Penney For His Thoughts
Tagged in: FIBA World Championships for Men, Tall Blacks
Tall Black shooter Kirk Penney has wandered the world basketball landscape more than any other Kiwi, so he is philosophical in the buildup to tomorrow’s draw for the 2010 FIBA World Championship for Men in Turkey.
He has seen just about everything there is to see in the sport and is trying to remain open-minded about what the draw will hold for his young Kiwi side.
“It will be a bit early to read too much into the draw,” he insists. “There will always be injuries, NBA teams will keep some players from their national teams and some countries may be in a rebuilding phase, like us.
“A team like France are completely different if they don’t have Tony Parker … or Germany without Dirk Nowitzki.
“We’re not really going to know what each opponent looks like until closer to the tournament.”
The draw will take place in Istanbul at 10.30pm Tuesday (NZ time), but the world body have set the scene over the weekend by naming four wild cards - Lithuania, Russia, Germany and Lebanon - and seeding groups that will see New Zealand avoid China, Iran and Angola.
One thing is certain … the Tall Blacks will face one of the top four teams in the world - Olympic gold medalists USA, defending world champions Spain, Argentina or Greece - during pool play, so Penney is keen to face the best.
“If we’re going to have a really good team in your pool, it would be cool to get the United States,” he says. “It would be neat for the young guys in our team to have a chance to measure themselves against the best in the world … like an Alex Pledger against Dwight Howard.
“That would be fun.”
Having played professionally in Spain and Lithuania, Penney, who captained the Tall Blacks in the absence of Pero Cameron this year, is familiar with many of the players in those national teams and would savour the opportunity to renew acquaintances.
But he is also keen to test himself individually against the best in the world.
“I’d like to come up against a Kobe Bryant or a Manu Ginobili, so Argentina would be a fun challenge too.”
The draw for the 2010 FIBA World Championship can be followed live on www.turkey2010.fiba.com and www.FIBATV.com.
