July 3, 2024 • 6 mins
The Tall Blacks have rallied from a seven-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat Croatia 90-86 at their Olympic qualifying tournament in Athens.
New Zealand secured the last 11 points of the game - guard Corey Webster top-scored with 21.
Croatia were held to seven points in the final stanza.
A win over Slovenia tomorrow would send them to the last-four knock-out stage.
One game spot is available at the six-team tournament.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Country Sport Breakfast with Brian Kelly on Gold Sport.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
To the Beach Around, Talking Basketball Now on the Country
Sport Breakfast. The Tall Blacks chances of attending the Paris
Olympics are alive after coming from behind to beat Croatia, Yes,
Croatia ninety eighty six in their opening qualifying tournament game.
(00:33):
Corey Webster led the scoring twenty one points, New Zealand
scoring the last eleven. They meet Slovenia tomorrow morning in
their final group game. Joining us on the show, Tall
Black captain Ruben Tanangi, Ruben, morning and congratulations.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
Mate, thank you, thank you.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
How are you and the team feeling?
Speaker 1 (00:53):
Yeah, we're good. Obviously beating Croatia is a huge, huge
thing for us, but we have a tough team Slovenia
to beat tomorrow as well. So we're going to rest up, recover,
get some food and and take it to the Slovenians.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
What's working so well for the Tall Blacks at the moment.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
I think one of our things at the World Cup
was our defense. We could keep up with teams by scoring,
but our defense wasn't winning us games, and I think
that showed in this Croatian game. We kept crashing to
seven points in the final quarter and that got us
over the line.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
You're talking about eleven zero run to the finish the
game and take the victory. What you know, just everything
throughout that full game, the four quarters worked so well.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
Yeah, like we know we can stay with these with
these teams, and we have a deep team this year.
So if we just lock them defensively and keep putting
the basket, and the keep putting the ball in the basket,
we're going to win games.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
I mentioned Corey Webster with twenty one points. Great to
have him back and getting all those buckets. How much
deeper in this side compared to the one that went
to the World Cup?
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Yeah, no, I think we're deeper in every position. We
like having Corey one of the best scorers in New
Zealand is amazing. So he puts the ball in the
basket for us and a lot of us get stops
with the team on.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
The other side getting a result like that, and it
builds up your confidence. There are a belief in the
side now that you guys can make history.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
Yeah for sure, and we're just taking it one game
at a time. Slovenia had a rest today, so they're
going to be well rested for tomorrow's game. But we've
got to play with the same game plan. We've got
to take it at every team that we come against.
They have big names, but that doesn't that doesn't deter
us from taking it out them.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
Yeah, you're going to be up against NBA star Lukadonk
So what will you guys need to do to keep
that success rolling tomorrow?
Speaker 1 (02:58):
Same thing, team performance, not just one player guards Luca Donchez.
We'd guard them as a team, but you know, Croatia
had two NBA stars as well, and one team that
one player that played on Real Madrid, so we know
we can beat these teams. We just got to stick
with the game plan and do that for full forty minutes.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
Robert, how difficult is it was such a short turnaround
between games for you guys.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
Yeah, like we had the same thing in the World Cup.
Obviously basketball isn't very heavy contact, but yes it is taxing,
but every team's going through it and we need to
be better on the fitness side of things. But also
when we get home, we need to rest up, do
our recovery, get in the ice bath, get the right foods,
(03:47):
and so that come tomorrow we're driving on or six
cylinders for all eight cylinders you know, ye v eight.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Hey Ruben again, congratulations, great result in all the very
very best for tomorrow.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
Thank you, mate, appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
Ruby Todangy captain of the Toll Blacks, a man that
my producer Mark has played alongside in his formative years.
So Slovenia tomorrow. Has Ruben mentioned, what do we have
to do within that one, mate?
Speaker 3 (04:18):
Yeah, well we're kind of a bit lucky on the
side of things. We can lose by at least ten points.
It's the key number to make the semi finals of
this Olympic qualifying tournament, so obviously we want to win.
We want to win, so we become number one seeds
in that poll and will either play Greece the home side,
or the Dominican Republic or Egypt. Looking like Greece will
(04:40):
be number one seeds, will either be the Dominican Republic
or Egypt in that semi final, So obviously we want
to win. Tough old game against Luka Donkirch, who dragged
his Dallas Mavericks in the NBA all the way to
the NBA finals. Are just a matter of sort of
six weeks ago, so he's been a busy man. But yeah,
huge game, huge upset. Well done to the boys overnight.
There was a massive win and they were down upwards
(05:01):
of twelve points at one stage and to finish that
fourth quarter on eleven. Oh run to win. There's no
mean feet and it's pretty tough. You have to win
the tournament to qualify for the Olympics. There's no lucky
losers or anything. So there's four of these tournaments all
scattered around the world for different countries trying to qualify
those last few births. But yeah, we're still in with
the chance and that's all you can ask for.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
And the under seventeen has had a good win too.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
Yeah, that was a historic one. First time an age
group team in New Zealds ever made the quarter finals.
I think the last time we made the quarter finals
was when the tour Blacks and made the semi finals
of the two thousand and two World Champs. So what
twenty two years ago that the New Zealand teams made
the last eight huge win over Egypt. We blew them
out in the first half. We're up with thirty point
lead by halftime, we play barcel powerhouses and I think
(05:47):
actually on average the tallest country in the world. Lithuania
played Lithuania at nine thirty this evening for that one
and we win that. We played the winner of the
other quarter final, which is the hell powerful United States
of America. So just focus on Lithuania and Slovenia. Lithuania
for the seventeens at nine point thirty that's on YouTube
free to air, and two thirty in the morning live
(06:07):
on TV ANDZ on demand will be that Tour Blacks
Slovenia game. Get up the Tour Blacks
The Country Sport Breakfast with Brian Kelly on Gold Sport.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
To the Beach Around, Talking Basketball Now on the Country
Sport Breakfast. The Tall Blacks chances of attending the Paris
Olympics are alive after coming from behind to beat Croatia, Yes,
Croatia ninety eighty six in their opening qualifying tournament game.
(00:33):
Corey Webster led the scoring twenty one points, New Zealand
scoring the last eleven. They meet Slovenia tomorrow morning in
their final group game. Joining us on the show, Tall
Black captain Ruben Tanangi, Ruben, morning and congratulations.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
Mate, thank you, thank you.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
How are you and the team feeling?
Speaker 1 (00:53):
Yeah, we're good. Obviously beating Croatia is a huge, huge
thing for us, but we have a tough team Slovenia
to beat tomorrow as well. So we're going to rest up, recover,
get some food and and take it to the Slovenians.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
What's working so well for the Tall Blacks at the moment.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
I think one of our things at the World Cup
was our defense. We could keep up with teams by scoring,
but our defense wasn't winning us games, and I think
that showed in this Croatian game. We kept crashing to
seven points in the final quarter and that got us
over the line.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
You're talking about eleven zero run to the finish the
game and take the victory. What you know, just everything
throughout that full game, the four quarters worked so well.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
Yeah, like we know we can stay with these with
these teams, and we have a deep team this year.
So if we just lock them defensively and keep putting
the basket, and the keep putting the ball in the basket,
we're going to win games.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
I mentioned Corey Webster with twenty one points. Great to
have him back and getting all those buckets. How much
deeper in this side compared to the one that went
to the World Cup?
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Yeah, no, I think we're deeper in every position. We
like having Corey one of the best scorers in New
Zealand is amazing. So he puts the ball in the
basket for us and a lot of us get stops
with the team on.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
The other side getting a result like that, and it
builds up your confidence. There are a belief in the
side now that you guys can make history.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
Yeah for sure, and we're just taking it one game
at a time. Slovenia had a rest today, so they're
going to be well rested for tomorrow's game. But we've
got to play with the same game plan. We've got
to take it at every team that we come against.
They have big names, but that doesn't that doesn't deter
us from taking it out them.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
Yeah, you're going to be up against NBA star Lukadonk
So what will you guys need to do to keep
that success rolling tomorrow?
Speaker 1 (02:58):
Same thing, team performance, not just one player guards Luca Donchez.
We'd guard them as a team, but you know, Croatia
had two NBA stars as well, and one team that
one player that played on Real Madrid, so we know
we can beat these teams. We just got to stick
with the game plan and do that for full forty minutes.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
Robert, how difficult is it was such a short turnaround
between games for you guys.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
Yeah, like we had the same thing in the World Cup.
Obviously basketball isn't very heavy contact, but yes it is taxing,
but every team's going through it and we need to
be better on the fitness side of things. But also
when we get home, we need to rest up, do
our recovery, get in the ice bath, get the right foods,
(03:47):
and so that come tomorrow we're driving on or six
cylinders for all eight cylinders you know, ye v eight.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Hey Ruben again, congratulations, great result in all the very
very best for tomorrow.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
Thank you, mate, appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
Ruby Todangy captain of the Toll Blacks, a man that
my producer Mark has played alongside in his formative years.
So Slovenia tomorrow. Has Ruben mentioned, what do we have
to do within that one, mate?
Speaker 3 (04:18):
Yeah, well we're kind of a bit lucky on the
side of things. We can lose by at least ten points.
It's the key number to make the semi finals of
this Olympic qualifying tournament, so obviously we want to win.
We want to win, so we become number one seeds
in that poll and will either play Greece the home side,
or the Dominican Republic or Egypt. Looking like Greece will
(04:40):
be number one seeds, will either be the Dominican Republic
or Egypt in that semi final, So obviously we want
to win. Tough old game against Luka Donkirch, who dragged
his Dallas Mavericks in the NBA all the way to
the NBA finals. Are just a matter of sort of
six weeks ago, so he's been a busy man. But yeah,
huge game, huge upset. Well done to the boys overnight.
There was a massive win and they were down upwards
(05:01):
of twelve points at one stage and to finish that
fourth quarter on eleven. Oh run to win. There's no
mean feet and it's pretty tough. You have to win
the tournament to qualify for the Olympics. There's no lucky
losers or anything. So there's four of these tournaments all
scattered around the world for different countries trying to qualify
those last few births. But yeah, we're still in with
the chance and that's all you can ask for.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
And the under seventeen has had a good win too.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
Yeah, that was a historic one. First time an age
group team in New Zealds ever made the quarter finals.
I think the last time we made the quarter finals
was when the tour Blacks and made the semi finals
of the two thousand and two World Champs. So what
twenty two years ago that the New Zealand teams made
the last eight huge win over Egypt. We blew them
out in the first half. We're up with thirty point
lead by halftime, we play barcel powerhouses and I think
(05:47):
actually on average the tallest country in the world. Lithuania
played Lithuania at nine thirty this evening for that one
and we win that. We played the winner of the
other quarter final, which is the hell powerful United States
of America. So just focus on Lithuania and Slovenia. Lithuania
for the seventeens at nine point thirty that's on YouTube
free to air, and two thirty in the morning live
(06:07):
on TV ANDZ on demand will be that Tour Blacks
Slovenia game. Get up the Tour Blacks
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