Basketball: Underdogs ready to give their best shot

Carlos Lopez from Puerto Rico slam dunks a ball during a demonstration in Auckland. Photo / Dean Purcell

They might be underdogs but the Junior Tall Blacks are quietly confident they will rattle a few cages when the world under-19 basketball championships tip off in Auckland today.

As hosts the New Zealanders are the only side not to have qualified for the tournament, which will see 62 matches played over the next 11 days.

The hosts may lack the pedigree of the other 15 teams, who all earned their place by virtue of strong showings at international tournaments last year, but coach Kenny McFadden said his side would not be overawed by the challenge.

"We have showed that if we play to our ability and the confidence is there then we can beat anybody," McFadden said.

The American-born coach derived plenty of encouragement from a build-up that saw the Kiwis notch wins over Egypt and Syria and push Lithuania - Europe's second-ranked side - close before falling to a five-point defeat.

Overall, the Kiwis posted a 3-3 record in pre-tournament matches.

"It was brutal," McFadden said. "Six games in seven days was a big ask. But I was able to use all 12 players in every game and we got some wins out of it.

"We are confident because we have nothing to lose. We are not ranked at all and it is our first time [in the tournament]. We have been together for about 3 weeks, which is the best preparation this group has ever had."

Maybe, but teams such as top-ranked Argentina, who the Tall Blacks face tonight, have been building up for the event for years.

The Argentinians have never finished higher than third at the four-yearly championships, but come in as favourites after dispatching the United States in the final to claim last year's Americas U18 championships.

The Americans are also highly fancied. They have appeared in six of eight finals but 18 years have elapsed since they last claimed the title. They begin their campaign this morning with an intriguing clash against Iran.

To progress beyond the first phase the JTBs will need to win at least one of their three group matches. With a tough encounter against European powerhouse Croatia to follow Argentina, their best bet looks to be against relative unknown Kazakhstan on Saturday night.

McFadden accepts his team will be over-matched for much of the tournament.

"Toughness and intelligence is what we have to bring to the table," McFadden said. "Whatever we lack in height and talent we have got to [make up for] with toughness and the mental game."

Centre Rob Loe, the tallest of the Kiwis at 2.11m and the only Aucklander in the team, said the Lithuania match had shown the team they weren't far off the pace.

"We did well, we challenged them," Loe said.

"We got real close to them so I think our team is coming along quite well. In any game we've got a chance. No one really knows much about us and we've got the whole country behind us, so I think we've got a pretty good chance."

With 80-100 international scouts expected to attend the tournament, Loe and his teammates have plenty to play for. US College and even professional contracts were up for grabs, McFadden said.

"If you have a good tournament here you write your own ticket. It is important for everybody to go out there and play hard and show the world that there are some Kiwi players who can play."