New Zealand women's basketball coach Mike McHugh's worst fears were realised after European powerhouses Spain and the Czech Republic landed in his team's group for the Beijing Olympics.
McHugh and assistant coach Leigh Gooding spent the past week in Madrid, scouting future opponents at the Olympic qualifying tournament.
"Our group has now turned out to be the "pool of death" lamented McHugh.
"We just have to find a way to beat Spain."
Group B already had defending champions United States and improving hosts China, but the presence of African champions Mali and the possibility of two beatable qualifiers suggested New Zealand might find a path through to the quarterfinals.
Those chances have lengthened with the addition of the Czechs and Spanish.
Last month, the Tall Ferns fell 58-77 to Spain in a game that left McHugh with some hope that his charges could actually push the runners-up in last year's European championship.
The Czechs, with their overpowering height, present a much tougher match-up, handling the Kiwis 72-51 and 73-46 on consecutive nights. In both encounters, the Ferns conceded costly runs (18-8 and 18-0) just before halftime that saw them fall from contention.
"They upped the ante and we just couldn't go with them," said McHugh after a second defeat that left him re-assessing his Olympic selection options.
Meanwhile, Brazil, Latvia and Belarus - three teams the Ferns might have found more to their liking - landed in group A, along with world champions Australia, Korea and Russia.
New Zealand's full pool draw at the Beijing Olympics:
August 9 v Mali
Aug 11 v Spain
Aug 13 v China
Aug 15 v Czech Republic
Aug 17 v US
- NZPA
