Basketball: Top players unavailable for Oceania match

United States-based Sean Marks and Kirk Penney will not be available to play for New Zealand this week in the Oceania basketball series against Australia.

The series will determine which team will qualify for next year's world championships.

Tall Black coach Tab Baldwin said Marks had made himself unavailable because he was trying to secure a National Basketball Association contract.

Penney, who flew back to the United States after the Goodwill Games in Brisbane this month, was keen to play, but his University of Wisconsin coach would not release him for a number of reasons, including concern about travel and flying in the US.