Hoops

NZ World Cup team

Not sure what adams is trying to do.

Vukona and Jones should not be spoken in the same sentence, let at all compared as a replacement, Vukona is a warrior, Jones is a flashy scorer who doesn’t play D.

To be fair to Vukona didn't he seriously hurt his achilles or something late in the season for the Bullets and then the Tall Blacks made him play on it which helped to derail the Bullets in the playoffs?

He's likely still nursing himself through that now and trying to save himself for the season ahead with the Bullets.

Not sure i'd be keen on sending Vukona.
He's barely playing for Nelson in the NZNBL. His body looks absolutely done.
I get the "Experience factor" but I do think production should be the dominant and first selection criteria.
I'd send Rusbatch in his place (play Abercrombie as the backup four).

Or try to hastily naturalise Marcel Jones (feel like he might already have NZ Citizenship?)

Ok, let me rephrase:
Some of the players in that squad are so far over the hill, they can't even remember what the hill looked like.
If, as some are suggesting, those players are still their best, then they've no hope of even winning a game.
So my question is whether they have any young turks in the College ranks?

As for what constitutes "hope", well I'd suggest the bar would be set at "avoid complete embarrassment"

They've got a tough draw (for them). I just can't see them getting past Greece or Brazil.

Why start at the age of the year 95, surely if after 1990 you still got years ahead of you. Naar is in 94 and is a far better option at this stage than WMW, who has been injured last season and only played div 2 in Germany and gets talked up as a certain boomer.

Be interesting to see what approach Henare adopts.
They haven't really got a hope, so does he choose to play some of their College kids?

Aussies future looks to be good.

95-00

Top 3 per position?
Simmons/Exum/WMW
Green/Grida/Ducas
Adel/Noi/White
Bolden/Maker/Cooks
Landale/Humphries/Froling

Quite a few quality prospects born after 00 already.

My thought on other promising young talents for Tall Blacks in the future:
PG - Izayah Leafa (D1), Jayden Bezzant (D2)
SG - Flynn Cameron (D1), Tobias Cameron (D1)
SF - Jackson Stent (D1)
PF - Taane Samuel, Matt Freeman (D1), Kelman-Poto
C - Callum McRae (D1)

Guard depth is shockingly bad, maybe they get a naturalised player.

Salt's withdrawn due to sorting out his first professional season (likely Europe as the Breakers are out of spots).

Post-2019, the TBs lineup will revolve around the Webster-Fotu duo, and Steve Adams if he ever commits to play.

The frontline rotation will include Delany, Smith-Milner, Jack Salt, Sam Waardenburg (Miami) and Max Darling (playing overseas at 19). Wings will include Te Rangi and Dan Fotu (Isaac's brother, St Mary's), while the guard line will have Ili and Quinn Clinton (St Mary's). Definite big depth, not so much guards.

They have about 10 bigs to choose from and very few quality guards beyond what's listed.

I would have salt on the team.

Kenny has to be 12th man surely.
Any up and comers for NZ as Corey Webster, Abercrombie, Vukona and Pledger edge closer to end of Tall Black careers?

Webster/Ili/Kenny
Webster/TeRangi
Abercrombie/Delaney
Vukona/Fotu
Adams/Pledger/Loe

Jayco Australian Opals star Lauren Jackson has smashed yet another major milestone in her already exceptional professional career, becoming the youngest player ever to reach 6,000 career points in the US-based Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA).

Jackson became just the fourth player ever in WNBA history to score 6,000 points. She entered the game needing seven points to get there and did so early in the second quarter, scoring eight points in the period's first 1:44, capped by a driving layup to pass the mark.

Jackson joined Katie Smith, Tina Thompson and her former archrival from Team USA Lisa Leslie as the only WNBA players ever to reach that milestone.

Of the four, Jackson was the youngest to 6,000 career points by nearly four years and required 32 fewer games to get there.