BASKETBALL: Baynes and bro' not doing a Hunt

HAMISH BIDWELL
He's no Karmichael Hunt, our Callum Baynes.
No, the 0800 Easy LPG Hawks star isn't about to emulate his fellow Brisbanite and desert the country of his birth.
Despite living in Australia for the past 17 years, Baynes (below) has always seen himself as a Kiwi and that's why he was elated when Hawke's Bay Today called to tell him he'd been named in a 29-man Tall Blacks squad. And just to put a little cherry on the top, it turns out his younger brother, Aaron, was named as well.
"Really?" was Baynes' slightly incredulous response when the news of his selection was conveyed to him yesterday morning.
"I really had no idea. I spoke to the professional development scout from Basketball New Zealand a couple of days ago, but he didn't tell me anything about this.
"It's always been one of my goals to play for the Tall Blacks, but I didn't think it would happen so soon. I thought if I came in and showed a bit of potential in the league, that I might've had a chance of selection further down the track. It's all happened so quickly, I can't quite believe it.
"I was born in New Zealand and I did my first two years of school up in Gisborne and I've always supported the All Blacks and any other New Zealand team that I think has a chance of beating Australia."
Which Baynes may get to do himself, should he make the cut for the upcoming Jeep International Series against the Boomers in July. Not that he knew of the assignment. As with the selection of himself and brother Aaron, he had little idea what the Tall Blacks were up to.
"So, what's this squad been picked for?" he asked.
"To prepare for the matches against the Boomers, a South American tour, a couple of games against Qatar and then the world championships in Japan," came the response from this end.
"Really?" Baynes said for the second time.
"I mean, playing at the world championships was something I was sort of always aware of, but I certainly hadn't given much thought to this year's one. I've actually got a younger brother playing over in the United States and it's something we talked about doing one day."
"He's not called Aaron and playing at Washington State, is he?"
"Yeah, that's him."
"Well, he's been named in the Tall Blacks' squad, too."
"Wow. He was born in Gisborne and he's got a New Zealand passport, but I'm not really sure about his eligibility. He's played in the Australian under-19 team and he's actually back in Oz at the moment and I've been chatting to him for the last couple of days."
Basketball New Zealand is also unsure whether Aaron Baynes qualifies to play for this country. Communications manager Grant Chapman said they were trying to ascertain whether he had represented Australia in an official FIBA tournament.
If he had, like Turangi-born and Australian-raised Hawks star Adrian Majstrovich, he would be able to play in this country as a local, but be ineligible for the Tall Blacks.