Basketball: Bring on Yanks says Mair

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WELLINGTON - Most coaches faced with playing the National Basketball Association-dominated United States team at the Olympic Games would be running for cover, but not New Zealand coach Keith Mair.

New Zealand basketball has been hanging around the fringes of international competition for so long that such an opportunity cannot be missed.

No one is expecting New Zealand to seriously challenge the most powerful nations in the game, but the chance provided by Australia's automatic entry, and a vacancy for an Oceania representative, has allowed the Tall Blacks to rub shoulders with the heavyweights of the sport.

Mair was pleasantly surprised to find the Tall Blacks in the same side of the Games draw - in pool A - as the United States.

"I hope it is a pleasant surprise for the players to be up against all these basketball millionaires and for their part-time coach up against a coaching panel with a combined income greater than the entire budget of the Hillary Commission," Mair said. "It will be absolutely awesome."

New Zealand have also drawn Lithuania, China, France and Italy in their pool. Mair said New Zealand had a sense of the job ahead from their experience in Asia last year.

"We got close to Taiwan in the William Jones Cup last year and China thrashed Taiwan by 50 and Korea by 30 in the Asian championships. China is a huge team in size," Mair said.

"Italy is the European champion and has been a class team there for the last four or five years.

"And the quality of European play can be seen from the fact that Greece in 1998 finished fourth in the world championships, but last year could only finish 16th in the European championships."

Encouraging signs are being seen with the prospect of a good buildup programme for the Kiwis before the Games.

Despite the financial woes of the New Zealand Basketball Federation last year, the men's team should not have to be levied to attend pre-Games training camps and there is a good chance of matches in New Zealand against Australia, Russia and Canada before the Games.

"We are also hopeful of a return invitation to Taiwan's William Jones Cup tournament," Mair said.

The New Zealand women's team have also drawn the United States, along with Russia, Korea, Poland and Cuba in pool B of the 12-team tournament.

- NZPA