Penney doesn't rule out making last call to Marks

Photosport

ONE MORE TIME: Tall Blacks captain Kirk Penney has not ruled out one last attempt to coax New Zealand's only NBA player, Sean Marks, out of international retirement for the 2010 FIBA World Championship.

Relevant offers

Basketball

LeBron James youngest to 15,000 points History made as Sharks get first win in NBL Taranaki's Mountain men cut down Cougars Wellington Saints import takes ANBL award Long losing streak broken Kirk Penney named to ANBL First Team Sharks get 1st win, Taranaki end losing streak Jordan describes ownership as 'dream come true' Southland Sharks captain Martin here to play Waikato Pistons fire for Cougars clash

New Zealand's best basketballer has sent out one last SOS out to its most accomplished one on the eve of the draw for next year's FIBA World Championship.

Kirk Penney says he hasn't given up hope of NBA pioneer Sean Marks making a "last hurrah" for the Tall Blacks at next year's world event in Turkey, and will be urging his old New Orleans-based mate to consider that very prospect.

International body, FIBA, will make the draw for the championship in Istanbul tonight (10.30pm NZ time) with the Tall Blacks controversially grouped on the fifth of six seeding tiers of four sides - two below the Australians whom they beat in the Oceania qualifying series earlier this year. One team from each tier will make up each of the four groups .

Although Penney, the Tall Blacks skipper and leading scorer for the NZ Breakers in the Australian NBL, was a little miffed by his team's harsh treatment from FIBA, he remained optimistic that the Tall Blacks could put in a strong showing at the championship, which will run from August 28-September 12.

The chances of that would be improved, he felt, if one or two "retired" or "semi-retired" players from a group including Marks, Phill Jones, Mark Dickel and Paul Henare could be cajoled back into the international arena.

"It would be nice to have a bit more of a balance between the young guys and the older," he said yesterday. "Many of the young guys deserve to be there because of the work they've put in and what they've achieved, and I'm talking about the likes of Thomas Abercrombie and Alex Pledger.

"But maybe a little bit of experience would be helpful. There are guys we should approach, talk to and say 'what about one last hurrah?'."

And Penney felt it was worth making one last play for Marks, who is currently rounding out his NBA career with the New Orleans Hornets. The veteran centre has said he will not play international basketball again after making his last appearance at the Athens Olympics in 2004.

"Sean and I talk often... and in terms of the Tall Blacks I understand where he's coming from," said Penney. "For him it's more a family decision and I know the NBA season is incredibly long..."

Penney felt if the right sort of programme could be put together that would not involve too long a commitment, Marks could perhaps be approached about an international swansong.

"We certainly want to nudge him if we can and just test the waters. Who knows, once we know the draw and what the schedule is, he just might be tempted. It's up to him.

"While he's in the NBA there's going to be people who want to play with him and will relish the prospect, and I'm one of them."

Penney was diplomatic about FIBA's decision to rank the Tall Blacks so low, despite their series victory over Australia.

"My initial reaction is why are they (Australia) a three seed and we a five?" added Penney, who had discussed the situation with his Breakers team-mate CJ Bruton who hopes to go to the championship with Australia. "But there's not really a whole lot we can do about it other than the fact we'd like to play the teams who are grouped with his."

The Tall Blacks are joined by China, Iran and Angola on "line 5" of the draw, which means they cannot end up in the same pool.

Given that the Tall Blacks had to end up with one of the powerhouses from "line 1", Penney said he wouldn't mind landing in the same pool as USA which is likely to include LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade and Dwight Howard from the Beijing gold medallists.

But Penney felt not too much should be read into what pool you landed in because strengths depended so much on availability of NBA stars and injuries, while sometimes - as the New Zealanders found in 2002 - it was more important who you met in the crossovers.

Seedings (and world rankings) for tonight's 2010 FIBA World Championship draw:

Line 1: USA (2), Argentina (1), Spain (3), Greece (4)
Line 2: Serbia (5), Slovenia (20), France (15), Turkey (18)
Line 3: Brazil (14), Puerto Rico (10), Canada (19), Australia (11)
Line 4: Croatia (15), Russia (17), Lithuania (6), Germany (7)
Line 5: New Zealand (13), China (9), Iran (21), Angola (12)
Line 6: Jordan (37), Lebanon (24), Tunisia (42), Ivory Coast (40)