The JTBs led by seven points with a quarter remaining and looked on their way to the second before, before Kazakhstan shot their way to a 90-83 win at the North Shore Events Centre on Saturday night.

The central asians lived by the three and thrived by the three.

With Anton Arsenyev and Alexandr Tyutyunik leading the way, Kazakhstan hit 9-of-17 three-point shots and sank 59 percent from the field, dropping the Kiwis to 0-3 and into the 13th-16th classification round.

“That’s definitely disappointing,” said New Zealand centre Rob Loe. “It’s a four-quarter game and we didn’t play well in the fourth quarter. I’m gutted. I guess we just didn’t finish. We didn’t keep our poise.

“Our defence let us down. Our normal goal is to keep teams under 70 points and we gave up 90 points. That’s not good enough. They were pushing the ball and shooting the transition three and that opened up the inside game.

“We played well all tournament and that last quarter just let us down. We didn’t finish it out strongly. We didn’t execute.”

New Zealand led 67-60 with a period to run but stalled to start the fourth, scoring only two points in the first three minutes. The Kazakhs went on a 12-2 run to take a 72-69 lead with 7:14 remaining, including a pair of triples from Arsenyev, a lead they never relinquished.

Arsenyev, who had only eight points in two games before the New Zealand game and only came off the bench when Alexandr Zhigulin got in early foul trouble, led Kazakhstan with 27 points (9/13 FG, 5/7 3pt, 4/7 FT) and made the big shots when needed.

Contrastingly, the JTBs had one of the poorest shooting nights of the preliminary round, hitting 39 percent from the floor, including double-digits from close range, and just 22 percent (4/18) from the perimeter.

Kiwi guard Brook Ruscoe and Loe, returning after missing the previous night with an Achilles strain, top-scored with 20 points, while Richie Edwards had 17 points and point guard Logan van Beek 11 points.

It was a JTBs locker room full of long faces as they slumped out of the tournament.

“We lost a bit of poise, we lost a bit of composure and a bit of leadership in our offence and our execution,” said New Zealand head coach Kenny McFadden.

“We had film on them, we knew who their shooters were and we just didn’t get out and defend their shots well. We didn’t do that well in the first quarter but we got better. But then again they came back in the fourth quarter. A seven-point lead is nothing against a team that can shoot the three.”

After Kazakhstan went up by seven points early in the third period, the Kiwis answered with six straight points and surged ahead on the back of increased defensive pressure up the court and the play of Ruscoe and Loe.

They led by nine points, 67-58, in the final minute of the third period but failed to slam the door on Kazakhstan, who had been blown out by both Croatia and Argentina in their first two games.

Shooting percentages were the big difference in the first half, with the Kazakhs shooting 55 percent (6/11) on three-point attempts and 56 percent from the field (18/32), while the Kiwis were running at 33 percent (2/6) on threes and 46 percent (16/35) on field-goal shots.

Kazakhstan were a two-man team on offence, with Arsenyev coming off the bench to score 14 first half points, including three triples, while Tyutyunik had 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting.

In a balanced first half offence, which saw all five starters score seven points or more, forward Edwards led with nine points for the JTBs, who led for much of the first period but quickly dropped behind in the second.

Five points was the biggest lead for either team in the opening 20 minutes, with the home side leading out with the first points from a van Beek corner three.

New Zealand now join Angola, Iran and Syria in the playoff for 13th, starting on Monday.

“It’s very difficult to take a loss like that, especially as we had a chance to win it again,” said JTBs captain Dion Prewster, who had nine points and six rebounds.

“The guys are definitely down because we wanted to make a mark on this tournament. But tonight Kazakhstan were on fire and we just couldn’t stop it.

“We’re sad but we have to get up and bring it for the next two games. It’s going to be difficult but at the same time it’s about leadership and finding something deep within to get you motivated.

“We wanted to do better but hopefully we can finish on a good note.”

FIBA U19 World Championship

Saturday, July 3

Group D

New Zealand Junior Tall Blacks 83 (Rob Loe 20, Brook Ruscoe 20, Richie Edwards 17, Logan van Beek 11) Kazakhstan 90 (Anton Arsenyev 27, Alexandr Tyutyunik 20, Alexandr Zhigulin 14, Omirzak Akhmet 13)
1Q: 22-19
HT: 42-46 (20-27)
3Q: 67-60 (25-14)
FT: 83-90 (16-30)

Without 2.11m (6ft 11in) centre Rob Loe, who was ruled out with an Achilles strain, and on the wrong end of a significant height disparity, the JTBs fell 79-72 to Croatia on day two of the tournament at the North Shore Events Centre on Friday.

Forward Richie Edwards top-scored with 29 points (11/24 FG, 2/7 3pt, 5/9 FT) and had nine rebounds for the Kiwis, while Croatian captain Mario Delas dominated inside, scoring a game-high 31 points and scoring crucial baskets for the European bronze medalists.

New Zealand hung tough despite being out-shot and out-rebounded, with the scores level at 65-65 with 5:02 remaining.

As the JTBs shooting faltered, Croatia went on a 10-1 run over the next four minutes to lock down their second win.

“We had our chances once again. They exploited us, getting that ball inside and we just struggled inside,” said New Zealand head coach Kenny McFadden, who lamented the loss of Loe just before tip-off.

“I thought the boys really battled back in the second half and showed the heart that we’ve got to get back in the game.

“We got them in the penalty early in the third and fourth quarters by being aggressive and taking it to the hoop. We got the opportunities to make some free-throws and we didn’t, and that cost us and they were able to make shots to get away again.”

If McFadden and the Kiwis want to point to any statistics for the loss, free-throw and three-point shooting would be the most glaring.

The JTBs shot 5-of-17 from distance and missed 10 free-throws (13/23 FT), including five misses in the fourth quarter. The Croatians shot just 4-of-21 on three-point attempts.

Kiwi captain Dion Prewster finished with 13 points and eight rebounds while guard Brook Ruscoe, the hero against Argentina on Thursday night, had 10 points and four rebounds.

Delas posted a double-double, also grabbing 14 boards, while three other Croatians – Leon Radosevic, Toni Prostran and Ivan Batur also scored in double digits.

The Kiwis took their first lead of the game at 19-18 after an Edwards three-point shot from the left wing just 23 seconds in the second period.

With forwards Morgan Nathan, Sam King, David Beck and Tipene Friday rotating time on the seemingly endless supply of two metre-plus bigs in the Croatian frontcourt, New Zealand were able to limit their impact and even up the rebounding numbers, which threatened to be one-sided after the opening minutes.

Despite being behind in the rebounding, assists and field goal percentage stats, the Kiwis still somehow managed to keep themselves in the game at halftime.

Stunned by a start that saw the Croatians score the first eight points of the game and dominate the inside, the Kiwis were able to clog the interior better and, with the outside shooting of Edwards, who had 12 points at halftime, and Prewster getting them back within a point at quarter-time.

“Croatia came out and did what they had to do,” commented Edwards, who said he was motivated to perform well after what he deemed a poor performance against Argentina.

“We just couldn’t handle their big guys under the hoop. They’re tough, they’ve got five seven-footers. I felt like we stayed around pretty well but we just missed a few defensive assignments here and there and we’ve got to work those out for Kazakhstan tomorrow night.”

The JTBs play fellow winless team Kazakhstan at 7.30pm on Saturday at the North Shore Events Centre, with the third qualifying spot from group D for the second round at stake.

“Our whole tournament rides on tomorrow night,” Edwards said. “I think the boys will come out and have a great performance against Kazakhstan. We watched them play Argentina today and they shot like a million threes, so we’ve got to look out for that.”

FIBA U19 World Championship

Friday, July 3

Group D

New Zealand Junior Tall Blacks 72 (Richie Edwards 29, Dion Prewster 13, Brook Ruscoe 10) Croatia 79 (Mario Delas 31, Leon Radosevic 13, Toni Prostan 12, Ivan Batur 11)
1Q: 16-18
HT: 31-38 (15-20)
3Q: 55-62 (24-24)
FT: 72-79 (17-17)

The JTBs started the tournament with a heartbreaking 66-64 loss to Argentina, the world’s top-ranked men’s nation, on Thursday night, with guard Brook Ruscoe top-scoring with 22 points.

New Zealand face Croatia on Friday night, tip-off 7.30pm at the North Shore Events Centre (Sky Sport 3 & Radio Sport), and Kazakhstan on Saturday night, tip-off 7.30pm at the North Shore Events Centre (Sky Sport 3 & Radio Sport), needing at least one win to progress through to next week’s second round.

Follow the Junior Tall Blacks progress at www.basketball.org.nz and www.newzealand2009.fiba.com and www.fibatv.com. You can also follow Basketball New Zealand on facebook and twitter.

Loe, 2.11m (6ft 11in), suffered an Achilles strain late in the fourth quarter of the JTBs heartbreaking 66-64 loss to Argentina on day one, after driving to the hoop and falling awkwardly.

The North Harbour local was the Kiwis second-leading scorer on Thursday night, finishing with 15 points (7/12 FG, 1/2 FT), six rebounds and three assists in 36 minutes as New Zealand fell agonisingly short of a monumental upset against the Americas champions.

“It looks at this stage as a grade one strain,” team physio Bryce Ebben said.

“There’s no impingement around the ankle and there’s no problem with the ligaments in the ankle. We’ve done some acupuncture and some mobilizing of his foot and he’s now off the crutches and walking again.

“Things certainly look a lot better than they did this morning. We’re just going to monitor him for the rest of the day and make a decision later.”

New Zealand face Croatia, a team featuring seven players at 2.00m or taller, at 7.30pm at NSEC, before meeting Kazakhstan at 7.30pm on Saturday night in their final group D game.

“With Croatia being the tallest team here, it’s a big blow if he’s not able to go,” Junior Tall Blacks head coach Kenny McFadden said.

“If he can’t go then we’ll really have to change our game plan and we’ll change the way we rotate. We do have a plan B. We’ll have to push it up court a bit faster.”

The JTBs came so close but eventually fell 66-64 to Argentina in their opening game at the FIBA U19 World Championship at the North Shore Events Centre on Thursday night.

The three-point shooting of Argentine guard Matias Nocedal, who hit 4-of-8 shots from distance and finished with 21 points, guided the FIBA Americas champions to a tense win in front of a racous crowd of 2000 on Auckland’s North Shore.

Starting shooting guard Brook Ruscoe scored a game-high 22 points, while centre Rob Loe, playing in front of his home crowd, dropped in 15 points and collected six rebounds.

Trailing by two points with 17.3 seconds remaining, the JTBs were forced to foul four straight times to send the Argentinians to the free-throw stripe.

On Argentina’s fourth inbounds, New Zealand point guard Logan van Beek collected a steal, passing ahead to forward Morgan Nathan, in the game because Loe had rolled his ankle, but a travel call with 3.7 seconds remaining denied them a shot at a game-winning shot.

The Kiwis again fouled quickly, putting Cristian Cortes at the line. He made the first and intentionally missed the second, with time expiring as JTBs captain Dion Prewster corralled the loose ball.

“It’s very tough to take a loss like that right at the end,” Prewster said. “We’re all so disappointed right now.”

“A lot of people didn’t think we could do much, so I think we showed them that we can compete. And now we have to come back tomorrow against Croatia and forget about this one.”

With the NZ juniors tightening the defensive screws on the Argentinians a monumental upset seemed on the cards, even with New Zealand down one, 65-64, after a pair of van Beek freebies with 17.3 to play.

“We’re all gutted,” said Ruscoe, who went 7-of-11 from the field, 3-of-6 on three-point attempts and 5-of-5 from the foul-line.

“But there’s still the part of us that is thinking that’s the best team in the Americas, they beat the USA, and for us to come out and pretty much lose it ourselves, is tough.

“Even with a win or the loss, we have to forget about it and come out tomorrow and get a big win.”

Prewster finished the game with seven points, eight rebounds, three steals and three blocks in a complete performance for the Kiwis, who shot 47 percent from the floor and were out-rebounded 37-30.

For Argentina, who struggled with the Kiwis zone defence throughout the game, Luciano Gonzalez backed-up Nocedal with 12 points. The Argies shot a lesser percentage but thanks to 18 offensive rebounds were able to torch the home side for 20 second chance points, although only five came in the second half.

In a third quarter of mini-runs, New Zealand scored six straight points to go up 41-34 with 7:15 to run in the period. Argentina answered with seven straight points to level the scores, before the Kiwis scored the next six points gain the edge going into the final quarter.

The JTBs started nervously, getting their first points coming from a Loe drive and dunk. Argentina led for much of the first quarter, New Zealand taking their first lead at 14-13 with 1:21 to play in the period.

Argentina continued to hold their lead early in the second quarter before Ruscoe and Loe stepped up, the Kiwis going on a 12-4 run to end the half, keyed by eight straight points from Ruscoe, including a pair of threes.

The Kiwis shot 55 percent (16/29) from the field, while the Argentinians shot a low 34 percent (13/38). Argentina also rebounded the hosts 20-12 in the first half, capitalising with 13 second chance points.

FIBA U19 World Championship

Thursday, July 2

Group D

New Zealand Junior Tall Blacks 64 (Brook Ruscoe 22, Rob Loe 15) Argentina 66 (Matias Nocedal 21, Luciano Gonzalez 12)
1Q: 16-17
HT: 35-31 (19-14)
3Q: 49-46 (14-15)
FT: 64-66 (15-20)

Junior Tall Blacks vs Argentina Box Score

The USA and Iran, from group B, open the tournament at the North Shore Events Centre, while Croatia and Kazakhstan, group D opponents of the New Zealand Junior Tall Blacks, playing the first game at ASB Stadium, both tip-off 10am.

Head coach Kenny McFadden and his JTBs team play the final game of the day at NSEC following the opening ceremony, tip-off 8.30pm, against FIBA Americas champions Argentina.

Follow all the live stats, game reports and news from the tournament at the official FIBA U19 World Championship website, www.newzealand2009.fiba.com.

Selected games, including all three JTBs group D games, can also be watched live online at www.fibatv.com.

Tall Blacks captain Pero Cameron, former Tall Blacks coach Tab Baldwin, former Basketball New Zealand presidents Sir Lance Cross and Graeme Davey and administrator Cedric Cudby were among the 40 recipients from New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific, announced during the FIBA Oceania Congress last week.

Cameron has been the Tall Blacks captain for most of this decade, guiding the Tall Blacks to the semifinals at the 2002 FIBA World Championship in Indianapolis, and earning tournament team selection alongside NBA superstars Dirk Nowitzki, Peja Stojakovic, Yao Ming and Manu Ginobili.

He also has the most championships in New Zealand National Basketball League history, with nine for the Auckland Stars, Waikato Titans and Waikato Pistons.

Baldwin master-minded the Tall Blacks fourth-place finish in 2002, and also coached the national men’s team at the 2004 Athens Olympics and 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan. He also guided the Auckland Stars to five NBL titles in six years, going on to coach in Greece and Romania.

The late Sir Lance Cross was FIBA Oceania’s founding president, and president of the New Zealand Basketball Federation. He also served on the boards of the New Zealand Olympic Committee and International Olympic Committee.

Davey also served as both FIBA Oceania and Basketball New Zealand president, while Cudby was a long-time administrator, a life member of BBNZ, who represented the federation during the formation of FIBA Oceania.

FIBA Oceania 40 Year Movers & Shapers (93KB pdf)

With a collaboration of nerves and excitement, New Zealand’s Junior Tall Blacks are ready to jump it up in their first game of the FIBA U19 World Championship on Thursday night.

The JTBs, making New Zealand’s first appearance at a FIBA U19 tournament, had a day of rest on Wednesday, their main assignments at the Captains’ Call media press conference and resting tired bodies that have competed in six games in seven days.

New Zealand, hosting the country’s first FIBA World Championship, will play the final game on day one against FIBA Americas champions Argentina at the North Shore Events Centre, tip-off 8.30pm.

“I think we’re the best we’ve ever been preparation-wise,” said guard Brook Ruscoe, who has been fighting off a bout of flu since the team arrived in Auckland on Sunday night.

“Playing Lithuania and Puerto Rico, and Egypt and Syria as well, has given us exposure to the different kind of styles that we’re going to face in the tournament. Puerto Rico are like Argentina, Lithuania like Croatia and Egypt and Syria like Kazakhstan.

“We’ve got more coaches as well. We’ve had Mike McHugh come in and help us with scouting and defence, so we feel like we’re ready.”

The JTBs completed the tight preparation schedule with a 69-59 win over FIBA Asia bronze medalists Syria on Tuesday night, trading in two on-court training sessions on Wednesday for recovery and video sessions.

“At the moment, all we’re focused on is Argentina. We have talked a little bit about Croatia and Kazakhstan but it’s all about what we have to do to against Argentina.

“We want to go out and show everyone we can play, that we’re not just the host country that gets an automatic bid. We want to go out and show we can play, put up a fight and make some noise here.

“We have to play as a team. That’s our thing, we have to play as a team. We’ve got to go out and run and get to the free-throw line. Hopefully that will be enough for us to get over the hump.”

After Argentina on Thursday comes FIBA Europe bronze medalists Croatia, a team boasting seven players over 2.00m (6ft 7in), on Friday (7.30pm tip-off) and FIBA Asia runners-up Kazakhstan on Saturday (7.30pm tip-off).

To progress through to the second round, New Zealand has to finish in the top-three in group D, with likely one win enough to advance. Wins against teams also progressing move forward to the second stage, where group D qualifiers will play the three group C (Australia, Canada, Spain, Syria) qualifiers on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday next week.

“Because we’re not the tallest team we have to do the little details,” said forward David Beck, from Wellington. “We have to be the best at what we can do – communication, execution and team-work. That’s important.

“We’ve played Argentina and Croatia before, so we kind of know what they’re going to do. Argentina are quick and we know they can run. Croatia are massive, so we know that’s going to be physical. Kazakhstan, we don’t know too much about but we thought they were going to be taller.”

New Zealand head coach Kenny McFadden has no major injury worries ahead of the tournament’s opening day, with 12 healthy players ready to go in front of a near-capacity home crowd at the NSEC.

New Zealand Junior Tall Blacks Schedule

GROUP D

Thursday, July 2
vs Argentina, 8.30pm, North Shore Events Centre (Sky Sport 3, Radio Sport)

Friday, July 3
vs Croatia, 7.30pm, North Shore Events Centre (Sky Sport 3, Radio Sport)

Saturday, July 4
vs Kazakhstan, 7.30pm, North Shore Events Centre (Sky Sport 3, Radio Sport)

Squad

David Beck (Wellington), Josh Bloxham (Nelson), Riki Buckrell (Hutt Valley), Richie Edwards (Lakeland HS, Florida), Tipene Friday (Porirua), Sam King (Otago), Rob Loe (North Harbour), Morgan Nathan (Otago), Dion Prewster (San Jacinto College, Texas), Tom Rowe (Otago), Brook Ruscoe (Porirua), Logan van Beek (Canterbury)
Head coach: Kenny McFadden
Assistant coach: Judd Flavell
Video technician: Jozsef Molnar
Technical advisor: Mike McHugh
Manager: Debbie Webb

The USA-born and Christchurch-raised forward only joined the JTBs squad on June 16, after graduating from high school in Florida, and has had a crash course in the team’s offensive and defensive systems.

“It’s been a pretty easy transition,” said Edwards, who celebrated his 19th birthday on Tuesday. “It hasn’t been too bad. It was kinda hard at first but it’s going OK.”

Experience is on Edwards’ side, being part of the Junior Tall Blacks set up since 2005 as a 15-year-old.

“I see myself as kind of a veteran of the team so it’s about communication, belief and to do the things that I have to do on the court to get it done.”

Edwards has certainly brought belief.

The impact of his arrival to the JTBs residential programme in Wellington just over two weeks ago, was immediate, bringing a level of energy and confidence to the squad.

There are many things that could happen for Edwards after the FIBA U19 World Championship but he is keeping his focus on the next 11 days.

Edwards, a 2.01m (6ft 7in) forward, has several potential college scholarship offers on the table from major conference schools, a number that could grow with strong performances in Auckland.

He graduated from high school in late May after leading the Dreadnaughts of Lakeland High, Florida, to the last eight in the Florida state 4A playoffs for the first time since 1978. Now he awaits the scores from his latest SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) taken last month, which could determine his collegiate future at home.

“In an ideal world I’ll get my test scores back and go on to a university,” Edwards said.

“I just know that there’s a lot of things that can happen and a lot of opportunities that can come from playing well.

“I can only think about the next two weeks. I’ve got to handle my business and do what I gotta do and then see what happens after that.

“There has been a lot of schools offering but you can’t do anything without test scores.”

Edwards, who attended Christchurch’s Middleton Grange before heading back to his country of birth in 2006, as a team leader is putting a good amount of responsibility on his own shoulders and is looking forward to the opportunities that could arise.

“This tournament means putting my name on the professional level and being able to go back and making some money from playing this game.

“It’s just a chance to be seen by pro scouts and college scouts. Hopefully I won’t ever have to get a real job and I can just play basketball all my life.”

In an ideal world.

Richie Edwards profile

With less than 48 hours until the JTBs open the country’s first appearance at a FIBA U19 tournament against Argentina, tip-off 8.30pm on Thursday, New Zealand defeated Asian bronze medalists Syria 69-59 at the Breakers Gym on Auckland’s North Shore.

New Zealand led by more than 20 points at one stage, allowing head coach Kenny McFadden to empty his bench, giving all 12 players valuable playing time.

In the game, New Zealand faced Syrian centre Abd Al Wahab Al Hamowi, the tallest player at the tournament at 2.18m (7ft 2in), and effectively limited his impact on offence.

“It went pretty good. One of our missions in that game was to see how we defended the big guy, their seven-foot-six guy, and I think we did a pretty good job of that,” McFadden said.

“It also gave us a chance to get out and run and to work on some of our combinations that we’re going to use against Argentina. And it gave us a chance to give all 12 players a run. It was great to get back on the winning track in our last game.”

New Zealand 69 Syria 59