NZHayden
06-22-2005, 07:22 AM
just something off topic from the spurs loss.
i wonder why he made himself unavailable.
link : http://www.tvnz.co.nz/view/page/488122/593276/
Casey Frank and Mika Vukona are the new faces named in the Tall Black squad for the four-nation tournament in China next month.
Coach Tab Baldwin announced his selection after a two-day camp ended in Auckland on Tuesday.
As expected, the squad is built around those players who attended the Athens Olympics last year.
But with starting point guard Mark Dickel and centre Sean Marks unavailable, Baldwin has brought Vukona and Frank into the mix with a long term view towards the Oceania Championships in August and next year's Melbourne Commonwealth Games.
"The camp was short, but good," assesses Baldwin. "It has confirmed a lot of our thinking and thrown a lot of young players into the frame.
"We're pretty happy with the performances put up by newcomers like Casey, Brent Charleton, Jarrod Kenny and Luke Ruscoe."
Baldwin has named a 15-man squad that includes three non-traveling reserves - Ruscoe, Wellington sharpshooter Troy McLean and Auckland power forward Mike Homik - as several of those included are subject to confirmation closer to the July 13 departure for China.
Kirk Penney's availability depends whether NBA players go on strike at the end of this month. Aaron Olson (toe), Tony Rampton (thumb) and to a lesser extent Ed Book (ankle) are all under injury clouds.
Dickel's absence makes room for heir apparent Lindsay Tait, who has dominated the National Basketball League in the guard spot for the past three years.
Frank still plays as an import in the NBL, but is awaiting his NZ citizenship. When that clearance comes through, he will challenge veteran Book for the sole naturalised spot on the team.
"He's not eligible to play in the Oceania series yet, but his papers are not far away," says Baldwin. "It is important to bring him into the environment and groom him now."
Vukona has been one of the outstanding performers in this year's league after filling a development role with the Breakers last summer.
The trip to China is the first stage of the Tall Blacks' build-up towards the Oceania series against Australia, consisting of tests at Waitakere (August 17), Manukau (August 20) and Dunedin (August 21). The winners of that series will qualify for next year's world championships with top seeding from the zone.
Tall Blacks squad: Ed Book, Dillon Boucher, Craig Bradshaw, Pero Cameron, Casey Frank, Paul Henare, Phill Jones, Aaron Olson, Kirk Penney, Tony Rampton, Lindsay Tait and Vukona. Reserves: Mike Homik, Troy McLean and Luke Ruscoe.
i wonder why he made himself unavailable.
link : http://www.tvnz.co.nz/view/page/488122/593276/
Casey Frank and Mika Vukona are the new faces named in the Tall Black squad for the four-nation tournament in China next month.
Coach Tab Baldwin announced his selection after a two-day camp ended in Auckland on Tuesday.
As expected, the squad is built around those players who attended the Athens Olympics last year.
But with starting point guard Mark Dickel and centre Sean Marks unavailable, Baldwin has brought Vukona and Frank into the mix with a long term view towards the Oceania Championships in August and next year's Melbourne Commonwealth Games.
"The camp was short, but good," assesses Baldwin. "It has confirmed a lot of our thinking and thrown a lot of young players into the frame.
"We're pretty happy with the performances put up by newcomers like Casey, Brent Charleton, Jarrod Kenny and Luke Ruscoe."
Baldwin has named a 15-man squad that includes three non-traveling reserves - Ruscoe, Wellington sharpshooter Troy McLean and Auckland power forward Mike Homik - as several of those included are subject to confirmation closer to the July 13 departure for China.
Kirk Penney's availability depends whether NBA players go on strike at the end of this month. Aaron Olson (toe), Tony Rampton (thumb) and to a lesser extent Ed Book (ankle) are all under injury clouds.
Dickel's absence makes room for heir apparent Lindsay Tait, who has dominated the National Basketball League in the guard spot for the past three years.
Frank still plays as an import in the NBL, but is awaiting his NZ citizenship. When that clearance comes through, he will challenge veteran Book for the sole naturalised spot on the team.
"He's not eligible to play in the Oceania series yet, but his papers are not far away," says Baldwin. "It is important to bring him into the environment and groom him now."
Vukona has been one of the outstanding performers in this year's league after filling a development role with the Breakers last summer.
The trip to China is the first stage of the Tall Blacks' build-up towards the Oceania series against Australia, consisting of tests at Waitakere (August 17), Manukau (August 20) and Dunedin (August 21). The winners of that series will qualify for next year's world championships with top seeding from the zone.
Tall Blacks squad: Ed Book, Dillon Boucher, Craig Bradshaw, Pero Cameron, Casey Frank, Paul Henare, Phill Jones, Aaron Olson, Kirk Penney, Tony Rampton, Lindsay Tait and Vukona. Reserves: Mike Homik, Troy McLean and Luke Ruscoe.