Tall Blacks head coach Nenad Vucinic selected the following 14 for the Tall Blacks trip to South Korea and China. Continue reading
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Tall Blacks head coach Nenad Vucinic selected the following 14 for the Tall Blacks trip to South Korea and China. Continue reading
The Tall Blacks play a rare home court three game series against South Korea this week.The squad of 17 players are all likely to suit up at some stage during the three tests in Wellington (Tuesday), Tauranga (Thursday) and Auckland (Saturday). Continue reading
Sad to see NBL NZ forward of the season Duane Bailey hobbling around in a moon boot at Tall Blacks training. The James Blond Super City Rangers player has sustained an ankle injury that appears certain to keep him out action for at least a week thus denying the athletic big man a likely Tall Blacks debut next week. However, that disappointment will be partly mitigated by the announcement that Bailey has signed a one-year contract with the SKY CITY Breakers for the 2014-15 ANBL season. Continue reading
A variety of circumstances have made this week’s Tall Blacks trials far more interesting than one would have imagined a few weeks ago.
Early in the recently completed NBL season it wouldn’t have taken a basketball genius to select a probable line-up for the upcoming World Champs of: Continue reading
The Tall Blacks obviously face a dilemma caused by the well-documented misbehavior of the Southland Sharks trio Reuben Te Rangi, Leon Henry and Shea Ili.
It will be difficult, probably impossible for the NZ management team to select any of these players given that the sentencing resulting from their recent court case will not be handed down until August 1st.
By then the Tall Blacks preparation for the upcoming World Cup in Spain will be well underway. Three home internationals will have been completed against South Korea and the team will have departed on the overseas section of their pre World Cup build up.
Te Rangi and Henry were due to contest the back up three spot behind Tom Abercrombie at the upcoming Tall Blacks trials. That opportunity will now surely be given to other players.
One who may benefit is Duane Bailey, the James Blond Super City Rangers forward has had an outstanding NBL season. He is the leading Kiwi in the NBL rebounding stat category, pulling down 9.5 rebounds per game. In addition he is the second highest Kiwi point’s scorer, averaging 20 points per game. Only Corey Webster has scored more points amongst NZ born players in the NBL. His free throw shooting (56%) is a concern but his three-point percentage (41%) is up there with the best in the NBL.
At 199cm the 22 year old is probably undersized to play the forward spot at international level and possibly even in the Australian NBL. The three spot is perhaps his better position long term, is Bailey about to profit from the misconduct of the Sharks duo?
While Tom Abercrombie and Alex Pledger concentrate on fitness and on court training sessions their current and former colleagues are busy in New Zealand and overseas. Continue reading
Mika Vukona is on his way back to New Zealand after his Lebanese club side Byblos was swept by rivals Al Riyadi in their semi final series.
Trailing 2-0 in the best of five series Byblos came up just short losing game three 73-70 and were therefore eliminated from the play-offs. Continue reading
Mika Vukona and his team Byblos are staring down the barrel of elimination from the Lebanese National Basketball League play-offs.
Despite a double double, 12points/11 rebounds from Vukona, Byblos lost 68-55 to Al Riyadi in game two of their best of five semi-final series. Continue reading
Lebanese National Basketball League side Biblos lost the opening game of their semi final series with Al Riyadi 73-66 on Saturday.
Mika Vukona was his usual busy self for Biblos contributing 9 points/8rebounds/2 assists/2 steals in 31 minutes of action. Continue reading
ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne was swept 2-0 in the French ProA League quarter final series by Limoges.
ASVEL entered the series full of optimism having lost the regular season encounters by just 3 points and 5 points. Continue reading
LACEY LOWDOWN 