BBNZ reports on the trialists for this year's Tall Ferns team. Original article can be found by clicking here.

 

Tall Ferns coach KENNEDY KEREAMA has rewarded the young talent emerging from the WOMEN’S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP with a call-up to 2013 national squad.

Among the new names is another member of the sporting Adams family – forward GABRIELLA ADAMSfrom Rotorua – while NZ cricket captain and former Olympic basketballer SUZIE BATES has also signalled her hope to return to the court.

Because the Tall Ferns programme is unfunded, Kereama has chosen to spread his net wide across the domestic game, where the next wave of international prospects is beginning to dominate – teenagers like Waikato’s KALANI PURCELL, Hutt Valley-Porirua’s STELLA BECK and Auckland’sPENINA DAVIDSON.

“I was quite encouraged by what I saw at the WBC round in Christchurch last month,” he says. “Some of these young players were stepping up to play key roles in their teams and you can see that across most teams in the competition.

“The sooner we can expose them to the environment at the next level, the better.”

Kereama still has a core of players returning from last year’s unsuccessful Olympic qualifying bid, and the influence of captain NATALIE TAYLOR and former Olympians Bates, LISA WALLBUTTONand MICAELA COCKS will be key to the development of their eventual successors.

Another intriguing aspect of the 21-strong squad is the return of players from college scholarships in the United States, notably Whangarei centre MEGAN CRAIG, Counties-Manukau guard JORDAN HUNTER and Waitakere guard CHEVANNAH PAALVAST.

Players will assemble for the Tall Ferns trials on August 5-7 and the successful candidates will then move into camp to prepare for their FIBA Oceania Championship series against Australia.

The 2013 Tall Ferns squad is:

Gabriella Adams (Rotorua Lady Vols), Suzie Bates (Otago Gold Rush), Stella Beck (Hutt Valley-Porirura Flyers), Brooke Blair (Harbour Breeze), Shinae Blair (Harbour Breeze), Amanda Buck (Auckland Lady Hawks), Michaela Cocks (Townsville Fire, Australia), Megan Craig (University of Albany, US), Shea Crotty (Canterbury Wildcats), Penina Davidson (Auckland Lady Hawks), Antonia Edmondson (West Coast Waves, Australia), Deena Franklin (Harbour Breeze), Jordan Hunter (Southeast Missouri University, US), Karlene Kingi, Anna Lacey (Harbour Breeze), Casey Lockwood (Townsville Fire, Australia), Chevannah Paalvast (Monmouth University, US), Kalani Purcell (Waikato Wizards), Natalie Taylor (Logan Thunder, Australia), Rebecca van Kuyk (Harbour Breeze), Lisa Wallbutton (West Coast Waves, Australia)