Christchurch Sirens).