Led by MVP Leon Henry and 42 points from former Tall Black Brendon Polyblank, Hutt Valley have defeated Porirua to capture the 2010 Conference Basketball League crown at Porirua.

The Hutt crew had to reverse the result from their previous encounter in pool play, seizing control of the contest with a 29-15 quarter. The home team could make no real dent in their 17-point halftime advantage, despite 34 points from forward Arthur Trousdell.

The Junior Tall Blacks completed their strong tournament, part of a build-up towards September’s FIBA U19 Oceania Championships, by defeating Southland for third place.

Porirua
Friday, July 30
11am
Third/fourth playoff
Junior Tall Blacks 85 (Stefan Mandic 19, Brad Anderson 17) Nelson Suns 76 (Bronson Beri 21, Sam To’omata 18, Sam Dempster 14, Tom Ingham 10)
Referees - Scott Harris, Brendon Hodgson, Brent O’Hagan
Q1 23-15
HT 48-30 (25-15)
Q3 66-60 (18-30)
FT 85-76 (19-16)

1pm
Final
Hutt Valley 111 (Brendon Polyblank 42, Leon Henry 25, Damien Ekenasio 15) Porirua 95 (Arthur Trousdell 34, Ross Taurima 22, Jordan Mills 12)
Referees - Marty Davison, Donna Brown, Melony Wealleans
Q1 29-26
HT 58-41 (29-15)
Q3 82-66 (24-25)
FT 111-95 (29-29)

All Star 5
Brendon Polyblank (Hutt Valley), Ross Taurima (Porirua), James Paringatai (Southland), Leon Henry (Hutt Valley), Jordan Mills (Porirua)

Most Valuable Player
Leon Henry (Hutt Valley)

Anthony Corban understands his international coaching debut is mostly about being in the right place at the right time.

One minute, he was preparing to manage and scout for a national U18 men’s team at a FIBA33 tournament in Germany; the next, he was stepping into the lead role when head coach Alex Stojkovic dropped out for health reasons.

Stojkovic’s withdrawal from next month’s Youth Olympic Games in Singapore left Corban as the logical replacement.

He has never been part of the national junior programme, but has coached extensively at national level. Corban (41) currently holds roles as Sportsforce basketball development officer with Sport Waikato and community basketball manager with Waikato Basketball, and is grateful to both employers for their support in this new venture.

This season, he has coached Waikato U19 women (runners-up at the NZ Championships), U15 men and the Cambridge High School premier girls.

But most importantly, Corban’s trip to Germany makes him the only Kiwi to have coached in an international FIBA33 tournament, giving him valuable insight into a new style of basketball loosely based on the traditional three-on-three format.

“Getting to Germany has been a massive help in seeing how this FIBA33 is played,” he says. “The boys are used to four 10-minutes quarters, where they’re careful about playing defence and they get to work their way into a game.

“I’ve had to undo all that muscle memory.”

His Cambridge girls have also been willing guinea pigs in his experiments with this form of the game.

“I see a lot of potential in this concept, especially as pre-season conditioning for association teams,” says Corban. “It makes a nice pleasing change for the kids, instead of flogging them in the gym.”

Basketball New Zealand chief executive Tim Hamilton agrees.

“We are delighted that someone of Anthony’s calibre as taken up the challenge of coaching FIBA33 at an international level,” he says.

“We believe the game has huge potential and this group’s lessons, not only in Germany, but also at the Youth Olympic Games, will help us consider the opportunities to develop this concept in New Zealand.”

The young Kiwis open their Youth Olympic campaign against Greece on August 15, followed by further pool games against Puerto Rico, Serbia and India.

From Day One, when they were the last two remaining unbeaten teams, Porirua and Hutt Valley loomed as Conference Basketball League contenders … so it shall be.

As the top two teams after round robin play, both on 4-1 records, they qualified directly into the semifinals and underlined their dominance of the tournament by accounting for their opponents at the last knockout stage.

Hutt Valley, led by 28 points from former Tall Black Brendon Polyblank, put a decisive break on the Junior Tall Blacks in the third quarter and held on for a 78-70 win to reach the title game.

The home team also drew away after halftime in their match-up with Nelson Suns. Forward Arthur Trousdell led all scorers with 24 points in Porirua’s 95-79 victory.

The JTBs will meet Nelson for third/fourth, while Southland accounted for Actrix Waikato Titans Fraser 80-65 in the playoff for fifth/sixth.

Porirua
Thursday, July 29
2pm
Fifth/sixth playoff
Southland 80 (James Paringatai 24, Gareth Dawson 17, Dan Peck 15) Actrix Waikato Titans Fraser 65 (Chris Daniel 22, Duane Bailey 17)
Q1 31-12
HT 49-34 (18-22)
Q3 63-49 (14-15)
FT 80-65 (17-16)

4pm
Semifinal 2
Hutt Valley 78 (Brendon Polyblank 28, Cory Vessey 19, Stu Carruthers 11, Leon Henry 10) Junior Tall Blacks 70 (Brad Anderson 15, Ethan Rusbatch 14, Tia Temata Frost 11, Nick Barrow 10)
Q1 19-16
HT 36-32 (17-16)
Q3 60-51 (24-19)
FT 78-70 (18-19)

6pm
Semifinal 1
Porirua 95 (Arthur Trousdell 24, Brook Ruscoe 18, Jordan Mills 18, Ross Taurima 13, Randall Bishop 10) Nelson Suns 79 (Sam To’omata 29, Bronson Beri 20, Sam Dempster 11)
Q1 30-32
HT 49-48 (19-16)
Q3 69-60 (20-12)
FT 95-79 (26-19)

Friday, July 30
11am
Third/fourth playoff
Nelson Suns v Junior Tall Blacks

1pm
Final
Porirua v Hutt Valley

Porirua
Monday, July 26
10am
Actrix Waikato Titans Fraser v Southland

Noon
Hutt Valley v Nelson Suns
Porirua v Junior Tall Blacks

6pm
Junior Tall Blacks v Nelson Suns
Hutt Valley v Southland

8pm
Porirua v Actrix Waikato Titans Fraser

Tuesday, July 27
10am
Junior Tall Blacks v Hutt Valley

Noon
Southland v Porirua
Nelson Suns v Actrix Waikato Titans Fraser

6pm
Actrix Waikato Titans Fraser v Hutt Valley
Nelson Suns v Porirua

8pm
Southland v Junior Tall Blacks

Wednesday, July 28
10am
Hutt Valley v Porirua

Noon
Actrix Waikato Titans Fraser v Junior Tall Blacks
Southland v Nelson Suns

6pm
Third v Sixth (Quarterfinal 1)

8pm
Fourth v Fifth (Quarterfinal 2)

Thursday, July 29
2pm
Actrix Waikato Titans Fraser v Southland (Fifth/sixth playoff)

4pm
Hutt Valley v Junior Tall Blacks (Semifinal 2)

6pm
Porirua v Nelson Suns (Semifinal 1)

Friday, July 30
11am
Loser SF1 v Loser SF2 (Third/fourth playoff)

1pm
Winner SF1 v Winner SF2 (Final)

The Junior Tall Blacks and Nelson Suns kept their title hopes alive with quarterfinal victories late on Day Three of the Conference Basketball League at Porirua.

The national U19 men, preparing for next month’s FIBA U19 Championships against Australia, edged Actrix Waikato Titans Fraser 76-74, their second victory of the day over the same opponents. Harbour guard Brad Anderson led the way with 20 points.

But the Suns had to reverse their earlier result over Southland, effecting a 20-point turnaround to eliminate their rivals 81-64. Guard Sam Dempster led all scorers with 23 points.

In the morning, Porirua, led by Jordan Mills‘ 31 points, upset previously unbeaten Hutt Valley 121-99 to finish top of the table. They now face Nelson in one semifinal, while Hutt take on the JTBs.

Porirua

Wednesday, July 28
10am
Porirua 121 (Jordan Mills 31, Brook Ruscoe 18, Ross Taurima 16, Nick Mills 15, Josh McCrombie 14, Randall Bishop 12) Hutt Valley 99 (Brendon Polyblank 29, Leon Henry 26, Cory Vessey 17, Dean Antipas 16)
Q1 32-22
HT 57-49 (25-27)
Q3 84-70 (27-21)
FT 121-99 (37-29)

Noon
Junior Tall Blacks 73 (Ethan Rusbatch 22, Hyrum Hippolite 10) Actrix Waikato Titans Fraser 67 (Chris Daniel 23, Daniel Green 16, Duane Bailey 13, Jerome Tafa 11)
Q1 16-6
HT 37-34 (21-28)
Q3 57-53 (20-19)
FT 73-67 (16-14)

Southland 66 (James Paringatai 18, Gareth Dawson 16, Paratene McLeod 13, Izaac Williams 12) Nelson Suns 63 (Sam To’omata 20, Bronson Beri 13, Sam Dempster 12, Tom Ingham 10)
Q1 15-15
HT 32-36 (17-21)
Q3 40-51 (8-15)
FT 66-63 (26-12)

Standings after Round Robin
Porirua 4-1
Hutt Valley 4-1
Junior Tall Blacks 2-3
Nelson Suns 2-3
Southland 2-3
Actrix Waikato Titans Fraser 1-4

6pm
Quarterfinal 1 - Junior Tall Blacks 76 (Brad Anderson 20, Kiki Kiriau 11, Ethan Rusbatch 10) Actrix Waikato Titans Fraser 74 (Duane Bailey 23, Ben King 10)
Q1 17-26
HT 43-43 (26-15)
Q3 62-61 (19-18)
FT 76-74 (14-13)

8pm
Quarterfinal 2 - Nelson Suns 81 (Sam Dempster 23, Bronson Beri 16, Sam To’omata 15, Ben Wright 13) Southland 64 (Paratene McLeod 14, James Paringatai 14, Gareth Dawson 12, Dan Peck 11)
Q1 26-20
HT 44-29 (18-9)
Q3 60-46 (16-17)
FT 81-64 (21-18)

Thursday, July 29
2pm
Actrix Waikato Titans Fraser v Southland (Fifth/sixth playoff)

4pm
Hutt Valley v Junior Tall Blacks (Semifinal 2)

6pm
Porirua v Nelson Suns (Semifinal 1)

The Junior Tall Blacks threw a cat among the pigeons with an overtime upset of Southland late on Day Two of the Conference Basketball League.

Just as the southerners were starting to emerge as challengers for the title, the national U19 side, preparing for their FIBA Oceania Championship series against Australia in September, cut them down to complicate the scramble for semifinal spots.

Southland had promoted their cause in the morning with a 97-73 win over previously unbeaten Porirua, led by big men James Paringatai (39 points) and Gareth Dawson (31). But the JTBs had played tough in their three losses and were due for a result.

They ran up a 10-point advantage with 10 minutes remaining, but couldn’t hold it and needed extra time to seal the deal. Harbour guard Brad Anderson unleashed 33 points to star for the youngsters.

Hutt Valley maintained their run through the competition, defeating the juniors in the morning and Actrix Waikato Titans Fraser in the evening.

They are assured of automatic entry into the semis and play crosstown rivals Porirua (3-1) on Wednesday morning. If the home team lose, they will finish tied with the winners of Southland v Nelson Suns for the other semifinal spot.

Porirua
Tuesday, July 27
10am
Hutt Valley 92 (Brendon Polyblank 32, Cory Vessey 16, George Leafa 15, Leon Henry 10) Junior Tall Blacks 80 (Kiki Kiriau 17, Reuben Te Rangi 15)
Q1 24-14
HT 38-32 (14-18)
Q3 63-56 (25-24)
FT 92-80 (29-24)

Noon
Southland 97 (James Paringatai 39, Gareth Dawson 31, Dan Peck 16) Porirua 73 (Jordan Mills 14, Brok Ruscoe 11, Josh McCrombie 11, Ross Taurima 11)
Q1 18-13
HT 45-32 (27-19)
Q3 67-55 (22-23)
FT 97-73 (30-18)

Nelson Suns 82 (Sam To’omata 24, Bronson Beri 22, Sam Dempster 14) Actrix Waikato Titans Fraser 81 (Chris Daniel 33, Duane Bailey 20, Daniel Green 13)
Q1 24-15
HT 45-39 (21-24)
Q3 57-55 (12-16)
FT 82-81 (25-26)

6pm
Hutt Valley 105 (Leon Henry 23, George Leafa 23, Cory Vessey 19, Dean Antipas 13, Harris Stephen 13, Damien Ekenasio 11) Actrix Waikato Titans Fraser 89 (Daniel Green 25, Chris Daniel 22)
Q1 29-28
HT 47-48 (18-20)
Q3 75-68 (28-20)
FT 105-89 (30-21)

Porirua 103 (Arthur Trousdell 30, Brook Ruscoe 24, Randall Bishop 16, Jordan Mills 13) Nelson Suns 87 (Bronson Beri 25, Sam Dempster 24, Sam To’omata 14, Ben Wright 10)
Q1 39-22
HT 63-44 (24-22)
Q3 85-70 (22-26)
FT 103-87 (18-17)

8pm
Junior Tall Blacks 88 (Brad Anderson 33, Chris Duthie 15) Southland 84 OT
Q1 25-19
HT 50-42 (25-23)
Q3 66-56 (16-14)
FT 80-80 (14-24)
OT 88-84 (8-4)

Standings after Day Two
Hutt Valley 4-0
Porirua 3-1
Southland 2-2
Nelson Suns 2-2
Actrix Waikato Titans Fraser 1-3
Junior Tall Blacks 1-3

2010 Conference Basketball League Programme (pdf 918kb)

Marc Hinton, Fairfax Media
Tall Blacks star Thomas Abercrombie believes the All Whites have shown exactly the recipe that’s needed for his team to go and make some noise at the upcoming world championships in Turkey.

It was interesting to hear Abercrombie single out the “inspirational” feats of the national football team after the Tall Blacks went through their paces at their final selection training camp in Auckland over the weekend.

Of course the current Tall Blacks also have the achievements of their 2002 predecessors to reference, including three survivors from that squad who finished fourth at the world championships that year in Indianapolis. It was a performance that not only captivated the nation, but the entire global hoops community.

But Abercrombie, considered the premier player of the new generation of Tall Blacks, reckoned the deeds of Ryan Nelsen and co at the recent World Cup were equally as impressive and possibly more relevant

“It was pretty inspiring,” said Abercrombie of the All Whites’ three draws to bow out unbeaten. “The mentality the All Whites had was they went in believing they could win every game.

“We’ve got to go in with the same mentality, and if we can go undefeated throughout the world champs we’ll be in pretty good shape.”

Abercrombie reckoned the interest the All Whites generated also provided a valuable lesson for the Tall Blacks.

“Thy showed how much the country gets behind a team when it’s doing well. Hopefully we can inspire people like they were able to… we’re flying under the radar a little bit but a couple of years ago the All Whites were in a similar position and had a couple of great results and people started to get behind them.

“I think if we can put in some good results at this tournament we can bring some interest back like there was in ‘02 for the world champs.”

Of course, that ‘02 group really did achieve something special as they made it all the way to the semifinals, knocking off superpowers like Russia, China and Puerto Rico along the way.

Abercrombie was just a young hoops wannabe then, but he well remembers the deeds of the likes of Pero Cameron, Kirk Penney, Phill Jones - all back for one more tilt at glory - as they put New Zealand on the hoops map.

“It’s always been a dream for me to represent New Zealand at the world champs. Watching the ‘02 campaign was pretty inspiring for young basketballers at that time … now we’re starting to see that generation come through and do our own thing.”

But Abercrombie, the new star on the Kiwi hoops scene, reckoned it was important for the 2010 Tall Blacks to carve out their own piece of history.

“We’ve only for three survivors from those days and we’re a new team with new goals. We haven’t sat down and talked about aspirations for the champs yet but we’ll go out with the same mentality that team had and that’s the same mentality every Tall Blacks team has - to try to win every game and not back down from anyone.

“We’re going to be underdogs most games, but we like that tag and it helps motivate us.”

The Turkey tournament (Aug 28-Sept 12) also shapes as a big chance for Abercrombie to unleash his spectacular talents on the world stage. Having broken through at NBL and Australian NBL level, the 1.98m 23-year-old is now keen to test himself against the best in the world.

“It’s the next step really,” he says. “The competition is going to be incredibly good, with all the best players in the world, but you want to test yourself against the best and I can’t wait for that opportunity.”

And Abercrombie reckons the task is a pretty simple one for the Tall Blacks over the next month or so as they prepare for and then measure up to the world’s best teams.

“We have to play incredibly well every game,” said the Waikato Pistons standout and Kiwi MVP of the recently completed NBL. “A mediocre performance from us isn’t going to get the job done.

“Some of those more talented teams can afford to play a mediocre game and come out with a win. We’re going to have to play well every game. It’s why the buildup is so important and playing some really competitive teams.

“We’re going to have to go in with the right mentality that we can beat all these teams and not back down from anyone.”

Just like the All Whites, in other words.

Crosstown rivals Porirua and Hutt Valley finished Day One of the 2010 Conference Basketball League tournament as the only unbeaten teams with two wins apiece.

On their home court, Porirua edged out the Junior Tall Blacks 87-82 in their opening game, led Jordan Mills‘ 24 points.

The Taranaki Mountainairs shooter then returned to bag 31 in a 102-84 victory over Actrix Waikato Titans Fraser in the evening.

Meanwhile, Hutt Valley were far too classy for both Nelson 96-68 and Southland 96-72.

Porirua and Hutt are drawn to meet in their final outings of round robin play on Wednesday morning.

Porirua
Monday, July 26
10am
Actrix Waikato Titans Fraser 77 (Chris Daniel 25, Daniel Green 20, Duane Bailey 15) Southland 75 (Gareth Dawson 23, James Paringatai 23, Paratene McLeod 11, Dan Peck 10)
Q1 22-14
HT 46-31 (24-17)
Q3 66-56 (20-25)
FT 77-75 (11-19)

Noon
Hutt Valley 96 (Cory Vessey 21, Brendon Polyblank 18, Leon Henry 17, Harris Stephen 10) Nelson Suns 68 (Sam Dempster 23, Bronson Beri 17, Steve Bill 11)
Q1 18-10
HT 39-32 (21-22)
Q3 68- 54 (29-22)
FT 96-68 (28-14)

Porirua 86 (Jordan Mills 24, Ross Taurima 23, Randall Bishop 14, Brook Ruscoe 10, Sid Adams 10) Junior Tall Blacks 82 (Ethan Rusbatch 20, Tia Temata-Frost 12, Chris Duthie 11)
Q1 27-19
HT 53-34 (26-15)
Q3 73-55 (20-21)
FT 86-82 (13-27)

6pm
Nelson Suns 67 (Bronson Beri 27, Steve Bill 12) Junior Tall Blacks 65 (Chris Duthie 14, Brad Anderson 11, Nick Barrow 11)
Q1 22-9
HT 35-33 (13-24)
Q3 55-51 (20-18)
FT 67-65 (12-14)

Hutt Valley 96 (Brendon Polyblank 24, Cory Vessey 21, Leon Henry 16, David Hopoi 15, George Leafa 11) Southland 72 (Gareth Dawson 24, Dan Peck 21, James Paringatai 12)
Q1 22-20
HT 54-40 (32-20)
Q3 76-55 (22-15)
FT 96-72 (20-17)

8pm
Porirua 102 (Jordan Mills 31, Arthur Trousdell 19, Josh McCrombie 12, Ross Taurima 11) Actrix Waikato Titans Fraser 84 (Chris Daniel 27, Daniel Green 23)
Q1 31-15
HT 53-36 (22-21)
Q3 75-59 (22-23)
FT 102-84 (27-25)

2010 Conference Basketball League Programme (pdf 918kb)

The NZ Tall Blacks have confirmed the 12 players to travel to the build up tournaments for the 2010 FIBA Basketball World Championship for Men in Turkey next month.

Three players will be making an appearance at their third world championship – veterans Pero Cameron, who has been named captain, Phil Jones and NZ Breakers star Kirk Penney, the team vice-captain.

The world championship preparations commence on July 26, with build up matches and mini tournaments and training camps to be held in Croatia, Slovenia and Turkey.

However, head coach Nenad Vucinic is careful to explain that those selected may not necessarily be at the world champs, potentially leaving room for NBA star Sean Marks to make the side if he recovers from his shoulder surgery in time.

“It was a tough call for myself, Dillon (Boucher) and Chris (Tupu) to select this team. They worked hard over the past couple of days.

“It was the hardest one I’ve had to pick,” said Vucinic. “There are seven disappointed guys out there.

“But let’s hope it makes them stronger for the future. Any of them could have been there.

“Sean Marks is still a possibility … a small possibility. We’ll just have to see if that happens.”

The selection of Cameron was almost a surprise for Vucinic, who at one stage didn’t believe he’d be fit enough after not playing in the NBL season.

“Over the weekend, I thought it was going to be a real struggle for him. He came right completely. I think he was surprised himself.”

Cameron says he was doubtful if he would make the team on fitness, especially after he has been recovering from stress fractures in his left foot.

“The last two sessions where my best sessions,” he said. “I kept on getting better.

“It was a bit of a mental thing – am I able to keep turning it up? But there was progression and the confidence came with it.

“There’s some good old heads in the team and plenty of experience. It’s a good solid team.”

The team leave on their extensive build up on Monday evening with a schedule that will see the Tall Blacks take on Iran, Serbia and Turkey in Istanbul in early August. Then, a training camp in the same city is followed by matches against Russia, Serbia and Slovenia in Maribor, Slovenia, with another camp afterwards.

A mini tournament in Zadar, Croatia, features matches against Russia, Jordan and the home side.

New Zealand’s group at the world champs consists of reigning champions Spain, sixth-ranked Lithuania, France at No15, Canada (19) and Lebanon, coached by former Tall Black coach Tab Baldwin, with a ranking of 24.

The Tall Blacks are ranked at 13th in the world according to FIBA rankings. Their first game at the world championships is against Lithuania, August 28.

The Tall Blacks tour squad is Thomas Abercrombie (Waikato Pistons), Benny Anthony Jnr (Harbour Heat), Craig Bradshaw (unattached), captain Pero Cameron (Wellington Saints), Casey Frank (Wellington Saints), Phill Jones (Nelson Giants), Jeremy Kench (Christchurch Cougars), Mike Fitchett (Nelson Giants), vice-captain Kirk Penney (NZ Breakers), Alex Pledger (Waikato Pistons), Lindsay Tait (Wellington Saints) and Mika Vukona (Nelson Giants).

You’d have a hard job convincing anyone around the Women’s Basketball Championship that former Tall Fern point guard Noni Wharemate is past her prime.

The NZ Force Harbour Breeze captain has not been part of the national team set-up since the Beijing Olympics two years ago, but continues to stamp her mark on the domestic game.

Her latest exploits have carried the Breeze to a hard-fought 62-47 victory over archrivals Oceania Otago Goldrush in the WBC second round final at Waitakere.

Trailing by as many as 15 points in the second quarter, the titleholders looked dead in the water, until Wharemate (28) put them on her back and dragged them back into contention.

A pair of baskets broke a 17-3 Otago run as the Breeze edged back to 27-36 at halftime, then Wharemate scored seven straight points out of the break. Moments later, centre Karlene Kingi gave Harbour a lead they never lost.

“I basically told them to wake up,” said coach Angela Perrott-Hunt. “We had just lost our focus on defence.

“We had scouted them, and knew a lot of their plays were run through ball reversal and we had to deny that. They got a lot more looks than we would have liked.”

The Goldrush, sparked by double international Suzie Bates and forward Patrice McKenzie (14 points), had dominated the first half, but could not find the same cohesion in the face of a renewed Harbour effort.

Bates was scoreless in the second half, while McKenzie had just five points. They had indeed created more scoring chances than Harbour, grabbing 18 offensive rebounds and attempting 17 more shots from the field, but simply could not capitalise (22% FG).

They were still within reach with four minutes remaining when McKenzie rimmed out a three-pointer that would have seen Otago close within two points. From the miss, Harbour guard Chelsea Terei finished a fast break with a three-point play that started a 12-0 roll.

Case closed.

Wharemate led all scorers with 22 points (9/14 FG, 4/4 FT), but that didn’t begin to measure her contribution to this win. Her sped and relentless pursuit of the ball left opponents floundering.

“She thinks she’s really unfit at the moment,” marveled Perrott-Hunt. “But she’s just a class act.

“She doesn’t know any other way but to compete at 100% the whole time, whether it’s diving on loose balls or talking to the girls. She’s a fantastic leader.”

Terei compiled a double/double of 12 points/11 rebounds, along with four steals, three assists and a block. For the Rush, McKenzie finished with 19 points, 12 rebounds and four steals.

Harbour now enter the finals weekend in Dunedin next month with an unblemished record, but mindful that Bates, who only returned 24 hours previously from the NZ cricket team’s tour of England, will be much better and Otago will enjoy home advantage.

Meanwhile, Palmerston North Storm were the unlucky losers in a scramble for spots in the five-team championship division of the WBC finale on August 19-21.

A 58-65 loss to Taranaki Trojans for fifth/sixth placings this weekend saw them also fall behind NZ Force Academy (third) and Waikato Wizards (fourth). Academy edged the wily Wizards 58-55 in their playoff.

Waitakere

Saturday, July 24
9am
Seventh/eighth
Hutt Valley Flyers 56 (Jess Slade 20, Ava Filipo 12, Margaret Scott 10) NZ Force Cougars 61 (Rhaiah Spooner-Knight 27)

Ninth/10th
MAGS 66 (Ashleigh Kelman-Poto 13, Morgan Roberts 12, Luiza Roberts 11) Te Wanango O Aotearoa 63 (Sandra Renata 21, Kendal Young 14)

11am
Third/fourth
Waikato Wizards 55 (Natasha Lenden 25, Aimee Firmin 14) NZ Force Women’s Academy 58 (Milika Nathan 12, Chevannah Paalvast 11)

Fifth/sixth
Taranaki Trojans 65 (Georgie Richards 16, Jelena Vucinic 14, Terai Sadler 10) Palmerston North Storm 58 (Natalie Moore 18, Jordan Hunter 15)

1pm
Final
NZ Force Harbour Breeze 62 (Noni Wharemate 22, Chelsea Terei 12) Oceania Otago Goldrush 47 (Patrice McKenzie 19)

Basketball New Zealand has accepted a Sports Tribunal of New Zealand decision to suspend Harbour Heat, NZ Breakers and Tall Blacks squad member Corey Webster until August 23, 2010, after he tested positive for cannabis use.

Corey returned a positive sample after the Harbour Heat v Bay Hawkes NBL game on May 21, 2010 and has served a provisional suspension since June 23, which was imposed before the Harbour Heat were due to play in the NBL quarter finals.

Corey admitted his violation in the Tribunal hearing. His suspension will mean that he will miss an opportunity to participate in the selection trials for the Tall Blacks team to travel to the FIBA World Basketball Championship for Men in Turkey starting on August 28.

Tall Blacks head coach Nenad Vucinic says that hopefully Webster will learn from his mistake for the future.

“Life is all about making right choices and unfortunately Corey has made a wrong one,” says Vucinic. “He is not the only one that is paying the price for it and we all hope he will learn from that.

“His choice, unfortunately for all of us has taken him out of contention to make the team and participate in world championship in Turkey. Corey is a young player and I am sure that this chapter in his career will help him learn the lesson and help him becoming the player he is capable of.”

In accepting the decision, BBNZ chief executive Tim Hamilton said, “BBNZ wished to underline again the key message in its submissions to the Sports Tribunal, namely that BBNZ is committed to educating its athletes, participants and officials about the positive effects of being drug-free in sport and in life – and is not prepared to tolerate the taking of prohibited drugs.

“For this reason, we are continuing to work with Drug Free Sport to enhance our education for all members of the basketball community and remind them that BBNZ will continue to back this up with a zero tolerance approach to infringements.”

BBNZ supports the measures announced by the Breakers to provide Corey with support in the form of counseling, mentoring and a number of strict conditions (including the imposition of a community service obligation) to assist him to rehabilitate.

NZ Force Harbour Heat and Oceania Otago Goldrush will face off once more for honours at the Women’s Basketball Championship second round in Waitakere on Saturday.

The two rivals - finalists last year and at last month’s 2010 opening round - have again emerged unbeaten from pool play over the past two days.

Harbour probably had their biggest scare when they trailed Taranaki Trojans on the first night, but rallied when Tall Ferns point guard Zoe Kensington left the court with a broken wrist.

On the next court, Otago also fell behind Palmerston North Storm, but finished strongly to a key victory. They then dispatched the experienced Waikato Wizards to seal their top spot going forward.

The Wizards will face the NZ Force Academy for third spot as teams scramble for a top-five spot and a place in the championship division of next month’s WBC finale in Dunedin.

Waitakere

Friday, July 23
9am
Te Wanango O Aotearoa 43 (Sandra Renata 26) Hutt Valley Flyers 62 (Jess Slade 21, Ava Filipo 11)

Mt Albert Grammar 55 (S Tupu 13, J Katu 11) Palmerston North Storm 69 (Jordan Hunter 21, Freya Newton 12, Natalie Moore 14)

11am
NZ Force Womens Academy 61 (Milika Nathan 20, Jasmine Davis 10) Taranaki Trojans 60 (Jelena Vucinic 19, Georgie Richards 15)

Waikato Wizards 50 (Miriam Slatter 14, Natasha Lenden 10) Oceana Goldrush 58 (Patrice McKenzie 17, Suzie Bates 10, Janet Main 10)

2pm
NZ Force Harbour Breeze 75 (Julie Kelman-Poto 17, Kate Lacey 15, Anna Lacey 11) Te Wanango O Aotearoa 40 (K Keuno 11, Sandra Renata 10)

NZ Force Cougars 57 (Tenielle Wilkinson 11, Meike Elkington 10) Palmerston North Storm 71 (Natalie Moore 23, Jordan Hunter 22)

5pm
Hutt Valley Flyers 47 (Jess Slade 15, Ava Filipo 11) Taranaki Trojans 63 (Jody Hikuroa 24, Rebecca Van Kuyk 11)

Oceana Goldrush 68 (Renee Johnson 20, Zoe Cadzow 14, Kelly Groot 12) Mt Albert Grammar 43 (Morgan Roberts 16, Ashleigh Kelman-Poto 10)

7pm
NZ Force Womens Academy 48 (Chevannah Paalvast 10) NZ Force Harbour Breeze 73 (Noni Wharemate 14, Natasha Hall 10, Jody Cameron 10)

NZ Force Cougars 35 (Rhaiah Spooner-Knight 12) Waikato Wizards 62 (Mella Shortland 15, Natasha Lenden 14, Miriam Slatter 10)

Saturday, July 24
9am
Hutt Valley Flyers v NZ Force Cougars
MAGS vs Te Wanango O Aotearoa

11am
Waikato Wizards v NZ Force Women’s Academy
Taranaki Trojans v Palmerston North Storm

1pm
NZ Force Harbour Breeze v Oceania Otago Goldrush

Juan Carlos Navarro is to captain Spain at the 2010 FIBA World Championship for Men in Turkey, coach Sergio Scariolo has confirmed.

As the team began their training camp in Las Palmas this week, the coach gave a detailed breakdown of what each member of his 15-man preliminary squad can bring to the team as they began their training camp in Las Palmas.

And he confirmed the Barcelona guard would be the leader of his team.

“He will be our captain not because of the number of caps he has earned but for his unsurpassed commitment and competitiveness,” Scariolo said.

The coach also confirmed that in the absence of Pau Gasol, he will turn to the Los Angeles Lakers star’s brother Marc to dominate under the basket.

“He is our first reference around the basket and he will take up his new role with strength and personality,” Scariolo said.

On star guard Ricky Rubio, Scariolo said: “He will amaze everyone with intuition and creativity.”

Barcelona center Fran Vazquez is in line to play in his first major international tournament since the 2005 EuroBasket, and Scariolo said: “His decision to return has given us great joy, and once again we can dominate above the rim.”

Spain will spend the two weeks and a half in Las Palmas, playing warm-up games against Canada and Cote d’Ivoire.

They will then head to Vitoria to face Lithuania and Slovenia. They also have games scheduled against Argentina, Brazil, Lithuania again, and the United States before heading to Turkey.

Spain will face the Tall Blacks, Canada, Lebanon, Lithuania and France in pool play at Izmir.

Updated draw and results from Day One of the Women’s Basketball Championships second round tournament at Waitakere City …

Waitakere
July 22-24

Thursday, July 22
9am
NZ Force Womens Academy 73 Te Wanango O Aotearoa 43
NZ Force Cougars 51 Mt Albert Grammar 38

11am
NZ Force Harbour Breeze 77 Hutt Valley Flyers 42
Palmerston North 60 Waikato Wizards 62

2pm
Taranaki Trojans 89 Te Wanango O Aotearoa 27
Oceana Goldrush 63 NZ Force Cougars 54

5pm
NZ Force Womens Academy 68 Hutt Valley Flyers 64
Mt Albert Grammar 40 Waikato Wizards 103

7pm
NZ Force Harbour Breeze 80 Taranaki Trojans 65
Oceana Goldrush 65 Palmerston North Storm 54

Josh Reich, Nelson Mail
Jelena Vucinic has to look no further than her father, Nenad, for proof of the heights one can achieve in a basketball career.

Nenad Vucinic – owner of the Nelson Giants and coach of the Tall Blacks – was yesterday honoured for one of the high points of his playing career, representing New Zealand at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

He was the 24th and final Nelsonian recognised, following a major ceremony last year and other smaller ones since.

To commemorate 100 years of New Zealand Olympic history, the New Zealand Olympic Committee, together with the Olympians Club of New Zealand, has honoured each of the country’s 1111 Olympic athletes with a pin emblazoned with the Olympian’s unique number, and a certificate signed by IOC president Jacques Rogge and NZOC secretary-general Barry Maister.

Vucinic, Olympian number 857, was presented with his pin by Tasman Regional Sports Trust chief executive Nigel Muir yesterday.

Vucinic has been coaching in Estonia and more recently Turkey, and is back in Nelson briefly ahead of trials in Auckland at the weekend for the Tall Blacks’ world championship campaign next month.

Vucinic is a humble man and said he always felt slightly uncomfortable about receiving individual accolades in a team sport, but said it was an honour to be part of the first New Zealand basketball team to play at the Olympics.

“It was a great Olympics, especially to go down to the same village with the guys who you’ve read about in newspapers and seen on TV. It was a great feeling.”

The Sydney Olympics were his playing swansong after an 11-year career with the Tall Blacks, however, he was back at the 2004 Athens Olympics as an assistant coach.

He said the team was slightly overawed in 2000, only managing one win against Angola, but on the back of their third placing at the 2002 world championships, were much more confident in 2004 where they managed a victory over the then world champs Serbia and Montenegro.

Jelena, a Junior Tall Fern, will be taking up a basketball scholarship at the end of August at Louisiana Tech University, and said her father’s achievements inspired her to aim for the Olympics.

“Definitely, if I get the opportunity, I would go for it.”

She could not remember much about her father’s appearance at the Games, with the most memorable aspect being the fact he returned with a shaved head, courtesy of fellow Giant and Tall Black Phill Jones.

Oceana Otago Goldrush coach Brent Matehaere isn’t sure he’ll get to play his ace at this week’s Women’s Basketball Championship tournament … but he may not have to.

The WBC second round tips off on Thursday at Waitakere Trusts Stadium and Matehaere is still awaiting word on whether double international and Beijing Olympian Suzie Bates will return to New Zealand in time to play any part.

She has been touring England with the White Ferns national women’s cricket team and is expected back sometime this week … maybe Friday, maybe Saturday.

“I’m not sure what sort of state she’ll be in after traveling and she won’t have played much basketball for a while,” Matehaere shrugs.

But he can take heart from his team’s strong showing without their star in last month’s round at New Plymouth, eventually bowing to defending champions NZ Force Harbour Breeze 64-70 in the final.

The Goldrush, runners-up to the Breeze in 2009, entered this season’s competition with low expectations, hoping only to establish themselves in the top half of the field for the final round in Dunedin next month.

“We were pleasantly surprised,” reflects Matehaere. “We went from strength to strength and while we never really put anyone away, we improved every day.”

Perhaps their best performance came on Day Two with a 74-67 win over the highly fancied Taranaki Trojans that secured top spot in their pool.

Otago led Harbour by as many as 13 points in the second quarter of the final, but could muster only seven points in the final period to let the titleholders off the hook.

This is a much bigger Goldrush outfit than last year’s version, helped by the return of Patrice McKenzie from her US college stint and the curious addition of German ring-in Anke Becker.

With Junior Tall Fern forward Samara Gallaher, the outside presence of former Taranaki shooter Bella McCallum and the addition of ex-Wellington guard Soraya Jensen-Umaga, they already look a balanced squad.

They will only get stronger by the time the trophies get handed out on their home court in August. Bates should be back in the fold and American prospect Casey Lockwood, hoping to earn an international call-up for the Tall Ferns, may also take that opportunity to push her case.

This weekend, they have avoided Harbour and Taranaki in pool play, but will have to contend with the surprising Palmerston North Storm, the youthful NZ Force Waikato Cougars and Mt Albert Grammar, and the wily Waikato Wizards.

Play begins at 9am Thursday with the Cougars facing MAGS and NZ Force Women’s Academy v Te Wanango O Aotearoa.

In games that could decide eventual finalists, Taranaki meet Harbour, while Otago encounter Palmerston North, both at 7pm.

Waitakere
July 22-24

Section A
NZ Force Harbour Breeze
Taranaki Trojans
Hutt Valley Flyers
NZ Force Womens Academy
Te Wanango O Aotearoa

Section B
Oceana Goldrush
Waikato Wizards
Mt Albert Grammar School
Palmerston North Storm
NZ Force Cougars

Thursday, July 22
9am
NZ Force Womens Academy v Te Wanango O Aotearoa
NZ Force Cougars v MAGS

11am
NZ Force Harbour Breeze v Hutt Valley Flyers
Palmerston North v Waikato Wizards

2pm
Taranaki Trojans v Te Wanango O Aotearoa
Oceana Goldrush v NZ Force Cougars

5pm
NZ Force Womens Academy v Hutt Valley Flyers
MAGS v Waikato Wizards

7pm
Taranaki Trojans v NZ Force Harbour Breeze
Palmerston North Storm v Oceana Goldrush

Friday, July 23
9am
Te Wanango O Aotearoa v Hutt Valley Flyers
MAGS v Palmerston North Storm

11am
NZ Force Womens Academy v Taranaki Trojans
Waikato Wizards v Oceana Goldrush

2pm
NZ Force Harbour Breeze v Te Wanango O Aotearoa
NZ Force Cougars v Palmerston North Storm

5pm
Hutt Valley Flyers v Taranki Trojans
Oceana Goldrush v MAGS

7pm
NZ Force Womens Academy v NZ Force Harbour Breeze
NZ Force Cougars v Waikato Wizards

Saturday, July 24
9am
A4 vs B4
MAGS vs Te Wanango O Aotearoa

11am
A2 v B2
A3 v B3

1pm
1st Section A vs 1st Section B

2010 WBC Rosters (July) (pdf 15kb)

Issue 29 of Basketball New Zealand’s Community Newsletter is now available …

BBNZ Community Newsletter, Issue 29 (pdf 2MB)

The following U13 athletes have been invited to attend BBNZ Cluster Camps 3 in August.

They will assemble in Hamilton on August 7, and Wanganui, Auckland, Nelson and Timaru on August 8.

North (Auckland)
Boys
Sam Armitt (West Auckland), Matt Carter (West Auckland), Jack Castle (North Harbour), Delaney Charley-Puata (Waitakere City), Luke Day (West Auckland), Patrick Elisaia-Hopa (North Harbour), Jacob Fitzgerald (North Harbour), Ken Smith (West Auckland), Joshua Tawhiao (West Auckland), Brendon Venter (North Harbour), Trent Kimiangatau (Waitakere City), Liam Thorton (North Harbour), Esau Luke (Waitakere City), Jacob Luke (Waitakere City), Tai Wynard (West Auckland)

Girls
Tabitha Jenkins (North Harbour), Christine Ling (North Harbour), Akiene Tera Reed (North Harbour), Rosie Davison (North Harbour), Elena Brown, Shania Ahipere (West Auckland), Arianna Capri Barrett (West Auckland), Annalina Crosbie (West Auckland), Georgia Henare (North Harbour), Katie Potts (North Harbour), Kennedy Robinson (North Harbour), Ivana (West Auckland), Zara Jillings (North Harbour)

Mid-North (Hamilton)
Boys
Jacob Blakey (Waikato), Drew Elliott (Waikato), Michael Gardner (Rotorua), Taylor Hamlin (Waikato), Blake Nahu (Rotorua), Matthew Newman (Tauranga City), Caleb Ruha (Counties-Manukau), Matangireia Yates-Francis (Rotorua), Ezra Simmonds (Waikato), Reid Andrews (Waikato), Hemi Berryman (Waikato), James Green (Tauranga City), Joel Singsam (Counties-Manukau), Reece Stanton (Tauranga City), James Young (Waikato), Rawiri Te Tai (Waikato), Nicholas Jones (Tauranga City)

Girls
Deanna Capon (Waikato), Hayleigh Morgan (Waikato), Cairyn – Marie Rogers (Tauranga City), Mahinarangi Vercoe (Rotorua), Kartya Walker (Counties-Manukau), Rhyannon Poto (Counties-Manukau), Sophie Bond (North Harbour), Kendell Mari Heremaia (Waikato), Keryn Maraea Koopu (Waikato), Brooke Makauriki Koopu (Waikato), Pareunuora Pene (Rotorua), Awatea Rikirangi-Thomas (Rotorua), Awatea Leach (Rotorua), Takiri Raerino (Rotorua),

Central (Wanganui)
Boys
Tyler Abraham (Taranaki Country), Sunee Calder (Taranaki Country), Corbin Giddy (New Plymouth), Nicholas Kadlec (New Plymouth), Farani Kiriau (Wellington), Isaac Letoa (Wellington), Blair Osborne (Wanganui), Ethan Roayie (Wellington), Klein Salmon (Porirua), Kaeleb Wenman (Wellington), Nathan Cousins (New Plymouth), Levi Lessels-Ngamate (New Plymouth), Eliason Calder (Taranaki Country), Sam Heaven (Hawke’s Bay), Nathan Morgan (New Plymouth), Jonathan Tahau (Taranaki Country), Mason Hughes (Palmerston North)

Girls
Leila Blackburn (Palmerston North), Sarah Chamberlain (New Plymouth), Lilly O’Neil (New Plymouth), Shabe Salmon (Porirua), Emma Daniels (New Plymouth), Katelyn Herbert (Palmerston North), Cassie Jones (New Plymouth), Amy Parker (Kapiti), Eden Te Huki (Palmerston North), MargaretWells (New Plymouth), Anecia Wilkie (Hawke’s Bay), Kaitlyn Mehrtens, Nikki Livingston (Hawke’s Bay)

Upper South (Nelson)
Boys
Callum O’Connel (Otago), Isaiah Miller (Marlborough), Matthew Mackay (Marlborough),

Girls
Livvy Hodson (Marlborough), Oriana Houra (Marlborough), Annaliese Raemaki (Marlborough)

Mid-South (Timaru)
Boys
Zachary McKay (North Canterbury), Alex Ross (North Canterbury), Tyler Andrews (North Canterbury), Cameron Butler (Mid Canterbury), Josh Gill (Mid Canterbury), Samuel Hall (Mid Canterbury), Scott Kelland (Mid Canterbury), Bailey McNally (North Canterbury), Barclay Miller (North Canterbury), Jayden Reid (Mid Canterbury), Sam Rodgers (Mid Canterbury), Isaac Schimanski (Mid Canterbury), Oliver Weston (North Canterbury)

Girls
Tyler Courtney (North Canterbury), Catlin Glue (West Coast), Emily Hickman (Mid Canterbury), Georgiea-May Jensen (Pioneer), Olivia Schrader (Mid Canterbury), Sophie Schrader (Mid Canterbury), Liberty Ross (Mid Canterbury), Jess Pascoe (West Coast), Sapphire Wairau (Canterbury), Samantha Brown (Pioneer), Chrystal Pal (Canterbury), Elish Ramsden (West Coast), Meg Marie Thompson (Canterbury)

Lower South (Timaru)
Boys
Jim Adler (Otago), Tim Adler (Otago), Joshua Aitcheson (Otago), Joel Cunningham (North Otago), Max De Geest (North Otago), Matthew Dukes (Otago), Hunter Kindley (Otago), Aidan Kitto-Ferguson (North Otago), Darcy More (Southland), Aaron Roydhouse (Otago), Nathan Smith (North Otago), William Sunderland (North Otago), Te Ariki Stevenson (Otago), Tim O’Neil

Girls
Jessie Clark-Grant (Otago), Jane Hendry (Otago), Keely Hughes (Southland), Jessie Kingsbury (Southland), Kiana Pelasio (Otago), Nikita Price (North Otago), Emily Rades (Otago), Hinamoki Rewi (Otago), Nicole Ruske (Otago), Bridgitte Simpson (Southland), Kelly Thompson (Southland), Kopare Williams (Otago), Hayley Sleeman (Otago), Jensen Haua (Otago), Emma Benn (Southland)

U13 Cluster Camp Flyer (pdf 96kb)

BBNZ Training Singlet & Shorts Order Form (pdf 112kb)

And still the records tumble …

Last month’s Bartercard National Basketball League finals have propelled visits to the BBNZ website through the roof, adding 16% to the previous highest monthly record.

In June 2010, the site hosted 71,590 visits, an average of 2386 a day. The previous month had seen an average of 2054.

Wednesday, June 30 - the day of Game Two of the NBL finals - generated a new single-day record 3686, topping the 3544 achieved the day the Tall Ferns played the United States at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

The BBNZ site, built by Catch Design, went on line in March 2007 and has had almost 1.5 million visits since.

New Zealand tuned up for the Youth Olympic Games later this year with a third placing at a junior three-on-three tournament run in conjunction with the FIBA U17 World Championships in Germany.

Fifteen international teams contested the event, held for men and women, at Hamburg’s Sporthalle Wandsbek, using the FIBA33 rules that will be followed in Singapore in August.

The Kiwi team of Michael Karena (Nelson), Te Ra Hodges-Tai (Waikato), James Ashby (West Auckland) and Kirk Rangiwha (Waikato) arrived only the day before the tournament, and were still suffering the jet lag from 32 hours of travel when the event tipped off.

Predictably, they lost their opening games to Israel (34-24) and Central Africa (21-11), but bounced back on Day Two for wins over German club teams Bremerfiaven (33-23) and TV Langen (33-10).

They defeated South Africa 33-11 in the playoff for third and then watched Israel beat Central Africa for the title.

Games are played over two five-minute periods or until a team scores 33 points.

The opportunity to play under FIBA33 rules should prove invaluable in the YOG build-up and has already shown the team better be ready for physical defence any time they enter the lane.

On the positive side, Karena’s play in the low post proved to be a major strength.

The New Zealand team for Singapore has yet to be named. They will face Greece, Serbia, Puerto Rico and Egypt in pool play from August 15-19.