New Zealand men's national basketball team
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FIBA ranking | 21 ![]() |
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Joined FIBA | 1951 | ||
FIBA zone | FIBA Oceania | ||
National federation | Basketball New Zealand | ||
Coach | Paul Henare | ||
Nickname(s) | Tall Blacks | ||
Olympic Games | |||
Appearances | 2 | ||
Medals | None | ||
FIBA World Cup | |||
Appearances | 5 | ||
Medals | None | ||
FIBA Oceania Championship | |||
Appearances | 22 | ||
Medals | ![]() ![]() |
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Uniforms | |||
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The New Zealand men's national basketball team, nicknamed the Tall Blacks, represents New Zealand in international basketball competitions. The Tall Blacks name is one of many national team nicknames (indirectly) related to the All Blacks and/or the New Zealand silver tree fern.[1]
Contents
History
The Tall Blacks competed at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, and finished with a 1–5 record, their only win coming against Angola, in the playoff for eleventh place.
In 2001, they defeated Australia, in a three-game series to qualify for the 2002 FIBA World Championship in Indianapolis, United States. At the tournament, they finished fourth, after beating Puerto Rico in the quarter-finals, before losses to Serbia and Montenegro and Germany. Tall Blacks captain Pero Cameron was the only non-NBA player named to the All-Tournament team in Indianapolis.
The Tall Blacks also qualified for the 2004 Athens Olympics, but again finished with a 1–5 record, and lost to Australia in the playoff for ninth place. Their most noted moment was on the 7th day of the games, when they defeated reigning the World Champions Serbia and Montenegro, by a score of 90–87.
2006 FIBA World Championship
At the 2006 FIBA World Championship, the Tall Blacks were not to repeat their fourth-place finish from 2002. After an 0–3 start, the Tall Blacks rallied into the second round, with two straight wins to close out the group stage. However, they would fall in the round of 16 to defending Olympic gold medalists Argentina, 79–62. After that disappointment, Tab Baldwin resigned as the coach of the Tall Blacks, and was replaced by Nenad Vučinić, his longtime assistant coach.
2011 Stanković Cup
The squad competed at the 2011 Boris Stanković Cup in China. They played 3 games against difficult opposition, China, Russia, and Angola. After going down to Russia in the first game by just 3 points, the Tall Blacks quickly put that behind them, to smash China in their second game, which led to a good win against a strong Angolan team. The Tall Blacks came up against a strong Russian team in the final, but the Russians were no match for Tall Blacks star shooting guard Kirk Penney, as he scored 30 points, to give the Tall Blacks the win and the gold medal for 2011.
Haka
The Tall Blacks perform a traditional Haka (Māori challenge) before every game, but due to the influence of Paora Winitana and Paul Henare, it is very different to the ones performed by All Blacks.
Performance table
Olympic Games
- 2000 Summer Olympic Games: 11th
- 2004 Summer Olympic Games: 10th
FIBA Basketball World Cup
- 1986 FIBA World Championship: 21st
- 2002 FIBA World Championship: 4th
- 2006 FIBA World Championship: 16th
- 2010 FIBA World Championship: 12th
- 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup: 15th
FIBA Oceania Championship
Year | Position | Host |
---|---|---|
1971 | 2 ![]() |
FIBA Oceania Championship 1971 |
1975 | 2 ![]() |
FIBA Oceania Championship 1975 |
1978 | 2 ![]() |
FIBA Oceania Championship 1978 |
1979 | 2 ![]() |
FIBA Oceania Championship 1979 |
1981 | 2 ![]() |
FIBA Oceania Championship 1981 |
1983 | 2 ![]() |
FIBA Oceania Championship 1983 |
1985 | 2 ![]() |
FIBA Oceania Championship 1985 |
1987 | 2 ![]() |
FIBA Oceania Championship 1987 |
1989 | 2 ![]() |
FIBA Oceania Championship 1989 |
1991 | 2 ![]() |
FIBA Oceania Championship 1991 |
1993 | 2 ![]() |
FIBA Oceania Championship 1993 |
1995 | 2 ![]() |
FIBA Oceania Championship 1995 |
1997 | 2 ![]() |
FIBA Oceania Championship 1997 |
1999 | 1 ![]() |
FIBA Oceania Championship 1999 |
2001 | 1 ![]() |
FIBA Oceania Championship 2001 |
2003 | 2 ![]() |
FIBA Oceania Championship 2003 |
2005 | 2 ![]() |
FIBA Oceania Championship 2005 |
2007 | 2 ![]() |
FIBA Oceania Championship 2007 |
2009 | 1 ![]() |
FIBA Oceania Championship 2009 |
2011 | 2 ![]() |
FIBA Oceania Championship 2011 |
2013 | 2 ![]() |
FIBA Oceania Championship 2013 |
2015 | 2 ![]() |
FIBA Oceania Championship 2015 |
Commonwealth Games
- 2006 Commonwealth Games: Runners-up
Stanković Cup
- 2007 Stanković Cup: 5th
- 2011/2 Stanković Cup: Champions
- 2015 Stanković Cup: Champions
William Jones Cup
- 2000 William Jones Cup: Champions
Current Squad
New Zealand Tall Blacks – 2015 FIBA Oceania Championship roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Depth chart
Pos. | Starter | Bench | Bench | Inactive |
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C | Isaac Fotu | Robert Loe | ||
PF | Mika Vukona | Tai Wynyard | ||
SF | Thomas Abercrombie | Reuben Te Rangi | ||
SG | Corey Webster | Everard Bartlett | Dion Prewster | |
PG | Jarrod Kenny | Lindsay Tait | Shea Ili |
Notable players
Probably the most well-known former New Zealand Tall Black player in the National Basketball Association (NBA) is former San Antonio Spurs forward Sean Marks. Another New Zealand player, former University of Wisconsin star Kirk Penney, briefly played in the NBA, and later played with top European teams Maccabi Tel Aviv and Žalgiris, but now plays with Baloncesto Fuenlabrada in Spain, after being released by the New Zealand Breakers. In past generations, players such as Stan Hill and Glen Denham, were well revered and respected players, who were the face of New Zealand basketball.
- Ed Book – National Basketball League legend
- Pero Cameron – 2002 FIBA World Championship All-Tournament Team, 2-time assistant coach (reappointed for his second stint in 2015, served as assistant to predecessor, Nenad Vucinic)
- Glen Denham – Tall Blacks legend
- Mark Dickel – Tall Blacks star
- Paul Henare – Former New Zealand Breakers captain, head coach from 2015
- Stan Hill – Tall Blacks legend
- Phill Jones – Former Cairns Taipans captain
- Sean Marks – Former National Basketball Association player
- Kirk Penney – Former National Basketball Association player
- Frank Mulvihill - Tall Blacks legend
- Paora Winitana - Tall Blacks star, changed the haka in 2006, only player to not play on Sundays due to religious reasons.
Past rosters
- Scroll down to see more.
1986 World Championship: finished 21st among 24 teams
Gilbert Gordon, Peter Pokai, Stan Hill, Neil Stephens, Dave Edmonds, Ian Webb, Dave Mason, Tony Smith, Colin Crampton, Frank Mulvihill, Glen Denham, John Rademakers (Coach: Robert Bishop)
2000 Olympic Games: finished 11th among 12 teams
Sean Marks, Pero Cameron, Mark Dickel, Phill Jones, Kirk Penney, Robert Hickey, Nenad Vučinić, Tony Rampton, Paul Henare, Brad Riley, Ralph Lattimore, Peter Pokai (Coach: Keith Mair)
2002 World Championship: finished 4th among 16 teams
Sean Marks, Pero Cameron, Mark Dickel, Phill Jones, Kirk Penney, Robert Hickey, Dillon Boucher, Damon Rampton, Ed Book, Paul Henare, Paora Winitana, Judd Flavell (Coach: Tab Baldwin)
2004 Olympic Games: finished 10th among 12 teams
Sean Marks, Mark Dickel, Phill Jones, Pero Cameron, Kirk Penney, Dillon Boucher, Ed Book, Paul Henare, Paora Winitana, Tony Rampton, Aaron Olson, Craig Bradshaw (Coach: Tab Baldwin)
2006 World Championship: finished 16th among 24 teams
Kirk Penney, Pero Cameron, Phill Jones, Mark Dickel, Casey Frank, Paul Henare, Dillon Boucher, Paora Winitana, Tony Rampton, Craig Bradshaw, Aaron Olson, Mika Vukona (Coach: Tab Baldwin)
2010 World Championship: finished 12th among 24 teams
Thomas Abercrombie, Benny Anthony, Craig Bradshaw, Pero Cameron, Michael Fitchett, Casey Frank, Phill Jones, Jeremy Kench, Kirk Penney, Alex Pledger, Lindsay Tait, Mika Vukona (Coach: Nenad Vučinić)
Kit
Manufacturer
References
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 2015 FIBA Oceania Championship - New Zealand, FIBA.com, Retrieved 30 September 2015.
External links
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