Tall Blacks in Hawkes Bay
TALL BLACKS SETTLE INTO NAPIER CAMP
The Tall Blacks have arrived in Napier and immediately settled into work in a four day camp to prepare them for the rigors of their European tour that will include games against Great Britain, Croatia and Slovenia as they build up towards the Oceania Championships against Australia in August.
The team decided on Napier as a base for the camp, training at Pettigrew Arena twice a day for four days (Sunday to Wednesday), with head coach Paul Henare delighted to be on familiar territory.
"This is my home town and I always love coming back - but that was not the reason for being here! The Napier City Council and Hawkes Bay basketball community have been fantastic in their welcome and support of this camp, Pettigrew Arena has everything we need, the players are working in the gym and on the floor in a great environment.
"This is a period when we will be hard at work laying down the foundations for our campaign, all of which is focused on one thing, getting ready for Australia in August. The players will be doing little other than eating, sleeping and working hard on their basketball skills and strengths as we bond together as a family during this time."
Another feature of the visit is the involvement of former Tall Black Paora Winitana. The Hawkes Bay legend has been in camp with the team in an 'educators' role around the Tall Black haka. The Haka was created by Winitana and Don Hutana specifically for the Tall Blacks and was first introduced in 2006 and went around the world via YouTube when the Tall Blacks played the USA at the World Cup late last year.
"Tu Kaha O Pango Te Kahikatea is a huge part of our culture and speaks to the values of who we are as a team and as a Tall Black family," said Henare.
"Paora has been hugely influential in not just the creation of the haka with Don Hutana, but in educating our players new and old as to what the meaning is behind the words and how to truly perform the haka to ensure respect for its meaning, respect for ourselves and what we stand for, and respect for our opposition in any given game."
The Tall Blacks first dinner was notable for the presence of Mayor Bill Dalton and wife Shirley. Mayor Dalton welcomed the team to Napier, describing it as the best city in the best country in the world as he welcomed the entire touring party to his city, proud that the Tall Blacks had chosen Napier as the venue for their first camp prior to heading overseas.
The Tall Blacks are training twice daily at Pettigrew Arena and tomorrow
(Monday) will host a number of local Hawkes Bay age group rep teams and coaches who will watch the training session before enjoying the chance to get autographs, photos and go through a few drills with the team at approximately 11am.
Tall Blacks Training SessionsMonday, Tuesday, WednesdayPettigrew Arena9am to 11am3pm to 5pmPlease note times are subject to change - in particular the end of each session Tall Blacks 2015 Schedule11-16 July - Preparation camp in Napier, New Zealand19 July - Depart for Europe25 July - v Great Britain, Copperbox, London29 July - v Croatia30 July - v Slovenia3-8 August - Stankovic Cup, China, Mexico, Venezuela, venue China11-13 August - Training camp in Auckland15 August - FIBA Oceania Series v Australia, Melbourne, Rod Laver Arena18 August - FIBA Oceania Series, v Australia, Wellington
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