Basketball New Zealand

Angela Marino (Getty Images)

Twenty-three players, including nine Olympians, have been invited to trial for the NZ Tall Ferns in Dunedin, August 22-25.

Half the trialists will stay over after contesting the Women’s Basketball Championship finals tournament in the same city from August 19-21. The successful candidates will leave immediately following the camp for a three-game series in Japan.

Among those named in the squad are Angela Marino, Noni Wharemate, Micaela Cocks, Suzie Bates, Kate McMeeken-Ruscoe, Natalie Purcell, Lisa Wallbutton, Jillian Harmon and Jess McCormack, all of whom were at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

The most intriguing newcomer to the list is American Casey Lockwood, a former Princeton University player, who starred for Southland at last year’s NZ Open Championships and has applied for NZ citizenship.

Basketball New Zealand is still finalizing the appointment of a head coach to replace Shawn Dennis, who resigned to take up an assistant’s role with Australian NBL champions Perth Wildcats.

This squad was selected by incumbent assistant coaches Kennedy Hamilton-Kereama and Aik Ho.

“The Tall Ferns programme is a very important focus for Basketball New Zealand,” says BBNZ chief executive Tim Hamilton. “The week-long tour of Japan represents another step in their development and experience as the team looks towards qualifying for the 2012 London Olympic Games.

“The Japanese federation has very kindly offered to support the majority of costs for the tour and we are grateful for this on what is otherwise a tight budget.”

“The continued success and growth of the WBC has also contributed to a very competitive domestic competition and many of the athletes named in the trials have no doubt benefited from this.”

The full list of Tall Fern trialists is …
Kim Barnes (USA), Suzie Bates (Otago), Micaela Cocks (USA), Phillipa Connell (Australia), Antonia Edmondson (Australia), Jillian Harmon (Italy), Amanda Harris (North Harbour), Jordan Hunter (Palmerston North), Zoe Kensington (Taranaki), Karlene Kingi (North Harbour), Casey Lockwood (USA), Angela Marino (Australia), Jessica McCormack (Australia), Patrice McKenzie (Otago),
Kate McMeeken-Ruscoe (Australia), Natalie Moore (Palmerston North), Natalie Purcell (Australia), Georgina Richards (Taranaki), Erin Rooney (Taranaki), Chelsea Terei (North Harbour), Jelena Vucinic (Taranaki), Lisa Wallbutton (Australia), Noni Wharemate (North Harbour),