Juniors To Schweitzer
Tagged in: BBNZ News
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Basketball New Zealand has confirmed the Junior Tall Blacks’ participation in one of the world’s most prestigious age group tournaments as part of their build-up towards the 2009 FIBA Oceania U20 Championships.
The 16-team Albert Schweitzer Tournament, named after the famous German missionary and doctor, is held at Mannheim every two years and will provide the young Kiwis with the best possible preparation as they attempt to beat Australia to qualify for the world championships.
New Zealand have never beaten their trans Tasman rivals at junior level – the only time they have attended a world junior championships was when Australia hosted the U23 event in 1997.
The Junior Tall Blacks, currently coached by NBL legend Kenny McFadden, have never been invited to the Schweitzer tournament before, but then-High Performance head coach Leonard King laid the groundwork when he attended the 2006 event as part of his Prime Minister’s Coaching Scholarship. France beat Turkey 78-56 in the final that year for their first ever title.
The German Basketball Federation has confirmed a strong field for the event, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Croatia, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and USA.
“Of the best teams in the world at that level, probably only Serbia and Lithuania are missing from that list,” assesses BBNZ player development manager Ollie Dudfield. “With the Tall Black programme now moving into a transition stage, we need to become more proactive in providing international experience for our emerging athletes as they progress towards the senior ranks.
“Many of their opponents at the Schweitzer are already among the top players for their age in the world and will go on to become major basketball stars of the future. This is a great opportunity for our talented youngsters to measure themselves against their peers in front of NBA, US college and European scouts.”
The Junior Tall Black squad will assemble for the All-NZ Camp in Palmerston North on January 29.
