Slam dunk: Tall Blacks hone defence while awaiting league finalists

By PETER JESSUP

The Tall Blacks are in camp on the North Shore working on individual improvement rather than team systems while they wait for their last three members, captain Pero Cameron and Dillon Boucher from Waikato and Brendon Polyblank from Wellington, to play the league final.

Coach Tab Baldwin is confident the sprained index finger Cameron suffered on his shooting hand in the semifinal win over Auckland will not take him out of Sunday's final at Mystery Creek or impede his game at the Istanbul World Cup.

The rest in camp are fit.

Baldwin said they were using the time to adjust their goals and make sure they did not lose ground after the 2-1 series win over the Czech Republic. Hawkes Bay guards Paora Winitana and Paul Henare would have been two weeks without a game because they weren't in playoffs and the four Aucklanders would have missed a week.

The focus has been on defence because they have three out.

The aim for the tournament with Italy, Yugoslavia and Turkey was "to foot it with what will be great competition", Baldwin said. "They'll test our knowledge and our systems, find holes and expose them, and it's up to the coaching staff to give the players the tools to fix that."

They wanted to win, he said, but the primary aim this year remained the Olympic qualifying series against Australia next month. Oceania has two spots for Athens but seedings are to be determined - along with psychological advantage.

"The confidence of this team is not at risk," Baldwin said. "I saw them lose games at Indianapolis and they never once lost belief in themselves."

The Tall Blacks wouldn't reach potential until all players were available. Sean Marks and Kirk Penney are not going to Turkey and Mark Dickel is still in doubt because of their club contracts.

"All those guys positively affect the chemistry of the team."

The team needed a six-week preparation to reach their best, but that was impossible as the players were not paid for national representation. Baldwin hopes that will be resolved as their profile rises.

"If we want to go one better at Athens than we did at Indianapolis, go for gold, we have to have that."

The Aussie Boomers lost their second consecutive game to Greece 70-59 and went down 89-68 to Yugoslavia before beating Bulgaria 101-79 on their European tour, also part of the build-up for the Eurobasket championships.

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Wellington coach Mike McHugh said all his side were fit and looking forward to the final but scoffed at assertions by Titans' opposite Jeff Green that the Saints were favourites. Green pointed out that the Saints were on a winning streak, had the best defence in the league and said the only thing his side had going for it was home-court advantage.

"Despite what Jeff said, they have to be favourites - they're a formidable team. They're the runaway league leaders, they're the champions, they're in the penthouse and we're on the ground floor."

The game is live on TV2 at 3pm.

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Basketball New Zealand yesterday released its national league awards, voted by coaches and media.

Manawatu's import David Cooper was most valuable player and outstanding forward. Auckland's Lindsay Tait was outstanding guard and Waikato's Dillon Boucher the non-restricted MVP and best N/R forward.

Saints coach Mike McHugh is coach-of-the-year after lifting the Wellington team from close to oblivion to the final. Turangi-born Australian returnee Adrian Majstrovich was voted rookie of the year.

The All-Star Five is Tait, Paul Henare, Link Abrams from Taranaki, Boucher and Cooper.

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The Breakers have drafted in three Waikato guards as cover for their Tall Blacks in pre-season games this month.

Cameron and Boucher, Mike Homik and Aaron Olson are away on national duty and with no word on Mark Dickel's availability for Turkey Lindsay Tait will probably be called up as replacement.

Nat Connell, Prem Krishna and Glen Joe will travel to Coff's Harbour for the tournament that starts on August 23 with the three Aussie imports, "Killer Bs" Ben Melmeth, Blake Truslove and Brad Williams, American NBL import for Auckland Casey Frank, and Breakers development squad members David Hopoi, Lance Baker and Mika Vukona.