Hey bro. just been busyOriginally Posted by donmar
Hey Matt..
hey man.. long time no hear here
Pero Cameron's role is pretty much the same role as Asi Taulava in the current Philippine national team... sort of the inspirational leader and the mentor of the younger players...
I think history will see him as New Zealand's Carlos Loyzaga.. lead the Tall Blacks to the semi-finals of the 2002 World Championship and then was named in the FIBA World Championship All-Tournament Mythical Team...
I think Rob Loe and Leon Henry should have been included to add more height to the team, for Rob to get the experience and Leon Henry can score which is what we need aside from our defence which they should improve.
Last edited by Basketcase; 08-31-2010 at 08:27 AM.
Currently, Kirk Penney is leading the FIBA World Championships in Points-Per-Game (ppg) with 28ppg.
Draft Wishlist:
PG Michael Carter-Williams / 21 yrs. old / 6'5
PF Livio Jean-Charles / 19 yrs. old / 6'9
Sacramento Kings 2013-14: THY KINGDOM COME
HERE WE STAY UNTIL THE COWBELLS COME HOME
He's in line to become only the second New Zealander to be name in the World Championship all-tournament team since Pero Cameron in 2002
Agree to that... I did not expect that they will naturalize Casey Franks and they did.. Loe or Henry could have taken his place.. I guess Frank's experience with most of the Tall Blacks in the ANBL and NZNBL gave him the edge...Hey bro. just been busy
I think Rob Loe and Leon Henry should have been included to add more height to the team, for Rob to get the experience and Leon Henry can score which is what we need aside from our defence which they should improve.
eptember 1, 2010
Lindsay Tait (FIBA)
Lindsay Tait (FIBA)
The NZ Tall Blacks took a first step towards possibly progressing from their group at the FIBA World Championship for Men with a 108-76 win over Lebanon in Izmir, Turkey, this morning.
Based on a flying start, lock-down defence, a balanced offence and a hot-shooting third period, the Tall Blacks powered to the commanding 32-point win at Halkapinar Arena and put themselves into position to qualify from Group D with one more win.
The win also saw them get the better of former Tall Blacks head coach Tab Baldwin, now in charge of Lebanon.
Shooting guard Kirk Penney top-scored for the third straight game with 26 points, while swingman Tom Abercrombie continued his continued his rapid upswing with 23 points as New Zealand went past 100 points for just the third time in the past six years.
“We had a great start and that was the key for us,” said Penney, who is averaging 28 points per game.
“Their heads dropped a bit and we just got confidence. Coming off two losses we understand how important confidence is.
“The way we started was fantastic but what we did different was that we keep the foot down on the pedal and made sure that we kept working hard defensively and continued to trouble them.
“Obviously we’re very familiar with what Tab runs and had a great understanding of what the opps were going to do. And capitalised on that. Our coaches prepared us very well.”
The usually low-scoring Tall Blacks scored freely throughout the game, helped by a Lebanon team that never brought the intensity defensively, and finished with six scorers in double-digits in a balanced performance. Backing up the outputs of Penney and Abercrombie, Phill Jones dropped 13 points, Lindsay Tait 12, Mika Vukona 11 and Craig Bradshaw 10, while Casey Frank also had eight.
Fadi El Khatid top-scored for the Cedars with 18 points but he was held in check by Penney and Abercrombie. Lebanon shot a healthy 49% on field-goal attempts and 40% on threes.
It was a complete performance from New Zealand against a weaker opponent. They shot 57% (40-of-70) from the field, hit 11 triples, grabbed 15 offensive rebounds and forced Lebanon into 21 turnovers. Almost a total opposite from the Lithuania game, everything the Tall Blacks need to do to win games, they did. Or were allowed to.
Lebanon certainly played their part in the Tall Blacks success, not handling the different defensive looks from the Tall Blacks, being careless with the ball in the lane and being guilty of lowering their effort after New Zealand’s strong first period.
“It was one of those tough days at the office,” Baldwin said.
“It was a game that had a lot of pressure around it. The New Zealand team were very much ready to play. They were like a machine from the start. They didn’t miss a beat. They played really well as a team.
“They beat us easily on the offensive end but the vital part was the way they started defensively. They never let up and kept their foot on our throat. The way they started defensively took us out of any idea that we’d be able to run any kind of systems tonight.”
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The first quarter was easily the best period the Tall Blacks had produced at this tournament. Near-perfection.
The Tall Blacks shots dropped, they frustrated the Cedars with their pressure defence, the offence ran smoothly, finding open players on cuts to the basket, and they created and exploited mis-matches on the perimeter. And they did it all with Penney scoring only two points.
Abercrombie hit the court scorching hot, hitting the game’s first basket and scoring 10 points in the first four minutes, including a pair of corner threes, as the Tall Blacks forged to a 13-5 lead. The lead grew further as the swarming defence saw Lebanon turn the ball over five times in the first period. The Kiwis also out-hustled Lebanon at the other end, corralling seven offensive rebounds in the quarter, giving them a 12-2 advantage in second chance points.
Abercrombie led all scorers with 14 points at halftime, while Penney was called upon for only seven points as the Kiwis converted 20-of-37 (54 percent) from the floor. El Khatib was held to nine points on six attempts in the first half. Of New Zealand’s 51 first-half points, 28 came in the paint where Abercrombie, Vukona, Bradshaw and Frank were going to work on the boards and around the rim.
The Tall Blacks mixed their defensive looks well, making Lebanon guess by coming at them with full-court man-on and zone pressure but also dropping back and switching to zone defences in the halfcourt at time. Unlike against Lithuania and Spain, the move was successful in disrupting Lebanon’s offence, which never got into a rhythm and relied mostly on individual moves, especially from El Khatib, for their points.
While Abercrombie, Bradshaw and Vukona got their points in the first half, the third period was Penney time.
After a quiet first half, Penney almost single-handedly put the dagger in Lebanon. Curling off screens, Penney dropped four threes, scored 14 points for the quarter and showed why many international media feel he should be playing in the NBA. New Zealand’s lead went past 20 points at the 5:37 mark in the third and they were able to prevent any Lebanon runs. They continued to limit Lebanon’s leading scorer El Khatid and increased the gap to 25 points.
Whether it was confidence from a 20-plus point lead or the heat, a small pocket of the Kiwi fans - members of the “Rabid Wekas” - removed their white singlets during a timeout with a minute remaining in the third period, revealing yet more white.
When Penney hit his sixth three and Tait followed with a steal in the back-court and lay-in to put the Tall Blacks up 92-59 with 5:36 remaining, it shut the door on a comprehensive win and saw coach Nenad Vucinic go to his bench.
The only downside was the ease Lebanon centre Jackson Vroman was able to get to the basket, defended by Bradshaw, but Vroman got himself in foul trouble and was not much of a factor in the game after the first period.
The win marked the third time the Tall Blacks have scored three figures since 2005. The other two times were in the 100-78 Oceania Championship-clinching win over Australia last August and a 100-70 win over Venezuela during the South America tour in 2006.
NZ Tall Blacks 108 (Kirk Penney 26, Tom Abercrombie 23, Phill Jones 13, Lindsay Tait 12, Mika Vukona 12, Craig Bradshaw 10) Lebanon 76 (Fadi El Khatib 18, Jean Abd El Nour 12, Jackson Vroman 10)
Q1 32-16
HT 51-32 (19-16)
Q3 81-56 (30-24)
FT 108-76 (27-20)
[B]That alley oop pass from Jones to Abercrombie was the final nail to their coffin.
Well played Tall Blacks !!
game well earned ! Kirk was simply ON FIRE !!actually the whole team was unstoppable !!
knowing all Tab Baldwin's tricks i guess it was somehow easy to outplay his team and systems.
Anyways Good luck in the rest of the games!
Long Live Lebanon !! (Except All the Politicians !!)
Nba tv
A nice video by NBA TV of Super Kiwi: Kirk Penney
"No hay poder en el mundo que pueda cambiar el destino"
-El Padrino
Nice... I love to see him play again in the NBA.. maybe his old team Miami Heat.. or since he's 29, he could serve as the shooting back-up and eventually replaced Ray Allen in Boston Celtics
September 7, 2010
Nenad Vucinic v Russia (FIBA)
Nenad Vucinic v Russia (FIBA)
Scott Preston, Stuff
Tall Blacks head coach Nenad Vucinic stressed it was not the reason his team lost but, still, officiating had a large part to play in New Zealand’s exit from the FIBA World Championship for Men.
“It’s not in our nature to criticise the refs and it wasn’t the factor in what decided this game,” Vucinic said at the post-game press conference, following the Tall Blacks 78-56 loss to Russia in the eighth-finals at Sinan Erdem Dome in Istanbul.
The Tall Blacks were whistled for 22 fouls - actually four fewer than Russia - but it was who the fouls were called on and when that made the referees a major discussion point post-game.
Playing a style that usually walks the fine line of acceptable contact, the under-sized Tall Blacks found themselves off-side with referees Sasa Pukl of Slovenia, David Chambon of France and Marcos Fornies Benito of Brazil, almost from the start.
New Zealand’s leading scorer Kirk Penney racked up three first-half fouls, including two offensive, and was whistled for his fourth mid-way through the third period, while dogged defender and rebounder Mika Vukona picked up two quick - and questionable - foul calls at the same stage, sending him to the bench with four.
When Penney picked up his fourth at the 6:50 mark of the third, it was a four-point game - and a six-point game when Vukona sat with his fourth at the 4:55 mark - and when Penney returned late in the period, Russia had stretched the lead to 16 points, 51-35. The Tall Blacks scored just three points during Penney’s five minutes on the bench.
“Kirk and Mika are key parts of the team and to have them in foul trouble in the second half, and Kirk in the first half, really hurt us,” forward Tom Abercrombie, who finished with 13 points, said.
“I don’t know where some of those offensive foul calls came from, especially with Kirk. That happens with basketball and you have to come up with another plan and we didn’t really have an answer when those guys went off - Kirk with the scoring and Mika with the rebounding, we didn’t pick up the slack.
“You have your good days and your bad days with the refs. Throughout the tournament there’s been some calls that we’d frown on. We just have to move on and play the next play and not reflect on it. We maybe let some of those calls get to us tonight and let them linger and can’t do that.”
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Penney still managed a game-high 21 points, six of those coming in the final four minutes, but the Tall Blacks’ aggressiveness abated with two of their leading players taking seats on the bench for extended periods.
“I feel like it made us play soft,” Penney said. “It didn’t allow us to play our physical game. If we’re going against a big team we have to be physical. If you just let them get position, they’re going to out-rebound us every time. So once it was set everything was a touch foul, we were in trouble and we knew we were.
“It’s a very frustrating way to go out because you want to go out battling and working hard and boxing out and it’s really hard to play that style that got us here. It threw us a lot … if you can’t play physical, with every Tall Blacks team, you’re going to be in trouble.”
The Russians seemed to be well aware of the Tall Blacks’ physical play and exaggerated any contact on screens or from Pero Cameron, Casey Frank, Craig Bradshaw and Vukona in the post, often flailing their arms and legs, while falling to the ground.
“Of course they did,” Penney said. “That’s milking a foul and if the refs are going to give it to them, then it’s good basketball. You hope you’ve earned a little respect over the course of the tournament but if they’re going to call it, there’s not a lot you can do about it.
Russia’s American coach David Blatt, who had many kind words for the Tall Blacks, admitted the foul trouble was a decisive factor in the game.
“We really focussed and locked in on, not just their scoring, but playing inside and attacking key players and they got in foul trouble. I don’t know always because of us but some ticky-tack fouls that got called that hurt them,” said a loose Blatt, who joked with media during the press conference.
“Kirk lost his aggressiveness and lost his rhythm on-court and Vukona, he’s been one of the most under-rated players in the tournament. He does so many things on the basketball court and today he was a non-factor because he wasn’t on the court.”
While drawing attention to their issues with the officials, the Tall Blacks also put blame on themselves for not handling Russia’s physicality and defensive pressure.
“I thought the refs did a great job. Russia pushed us out of what we wanted to do and maybe we settled for outside shots a bit early. It wasn’t easy to get the shots we wanted,” Cameron, who played in his final game for the Tall Blacks, said.
Phill Jones, also playing his final game for New Zealand, added: “We’ve coped with teams that size before. It was more their physicality. They pushed us off everything, off all our on-ball screens, off all our hand-offs and when we tried to fight back we got called for offensive fouls. Not trying to blame the refs or anything like that because Russia just out-muscled us throughout the game.”
Well, it was good while it lasted, they played good quality basketball, just wasn't good enough that day, well get them next time
Kirk Penney complained about the referees in the game against RussiaSeptember 7, 2010
Nenad Vucinic v Russia (FIBA)
Nenad Vucinic v Russia (FIBA)
Scott Preston, Stuff
Tall Blacks head coach Nenad Vucinic stressed it was not the reason his team lost but, still, officiating had a large part to play in New Zealand’s exit from the FIBA World Championship for Men.
“It’s not in our nature to criticise the refs and it wasn’t the factor in what decided this game,” Vucinic said at the post-game press conference, following the Tall Blacks 78-56 loss to Russia in the eighth-finals at Sinan Erdem Dome in Istanbul.
The Tall Blacks were whistled for 22 fouls - actually four fewer than Russia - but it was who the fouls were called on and when that made the referees a major discussion point post-game.
Playing a style that usually walks the fine line of acceptable contact, the under-sized Tall Blacks found themselves off-side with referees Sasa Pukl of Slovenia, David Chambon of France and Marcos Fornies Benito of Brazil, almost from the start.
New Zealand’s leading scorer Kirk Penney racked up three first-half fouls, including two offensive, and was whistled for his fourth mid-way through the third period, while dogged defender and rebounder Mika Vukona picked up two quick - and questionable - foul calls at the same stage, sending him to the bench with four.
When Penney picked up his fourth at the 6:50 mark of the third, it was a four-point game - and a six-point game when Vukona sat with his fourth at the 4:55 mark - and when Penney returned late in the period, Russia had stretched the lead to 16 points, 51-35. The Tall Blacks scored just three points during Penney’s five minutes on the bench.
“Kirk and Mika are key parts of the team and to have them in foul trouble in the second half, and Kirk in the first half, really hurt us,” forward Tom Abercrombie, who finished with 13 points, said.
“I don’t know where some of those offensive foul calls came from, especially with Kirk. That happens with basketball and you have to come up with another plan and we didn’t really have an answer when those guys went off - Kirk with the scoring and Mika with the rebounding, we didn’t pick up the slack.
“You have your good days and your bad days with the refs. Throughout the tournament there’s been some calls that we’d frown on. We just have to move on and play the next play and not reflect on it. We maybe let some of those calls get to us tonight and let them linger and can’t do that.”
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Penney still managed a game-high 21 points, six of those coming in the final four minutes, but the Tall Blacks’ aggressiveness abated with two of their leading players taking seats on the bench for extended periods.
“I feel like it made us play soft,” Penney said. “It didn’t allow us to play our physical game. If we’re going against a big team we have to be physical. If you just let them get position, they’re going to out-rebound us every time. So once it was set everything was a touch foul, we were in trouble and we knew we were.
“It’s a very frustrating way to go out because you want to go out battling and working hard and boxing out and it’s really hard to play that style that got us here. It threw us a lot … if you can’t play physical, with every Tall Blacks team, you’re going to be in trouble.”
The Russians seemed to be well aware of the Tall Blacks’ physical play and exaggerated any contact on screens or from Pero Cameron, Casey Frank, Craig Bradshaw and Vukona in the post, often flailing their arms and legs, while falling to the ground.
“Of course they did,” Penney said. “That’s milking a foul and if the refs are going to give it to them, then it’s good basketball. You hope you’ve earned a little respect over the course of the tournament but if they’re going to call it, there’s not a lot you can do about it.
Russia’s American coach David Blatt, who had many kind words for the Tall Blacks, admitted the foul trouble was a decisive factor in the game.
“We really focussed and locked in on, not just their scoring, but playing inside and attacking key players and they got in foul trouble. I don’t know always because of us but some ticky-tack fouls that got called that hurt them,” said a loose Blatt, who joked with media during the press conference.
“Kirk lost his aggressiveness and lost his rhythm on-court and Vukona, he’s been one of the most under-rated players in the tournament. He does so many things on the basketball court and today he was a non-factor because he wasn’t on the court.”
While drawing attention to their issues with the officials, the Tall Blacks also put blame on themselves for not handling Russia’s physicality and defensive pressure.
“I thought the refs did a great job. Russia pushed us out of what we wanted to do and maybe we settled for outside shots a bit early. It wasn’t easy to get the shots we wanted,” Cameron, who played in his final game for the Tall Blacks, said.
Phill Jones, also playing his final game for New Zealand, added: “We’ve coped with teams that size before. It was more their physicality. They pushed us off everything, off all our on-ball screens, off all our hand-offs and when we tried to fight back we got called for offensive fouls. Not trying to blame the refs or anything like that because Russia just out-muscled us throughout the game.”
Well, it was good while it lasted, they played good quality basketball, just wasn't good enough that day, well get them next time
So to all the Tall Blacks fans and followers out there, how do you think the Lads went for this edition of the FIBA World Championships? Do you think they overperformed or underperformed or performed to your expectations? What do you think are the ingredients for the Tall Blacks for the future and their success? Do you think they'll ever be able to repeat that amazing run back in 2002?
"No hay poder en el mundo que pueda cambiar el destino"
-El Padrino
I think the boys did well.. although, I think they left too early.. thanks to the referee..
The seem to be winning or about to cause an upset whenever people underestimate them... the game against Russia, people were so confident that NZ will beat Russia (probably because of the team's three-straight win or because of their hatred to Russia or because their own teams eliminated early).. that turn out to be the wrong omen and with the help of the referee, Russia won the game..
At least Australia and New Zealand both finished with the same win-loss record
Anyway, Kirk Penney should be included in the all-tournament team..
Vucinic should select Rob Loe, the sooner the better.
Any news about Kendrick Perkins playing for NZ ?
Last edited by rikhardur; 09-20-2010 at 08:00 PM.
Hhhmmm I haven't heard that news yet..but basketball news here are kinda slow because of low popularity of the game... that would be good news, especially that Sean Marks refuse to come out of international retirement... I didn't even know if he (Perkins) has connection to NZ...
Kirk Penny gets another chance to play in the NBA, he will be trying out for the San Antonio Spurs, hope he makes it to the team
As a Phoenix Suns fan, I despise the San Antonio Spurs.. but with Kirk Penney in their line-up.. I don't know what to say...Kirk Penny gets another chance to play in the NBA, he will be trying out for the San Antonio Spurs, hope he makes it to the team
Although, I hope he makes it.. now that Sean Marks is close to retirement...
Ya I hope he makes it, he's getting old, 29 yrs old already.
“It was a pressure game and it was one we needed to win and everyone was pleased to get it. It was one we needed going into the Germany game,” starting Tall Blacks forward Mika Vukona said.
Pero Cameron
NBL Legend and former NZ National Team player Pero Cameron has joined the coaching staff of head coach Nenad Vucinic.
Draft Wishlist:
PG Michael Carter-Williams / 21 yrs. old / 6'5
PF Livio Jean-Charles / 19 yrs. old / 6'9
Sacramento Kings 2013-14: THY KINGDOM COME
HERE WE STAY UNTIL THE COWBELLS COME HOME
NBA lockout helps Tall Blacks Olympic prospects
How an NBA Lockout helps the Tall Blacks.
-Radio New ZealandThe New Zealand men's basketball hopes of qualifying for the London Olympics may be indirectly boosted by the NBA lockout.
The Australian centre and Milwaukee Bucks player Andrew Bogut is unlikely to take part in the September's Oceania champships which doubles as the Olympic Games qualifying tournament.
The NBA has gone into lockout with team owners and the players union unable to agree on a new collective bargaining agreement.
As a result of the NBA lockout, the players are no longer entitled to many benefits, including the NBA's insurance cover, which Basketball Australia would use to insure Bogut for any international games.
That means Bogut won't be back playing for Australia until lockout is resolved.
Draft Wishlist:
PG Michael Carter-Williams / 21 yrs. old / 6'5
PF Livio Jean-Charles / 19 yrs. old / 6'9
Sacramento Kings 2013-14: THY KINGDOM COME
HERE WE STAY UNTIL THE COWBELLS COME HOME
Kench out for the Tall Blacks
Jeremy Kench will not play for the National Team due to a stress fracture on his left foot.
Draft Wishlist:
PG Michael Carter-Williams / 21 yrs. old / 6'5
PF Livio Jean-Charles / 19 yrs. old / 6'9
Sacramento Kings 2013-14: THY KINGDOM COME
HERE WE STAY UNTIL THE COWBELLS COME HOME
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