New Zealand basketball coach Tab Baldwin has appealed for calm in the wake of point guard Mark Dickel's positive test for banned drug cannabis.
Dickel, whose place at the world championships starting in Japan next week is now in doubt, was randomly tested after the Tall Blacks' match against Australiain Napier last month and his A sample produced a positive result.
The B sample is still pending, but Dickel has admitted his offence to Basketball New Zealand and advised Drug Free Sport New Zealand (DFSNZ) he will not dispute the test.
He was suspended for last night's test against Qatar in Dunedin and will miss tomorrow's game in Invercargill.
Dickel failed to show at the press conference called at the Edgar Centre in Dunedin yesterday.
In a statement Baldwin described Dickel's conduct as "absolutely unacceptable" but asked the media to put his offence into context.
"I would encourage you to stop well short of labelling Mark as a drug cheat because we all know that cannabis is not a performance enhancing drug."
Dickel's world championship prospects were out of the Tall Blacks' hands.
The Sports Disputes Tribunal will hear Dickel's case and decide whether the two-match ban is appropriate should the B sample return positive.
Dickel came to the Edgar Centre after the press conference and was involved in an animated discussion with his father, Carl Dickel.
Baldwin was seen standing between the men in what appeared an attempt to defuse the situation.
Carl is a former Tall Ferns and Nuggets coach. He is the coach of the Otago women's basketball team.
