Is Baldwin’s familiarity an edge?

MANILA, Philippines – Gilas coach Tab Baldwin said recently his familiarity with the New Zealand team won’t necessarily translate into an advantage for the Philippines when the countries clash in a Group B preliminary game of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena on July 6.

Baldwin, 58, moved to New Zealand from Florida in 1988 and became the most celebrated coach in the country’s basketball history. In 2003, he was anointed honorary officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for piloting the Kiwis to the Final Four of the FIBA World Cup in Indianapolis the year before. Baldwin took New Zealand to the 2002 and 2006 FIBA World Cups and the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Baldwin is a dual American and New Zealand citizen. He settled in New Zealand with his Greek wife Efi and their children before transferring to Manila last year. Baldwin’s contract to coach Gilas is up to 2019 when the FIBA World Cup will be held in China.

“I’m often in touch with (New Zealand coach) Paul (Henare) who was my point guard when I coached the Auckland Stars and the Tall Blacks at the Olympics and two World Cups,” said Baldwin. “We’re very close friends. I don’t think it’s a disadvantage on their part that I know them well. It’s not an edge for the Philippines either. I expect both our teams to compete fiercely at the Olympic qualifier and may the better team win.”

For a while, Baldwin wasn’t sure if New Zealand star Kirk Penney, formerly of the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Clippers, would suit up in Manila. Penney, 35, starred for the Tall Blacks in two Olympics and four FIBA World Cups. A week ago, Henare announced New Zealand’s 14-man pool for the Olympic qualifier and the list excluded Penney. The roster will be cut to 12 by the FIBA deadline of June 27.

The 14-man lineup returns nine players from the squad that placed 15th of 24 at the FIBA World Cup in Spain two years ago.  They are 6-6 Tom Abercrombie, 28; 6-6 B. J. Anthony, 27; 6-8 Isaac Fotu, 21; 6-1 Jarrod Kenny, 29; 6-11 Rob Lowe, 24; 6-6 Mika Vukona, 33; 6-4 Everard Bartlett, 29; 6-2 Corey Webster, 26 and 6-4 Tai Webster, 20. The others in the cast are 6-7 Finn Delany, 20; 6-0 Shea Ili, 22; 6-10 Michael Karena, 22; 6-5 Jordan Ngatai, 23 and 6-5 Ethan Rusbatch, 24. Absent from the roster is 7-0 Steven Adams of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

While the New Zealand team has no NBA player, it has several veterans of the US collegiate system and the professional import circuit. Bartlett saw action in Iceland, Kenny and Anthony in Germany, Fotu in Spain and Lowe in Belgium. Abercrombie played at Washington State, Karena at Wright State in Ohio, Corey Webster at Lambuth University in Tennessee, Tai Webster at Nebraska, Delany at Southwest Baptist in Missouri, Ngatai at Brigham Young University-Hawaii, Rusbatch at Lincoln Trail Community College in Illinois and Fotu at the University of Hawaii.

Vukona is the team’s senior statesman as the veteran of three FIBA World Cups in 2006, 2010 and 2014. In Spain two years ago, Vukona averaged 7.2 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists in six games, including wins over Ukraine and Finland. A 76-71 loss to Lithuania prevented New Zealand from qualifying for the quarterfinals.

“I’m excited,” said the 37-year-old Henare. “Basketball truly is a global sport and to play against the likes of France will be an amazing challenge. Of course, the competition will be fierce with the Olympics on the line but that’s fuel for the fire for our guys.” The Manila qualifier will assemble France, Canada, Turkey, Senegal, New Zealand and the Philippines in battling for one Olympic ticket on July 5-10.

FIBA said the New Zealand game against the Philippines will feature “some extra spice” because Henare and assistant coach Pero Cameron were former Baldwin players with the Kiwis. “While the goal is getting to Rio, we’ll need to look at every team in our Olympic qualifier and then look to take it one game at a time,” said Henare. “But before that, we’ve a lot of work and preparation to do.”

Henare plans to take the New Zealand team on a tour of Asia before arriving in Manila. “Mika, Tom, Corey, Ike and Rob have contributed so much to the rich and storied history of this special team,” he said. “These players will be the backbone of our efforts to qualify for Rio. But despite the many sacrifices they have all made, if you ask any of them today, I am betting none of them will regret a single moment, such is the mana (Austronesian for supernatural power) of being a Tall Black and how it enriches all involved. Our No. 1 goal is to qualify for the Olympics. I have every belief that we can overcome the odds and achieve that goal. And yes, we will be the underdogs but how many times are we ever the favorites going into a big contest? The Tall Blacks have shown through the years that we don’t mind playing the part of David. Often in the past, we’ve thrived on it and we aim to bring down a Goliath or two in July.”

Filipino fans will be introduced to the Tall Blacks’ “haka” Maori war challenge before each New Zealand game. The players form an alignment where they do a song-and-chant routine on the court.

Baldwin’s experience in the international game will be a huge plus for Gilas. He not only coached the national team of New Zealand but also of Malaysia, Jordan and Lebanon. Baldwin has also called the shots for teams in Romania, Greece and China so his exposure is extensive. Before moving to New Zealand, Baldwin coached in Divisions I and II at the US collegiate level. He has participated in four FIBA World Cups with New Zealand as head coach in 2002 and 2006, Lebanon as head coach in 2010 and the Philippines as consultant in 2014.