Tall Blacks - Same old story
Well, was it really a surprise that the Tall Blacks were on the receiving end last night of a beating by the Boomers? Were we all really hanging out for them to win, when really what is happening is a perpetuation of the same stale style we've been running for years?
The sad thing about it is the Tall Blacks are mirroring the NBA and its olympic and world championship squads to some degree. Played the same game, time after time while the rest of the world changed and got better. The coach has changed, the record is the same.
I was listening the other day to 'controvertial' coach Jeff Green actually tell something on Maori TV the other day which funnily enough, rang quite true. You look at Australia's player roster and look at the line up of people who have either won an olympic or world championship medal, or been a part of a title winning NBL and ANBL team. Then you look at their coaching staff, who are the same. Look at the depth of their roster. Without three of their standout performers, they still managed to hurt us.
Then you look at us. Coach, won his first domestic NBL title this year on a roster that really should have done it in Nelson. His coaching staff...no titles, no medals. The line up...a bit of domestic championship experience...some US collegeate experience and a lot of overseas playing experience. Equals...well...not much really.
Is it a surprise that we will have to fight our way into the Beijing olympic tournament to be beaten so completely by the big guns? I hate to say it, but Nenad is not the man for the national job and this squad is no where near the capability it was at the world champs when through fluke, they came forth. Since then, we've ridden a wave that has simply ebbed and died, totally. Not even a white froth for it to show it once existed.
But now the question comes...where is the next generation? Who will take the place of Cameron. Henare, Jones, Penny. Where are the next rung Tall Blacks. The development of players only happens in very select areas of basketball within this country. There is too much administration in this sport to enable the money to come from the primary funding agency, to the grass roots of the sport. No wonder, last night, fatigue or not, we were handed our lumps and for good measure, they came back and hit us again, 93-67.
Forget the final game. Don't waste your time and BBNZ's money, what little there is.
Come home.
The sad thing about it is the Tall Blacks are mirroring the NBA and its olympic and world championship squads to some degree. Played the same game, time after time while the rest of the world changed and got better. The coach has changed, the record is the same.
I was listening the other day to 'controvertial' coach Jeff Green actually tell something on Maori TV the other day which funnily enough, rang quite true. You look at Australia's player roster and look at the line up of people who have either won an olympic or world championship medal, or been a part of a title winning NBL and ANBL team. Then you look at their coaching staff, who are the same. Look at the depth of their roster. Without three of their standout performers, they still managed to hurt us.
Then you look at us. Coach, won his first domestic NBL title this year on a roster that really should have done it in Nelson. His coaching staff...no titles, no medals. The line up...a bit of domestic championship experience...some US collegeate experience and a lot of overseas playing experience. Equals...well...not much really.
Is it a surprise that we will have to fight our way into the Beijing olympic tournament to be beaten so completely by the big guns? I hate to say it, but Nenad is not the man for the national job and this squad is no where near the capability it was at the world champs when through fluke, they came forth. Since then, we've ridden a wave that has simply ebbed and died, totally. Not even a white froth for it to show it once existed.
But now the question comes...where is the next generation? Who will take the place of Cameron. Henare, Jones, Penny. Where are the next rung Tall Blacks. The development of players only happens in very select areas of basketball within this country. There is too much administration in this sport to enable the money to come from the primary funding agency, to the grass roots of the sport. No wonder, last night, fatigue or not, we were handed our lumps and for good measure, they came back and hit us again, 93-67.
Forget the final game. Don't waste your time and BBNZ's money, what little there is.
Come home.
posted by Wiremu Bayliss at
9:01 pm
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