Ferns Open With "W"

Otago guard Suzie Bates was tough down the stretch and scored what proved the winning basket as a beaten-up NZ Tall Ferns opened their William Jones Cup campaign with a 51-50 win over Taiwan White.

The national women’s team headed to Taiwan with just nine fit players after injuries to point guard Angela Marino and centre Karlene Kingi, and were further depleted when starting point guard and captain Noni Wharemate ran into foul trouble and eventually left the game early.

The Kiwis got off to a slow start and trailed 13-20 after the opening quarter. But they rallied through the middle stages, leading by four points into the final term and holding off a determined home team in the closing minutes.

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Anstey Gone

The Australian Boomers have lost another star from their Olympic qualifying showdown against the NZ Tall Blacks with the withdrawal of veteran centre Chris Anstey from their 10-day training camp on the Gold Coast.

Anstey, a former NBA performer and 2006 NBL Most Valuable Player, pulled out of the 18-man squad, saying he was incapable of meeting the high physical demands of a training camp, followed by an international tour and a three test series.

The Boomers are gearing up for the 2007 FIBA Oceania Men’s Championship against New Zealand on August 20, 22 and 24 in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane for the right to play in Beijing in 2008.

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Deja Vu All Over Again

It began virtually from the start of the Oreo NZ U17 Championships … whenever Harbour or Canterbury girls played, the other had someone lurking in the stands, shadowing their rivals’ every move.

There was inevitability about their meeting for the title. After Harbour’s buzzer-beating win in the 2006 final, destiny demanded a rematch … and destiny was not to be denied.

The intriguing game of cat and mouse throughout the week culminated in a result only slightly less exhilarating than 12 months earlier with Harbour again edging clear 56-53 to set up a sweep of U17 titles for the country’s biggest association.

Full Results

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Erceg Doubles

Harbour forward Petra Erceg provided the impetus for the NZ Junior Tall Ferns as they overcame Northern Territory 65-48 at the Australian U18 Championships in Launceston.

Erceg recorded a “double double” of 16 points (7/14 FG, 2/2 FT) and 12 rebounds (seven offensive), adding two assists and a steal as the Kiwi women notched up their second victory of the tournament.

NZ at Australian U18 Championships

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Body Count

New NZ Tall Fern assistant coach Leigh Gooding has been thrown in the deep end as he prepares a beaten-up national women’s team for the William Jones Cup in Taiwan.

The Ferns flew out of Auckland today without head coach Mike McHugh, who is attending his son’s wedding in England, and down to nine able-bodied players.

With guard Aroha Jennings returning to the University of Memphis, the squad was already down to 11. When it assembled for the trip to Taiwan, guard Angela Marino reported with a foot injury and centre Karlene Kingi had a dislocated shoulder.

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Fitchett Gets Call-Up

Point guard Mike Fitchett, a hero of Nelson’s 2007 NBL championship, will make his NZ Tall Black debut in the upcoming series against Venezuela this month.

Fitchett is the only new cap named by new coach Nenad Vucinic in the build-up to the FIBA Oceania Championships, the Olympic qualifying event against Australian in August.

Vucinic has had 18 players in camp for the past week in Napier and today reduced that squad to 12. Veteran point guard Mark Dickel and NBA prospect Craig Bradshaw are expected to join the group before their first outing against Venezuela, also in Napier, on July 20.

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Kiwis Finish Tenth

Both New Zealand teams finished the Australia U16 Championships on a disappointing note with losses in their playoffs for ninth placing.

Palmerstron North forward Tia Temata-Frost had 21 points (8/18 FG, 5/9 FT) as the Emerging Junior Tall Blacks bowed 66-105 to South Australia Country, while their female counterparts fell 45-63 to West Australia Metro.

Both teams had beaten the same rivals in pool play.

NZ at Australian U16 Championships

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Courses

BBNZ Level 1 Coaching
July 14/15
Cromwell

The NZ CoachApproach - “How To Coach”
Presented by Sparc coach development specialist Lyn Kidman
Monday, July 16 (7-9pm)
Arena 2, Pascal St, Palmerston North

Level One Coaching
August 4/5
Waitakere Stadium

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X's & O's - Player & Skill Development: The Perimeter

By Kevin Sutton, Montverde Academy coach
Since 1986, when the NCAA introduced and adopted the three-point line into the college game, the definition of perimeter and post became more defined.

Inside the arc is the post area and outside of the arc is the perimeter.

The line enabled coaches and players to have a better understandinfg of spacing.

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