Source: Radio New Zealand
Centre Yanni Wetzell returns to Tall Blacks for games against Australia. Supplied
The Tall Blacks’ path to the 2027 FIBA World Cup begins against familiar foes.
At the end of the month the Tall Blacks will resume their storied rivalry with the Australian Boomers in a home-away series of two World Cup qualifiers.
Coach Judd Flavell has turned to three bigs – centre Yanni Wetzell, centre Tyrell Harrison and forward Sam Mennenga – who will all pull on the black singlet for the first time in 2025, to bolster the roster.
“Two world-class centres at the top of their game, and both big pieces overall,” Flavell said.
“Not just in want we do on the court, but I also like those two (Harrison and Wetzell) and the characteristics they have as people as well, they’re going to add a lot to the culture of the Tall Blacks as well.”
Wetzell is currently plying his trade in the Japanese B-League for the Akita Northern Happinets where he averages a tick over 14 points and 7.8 rebounds per contest.
“Yanni is one of the most mobile centres you’re going to see worldwide. His ability to run the floor, that’s certainly the way the Tall Blacks have played for a while now. He’s just an unselfish guy, who leaves it all out there.”
One of the stories of the Australian NBL season has been the form of Brisbane big man Harrison, who has routinely been tallying double-doubles for the Bullets en route to averaging 16.6 points and 9.7 rebounds per game at an efficient 67 percent from the field.
“Tyrell has quickly become, certainly a guy in the NBL, who has become one of the best big men in the league. What he gives us, obviously, true size and length. He’s a presence around the basket and also someone who runs the floor as well. It’s going to be fun to have him join us again.
“We’ve got Sam Mennenga playing great basketball right now too. It’s going to be his first camp in a while, certainly his first with me.”
Mennenga will join the national team for the first time since the Tall Blacks final 2024 Olympic qualifying game against Slovenia.
The core guard rotation from August’s Asia Cup squad remains intact, with Taylor Britt, Flynn Cameron and Mojave King back from the team’s fourth place finish in Jeddah.
“Asia Cup was such an important piece for us. Not only about the tournament itself, but laying down the foundation of what this Tall Black team looks like in the next few years, and those three, great performances. Carried a lot of the weight of the team in different areas, they’re going to be big pieces for us.”
Not only will the Tall Blacks have the services of those three, but they also welcome back the Wellington Saints backcourt duo of Shea Ili and Izayah Le’afa, who between them combine for over 100 Tall Black appearances.
Ili has missed the start of the NBL season with Melbourne United with a hamstring injury but is expected to get game time this week.
Shea Ili playing against Australia in May. PHOTOSPORT
“Having Shea’s presence is going to help boost everybody. We have a genuine world-class defender, and somebody that plays the Tall Blacks way, which is just all out – every single possession.”
“We welcome Izayah Le’afa back with open arms. A combo guard, somebody who can slide to the point guard. Ball-handling, also gives us defence.”
With five genuine starting level guards, minutes in the rotation will be hard to divvy out.
The squad also sees the return of Melbourne United forward, Finn Delany, who will captain the side during this opening FIBA World Cup qualifying window.
These two games will mark the fourth and fifth times the Tall Blacks and Boomers have battled this year. It was an incredibly rare occasion in the current international basketball landscape to play the same opponent five times in one calendar year.
In May’s Trans-Tasman Throwdown the Australians picked up two wins at home in Adelaide and Gold Coast, while the Tall Blacks survived a late surge to outlast their rivals in Hamilton in the Throwdown’s conclusion.
Game one of the qualifiers is in Hobart on 28 November and the return leg is in Wellington on 1 December, with the Boomers visiting the capital for the first time in 10 years.
Tall Blacks squad for the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers – Window 1
- Taylor Britt (44 games), Canterbury Rams & New Zealand Breakers
- Flynn Cameron (39 games), Franklin Bulls & Adelaide 36ers
- Max Darling (18 games), Canterbury Rams & New Zealand Breakers
- Carlin Davison (15 games), New Zealand Breakers
- Finn Delany (55 games), Melbourne United, captain
- Tyrell Harrison (11 games), Brisbane Bullets
- Shea Ili (73 games), Wellington Saints & Melbourne United
- Mojave King (9 games), Tauranga Whai & Cairns Taipans
- Izayah Le’afa (28 games), Wellington Saints & New Zealand Breakers
- Sam Mennenga (7 Games), New Zealand Breakers
- Tohi Smith-Milner (78 games), Canterbury Rams & Brisbane Bullets
- Yanni Wetzell (13 games), Akita Northern Happinets
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
