Basketball: Limited build-up for Tall Blacks and Canadians

By Peter Jessup

The Canadian basketball side in New Zealand for a flying two-test visit might be judged to be behind the eight-ball after arriving early on Saturday to play today, but the Tall Blacks face a similarly short build-up.

The New Zealand squad met for the first time yesterday and had two runs at the North Shore Events Centre, venue for the first test, with another to come this morning.

That is little time to fit one of their main weapons, Toronto Raptor Sean Marks, into a squad who have been settled for some time.

The Tall Blacks have plenty of scoring power, Phill Jones, Pero Cameron, Brad Riley, Ralph Lattimore and Judd Flavell all hitting the hoops well for their teams in the National Basketball League. The role for Marks will be to get them the ball and some time.

Marks went to Wellington on Friday for a solo session with coach Keith Mair, to learn the Tall Blacks' game-plan, the calls and systems Mair wants from him tonight.

The line-up are probably the strongest team New Zealand have ever put on court and will go in with high public expectation after a drawn series against a similar visiting Canadian side last year. Those games, though, came on the back of a series of internationals

All the Tall Black players went well with their league teams on Saturday, Auckland captain Cameron being unconcerned that the effort might blunt any of the test team.

They go in with established combinations and a ton of talent that will give them some advantage, but face a bigger Canadian team, with Marks, in particular, up against it as he matches up to their biggest player, 2.2m centre Pascal Fleury.

The second game is in Nelson tomorrow.

New Zealand: Ralph Lattimore (c), Judd Flavell, Peter Pokai, Brad Riley (Nelson), Chris Tupu (Adelaide), Kent Mori, Tony Rampton (Taranaki), Phill Jones (Otago), Sean Marks (Toronto), Pero Cameron (Auckland), Andrew Parke (North Harbour), Robert Hickey (Canterbury); reserves Paul Henare (Auckland), Michael Thompson (Nelson).

Canada: Hennessey Auriantal, Richard Anderson, Rowan Barrett, Pascal Fleury, Greg Francis, Peter Guarasci, Andrew Mavis, Jordie McTavish, Michael Meeks, Wayne Smith, Shawn Swords, Keith Vassall, Jesse Young.