|
Monday, October 06, 2003
Mendoza: Brian's Brew
By Alfonso J. Mendoza Jr.
BENDIGO, Australia -- For the first time, the New Zealand Tall Blacks beat the Australia Boomers in their 2001 FIBA Oceania Championship Series. Playing inspired basketball, the Kiwi team finished 4th place in the World Championships Basketball in Indianapolis last year.
That finish surprised this side of the world. NZ head coach Tab Baldwin, an American who made New Zealand his home, was on the spotlight. Suddenly, Kiwis all over their country wanted to dribble and shoot the ball.
Meantime, the Australian team will be spearheaded by a new head coach in the person of Brian Goorjian. Although they have an almost automatic slot to the Summer Olympics next year as a result of New Zealand's amazing finish in the World Championships, the Boomers are looking for redemption.
They want to beat the NZ crew in the qualifying FIBA Oceania Championship this year.
As participants for the Australia Basketball Convention, we had the pleasure of having the Australian and New Zealand National team for company on a cold drizzling Sunday night. As we munched on lavish lamb chops, savored the fresh veggie salad and sipped aged wine, the show went on with Goorjian coming up on stage to answer some questions.
"The most important thing was the selection of the team," he answered. The bald Goorjian continued, "In picking the group of players, the thing that stuck out was that it was inexperienced and it was young. A lot of the established players had retired and the ones who we thought were important to the program either did not make themselves available or were hurt."
The animated coach started his tour of duty when he took the national team to a series of tournaments in China and Europe. "We came away with some confidence and happy with the tour. We got an opportunity to play everybody and it kind of bonded everybody."
Brian Goorjian's real first test at the helm will be Monday night. The rivalry continues between these two beautiful countries. The expectation is Brian will bring back the FIBA Oceania crown to Australia. The Bendigo Schweppes Center will be packed for sure.
Email: dayongscorner@yahoo.com
(October 6 2003 issue)
Write letter to the editor. Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board. Click here. |
|
[ return
to top ]
[ home
]
|
LOCAL NEWS
BUSINESS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFESTYLE
FEATURE
|
