FIBA Basketball
Young Ram gets Tall Blacks call-up
The burgeoning skills of Canterbury Rams guard Jeremy Kench have been recognised by Tall Blacks coach Tab Baldwin with Kench being named in an extended squad
From www.stuff.co.nz
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The burgeoning skills of Canterbury Rams guard Jeremy Kench have been recognised by Tall Blacks coach Tab Baldwin with Kench being named in an extended squad ahead of the world championships in Japan.
Kench, who turned 22, two weeks ago, has been in outstanding form for the Rams this season directing play astutely at point guard and losing nothing in comparison to the likes of incumbent Lindsay Tait.
Also named is former Canterbury Rams guard Gerard Bowden who has been playing in America at the Savannah College of Art and Design in recent years.
New Zealand-born Australians Aaron and Calum Baynes are included, as is Queensland-based guard Zane Meehl, son of Tall Black Warwick Meehl, who scored 99 points in two matches last weekend in a Queensland league.
Dialogue is still on-going with NBA player Sean Marks about the Tall Blacks programme. Marks indicated he had retired from the international arena while playing for the San Antonio Spurs and having two young children but Marks had left the door slightly open, Baldwin said last night.
Twenty-nine players were named to cover all contingencies with preparing for the tournament from August 19-September 2. Nelson centre Ed Book who retired after the Commonwealth Games in March is on the list in the hope that if injury strikes he would be prepared to step in.
The squad will be trimmed to 20 in mid-June for a training camp beginning July 3.
The full squad is: Thomas Abercrombie (Washington State University), Aaron Baynes (Washington State University), Calum Baynes (Bay Hawks), Ed Book (Nelson Giants), Dillon Boucher (Auckland Stars), Gerard Bowden (Savannah College of Art & Design), Craig Bradshaw (Winthrop University), Pero Cameron (Banvitspor), Brent Charleton (Harbour Heat), Mark Dickel (Lokomotiv Rostov), Mike Fitchett (Nelson Giants), Casey Frank (Auckland Stars), Jason Greig (Otago Nuggets), Paul Henare (Bay Hawks/Banvitspor), Leon Henry (Southern Idaho Junior College), Ben Hill (Waikato Pistons), Mike Homik (Harbour Heat), Phill Jones (Nelson Giants/Cantu), Jeremy Kench (Canterbury Rams), Calum Macleod (Valparaiso University), Zane Meehl (Maroochydore Clippers), Aaron Nowell (Manawatu Jets), Aaron Olson (NZ Breakers), Miles Pearce (Otago Nuggets), Kirk Penney (Maccabi Tel Aviv), Tony Rampton (Taranaki Mountain Airs), Lindsay Tait (Auckland Stars), Mika Vukona (Nelson Giants), Paora Winitana (Bay Hawks).
Meanwhile, the final pieces to the Tall Blacks FIBA world championships preparation are in place with a tour to South America and a further domestic series against Qatar confirmed for July and August.
After playing a four-game, home-and-away exchange with Australia (July 12-19), the national men's team will fly to Brazil for a four-game series against the host country (July 22-29), then to Argentina for a four-nation tournament featuring the hosts, Brazil and Venezuela (July 30-August 2).
Before leaving for the world championships in Japan on August 17, the Tall Blacks will face emerging Asian powers Qatar in Dunedin (August 11) and Invercargill (August 13).
In last year's FIBA Asian Championships, Qatar, ranked 28th in the world, edged out South Korea for the third and final qualifying berth to Japan with Daoud Musa named the tournament's best guard.
"Visiting South America and playing that brand of basketball against some of the world's top teams will be a new experience for our team," said Baldwin.
"We would expect to see players like Ginobili, Oberto and Nocioni from Argentina, and Barbosa and Varejo from Brazil, who are all playing very well in the NBA," Baldwin said.
The visit from Qatar – a developing basketball nation – will be another new experience, he said.
Download source here
The burgeoning skills of Canterbury Rams guard Jeremy Kench have been recognised by Tall Blacks coach Tab Baldwin with Kench being named in an extended squad ahead of the world championships in Japan.
Kench, who turned 22, two weeks ago, has been in outstanding form for the Rams this season directing play astutely at point guard and losing nothing in comparison to the likes of incumbent Lindsay Tait.
Also named is former Canterbury Rams guard Gerard Bowden who has been playing in America at the Savannah College of Art and Design in recent years.
New Zealand-born Australians Aaron and Calum Baynes are included, as is Queensland-based guard Zane Meehl, son of Tall Black Warwick Meehl, who scored 99 points in two matches last weekend in a Queensland league.
Dialogue is still on-going with NBA player Sean Marks about the Tall Blacks programme. Marks indicated he had retired from the international arena while playing for the San Antonio Spurs and having two young children but Marks had left the door slightly open, Baldwin said last night.
Twenty-nine players were named to cover all contingencies with preparing for the tournament from August 19-September 2. Nelson centre Ed Book who retired after the Commonwealth Games in March is on the list in the hope that if injury strikes he would be prepared to step in.
The squad will be trimmed to 20 in mid-June for a training camp beginning July 3.
The full squad is: Thomas Abercrombie (Washington State University), Aaron Baynes (Washington State University), Calum Baynes (Bay Hawks), Ed Book (Nelson Giants), Dillon Boucher (Auckland Stars), Gerard Bowden (Savannah College of Art & Design), Craig Bradshaw (Winthrop University), Pero Cameron (Banvitspor), Brent Charleton (Harbour Heat), Mark Dickel (Lokomotiv Rostov), Mike Fitchett (Nelson Giants), Casey Frank (Auckland Stars), Jason Greig (Otago Nuggets), Paul Henare (Bay Hawks/Banvitspor), Leon Henry (Southern Idaho Junior College), Ben Hill (Waikato Pistons), Mike Homik (Harbour Heat), Phill Jones (Nelson Giants/Cantu), Jeremy Kench (Canterbury Rams), Calum Macleod (Valparaiso University), Zane Meehl (Maroochydore Clippers), Aaron Nowell (Manawatu Jets), Aaron Olson (NZ Breakers), Miles Pearce (Otago Nuggets), Kirk Penney (Maccabi Tel Aviv), Tony Rampton (Taranaki Mountain Airs), Lindsay Tait (Auckland Stars), Mika Vukona (Nelson Giants), Paora Winitana (Bay Hawks).
Meanwhile, the final pieces to the Tall Blacks FIBA world championships preparation are in place with a tour to South America and a further domestic series against Qatar confirmed for July and August.
After playing a four-game, home-and-away exchange with Australia (July 12-19), the national men's team will fly to Brazil for a four-game series against the host country (July 22-29), then to Argentina for a four-nation tournament featuring the hosts, Brazil and Venezuela (July 30-August 2).
Before leaving for the world championships in Japan on August 17, the Tall Blacks will face emerging Asian powers Qatar in Dunedin (August 11) and Invercargill (August 13).
In last year's FIBA Asian Championships, Qatar, ranked 28th in the world, edged out South Korea for the third and final qualifying berth to Japan with Daoud Musa named the tournament's best guard.
"Visiting South America and playing that brand of basketball against some of the world's top teams will be a new experience for our team," said Baldwin.
"We would expect to see players like Ginobili, Oberto and Nocioni from Argentina, and Barbosa and Varejo from Brazil, who are all playing very well in the NBA," Baldwin said.
The visit from Qatar – a developing basketball nation – will be another new experience, he said.