Player availability remains the Tall Blacks' biggest hurdle in Asia Cup qualifying. Photo / Fiba
By Felicity Reid of RNZ
The winless Tall Blacks hit the road this week, faced with the dual challenge of qualification for next year’s men’s Fiba World Cup hanging in the balance and players leaving camp early to chase lucrative overseas contracts.
Home and away defeats against Australia late last year put New Zealand on the back foot in the Asian Qualifiers.
The Tall Blacks need a win against the Philippines on Friday or Guam on Sunday to keep hopes of finishing in the top three in their qualification group alive.
New Zealand’s road to qualifying for the World Cup for an eighth time started in November and will not conclude until March next year – all things going to plan.
But the Tall Blacks’ campaign could come to a halt as soon as July if they do not start winning.
Head coach Judd Flavell said there was a “lot of urgency” to get results in this window.
“We need to win as many games as we can, it doesn’t mean that if we lose this game it is all over but there is a lot of importance on these two games in this window and the same can be said for every window after this.”
Flavell will have a strong core of players to call on against the undefeated Philippines, including New Zealand Breakers teammates Reuben Te Rangi, Taylor Britt, Max Darling, Carlin Davison, Alex McNaught and Sam Mennenga as well as the Brisbane Bullets trio of Tyrell Harrison, Taine Murray and Tohi Smith-Milner.
Akita Northern Happinets centre Yanni Wetzell is also back for the first game while Jordan Ngatai’s return to the black singlet will see him add to his 93 appearances.
But some of those players will leave camp before the Guam game.
“We have some players who have made themselves available [for the Philippines game] but they’re moving on to [club] contracts and the thing with these international windows is they are during the seasons and the Australian NBL season has come to an end for most of the guys in our squad and so those guys have got another contract that they’re looking to go to and some of those contracts are quite lucrative,” Flavell said.
“Guys have put up their hand to come along to this first game because they know how important this one is and we’ve got another great chance to develop our depth in the second game.”
Big men Wetzell, Mennenga and Harrison are names that are likely to be missing as they take up new club contracts.
Flavell said the unavailability of players at different times of the year, either through college seasons in the United States or club contracts around the world, was the “number one challenge” the Tall Blacks faced.
“When it comes down to it, you really want to try to build as much continuity as you can and that’s going to result in taking steps forward and having progression.
“But it is what it is, it’s no one’s fault, it’s just how it works and we’ve got to do the best we can and be problem-solvers.
“It affects all countries, but if you look at some of the superpower teams, and Australia is one of those superpower teams with the depth they have and ... for a smaller country like us, we’re probably affected a little bit more.
“It’s a funny old season the international qualification windows, where you come together for a few days and play a couple of games and then you don’t see each other for three months and then you come together and try to do it again really quickly.”
Flavell has had mixed results against the Philippines.
His first game in charge of the national team in November 2024 was a loss to the Gilas in Manila. It was the first time the Tall Blacks had lost to them.
However, last year Flavell guided the team to two wins over the Philippines in Asia Cup qualifiers to take the head-to-head to six wins for the Tall Blacks.
Back in “basketball-mad” Manila, Flavell said New Zealand would face a “hostile” environment, fuelled by around 20,000 Gilas supporters.
Having played them a number of times over the last 12 months, Flavell said they “have great familiarity” with what the Philippines will put on the floor and did not expect any surprises.
Following their showdown with the Philippines, the Tall Blacks travel to Guam.
Flavell and many of the roster have not been to Guam before.
Like the Tall Blacks, Guam are at the bottom of the Group A standings with two losses, against the Philippines, in the first window.
New Zealand have taken care of Guam in their two previous match-ups, with a 125-43 win back in 1999 and more recently a 113-94 win during the 2020 Fiba Asia Cup qualifying campaign, but Flavell said the current Guam team they knew less about.
“It’s always a bit of danger when you don’t know so much about your opposition.”
Guam host Australia in the first game in this window.
The third qualifier window is in July, when the Philippines and Guam both come to Auckland.
– RNZ