Losing to Gilas not option for Kiwis

MANILA, Philippines — New Zealand isn’t taking any chances against Gilas in their third FIBA Cup qualifying window rematch at the Spark Arena, Auckland, tomorrow night as coach Judd Flavell is retaining only four players from the squad that bowed to the Philippines at the MOA Arena last November.

Former PBA import Tom Vodanovich won’t be in the host’s lineup with Corey Webster, Sam Waardenburg, Taylor Britt and Walter Brown the only holdovers when New Zealand lost its first-ever game to Gilas. Flavell is bringing in six FIBA World Cup veterans to provide experience and stability on the floor with New Zealand and the Philippines battling for pole position in Group B of the qualifiers. Both teams enter the game with 4-1 records but Gilas has the edge in points for and against at +119 compared to New Zealand’s +113.

The six FIBA World Cup veterans are Webster (2014, 2019), Brown (2023), Jordan Ngatai (2019, 2023), Tahi Smith-Milner (2019, 2023), Reuben Te Rangi (2023) and Britt (2023). The players who weren’t in the November game against Gilas are Max Darling, brothers Kaia and Tama Isaac, Ngatai, Milner, Rangi, Tai Wynyard and Jackson Ball.

Wynyard, 27, made his Tall Blacks debut at 16 and scored 19 points over 97 minutes in 20 games during two seasons at the University of Kentucky. The 6-10 center will anchor the middle with 6-10 Waardenburg and 6-9 Milner. Rangi, nicknamed Muscles, averaged 16.4 points in the last FIBA World Cup and is expected to play a major role against Gilas.

Darling was born in St. Vincent and the Grenadines but grew up in New Zealand, attending high school and college to gain recognition as a local. Ngatai was born in Sydney but raised in New Zealand. Ball is listed by FIBA as a dual Australian and New Zealander. Tama Isaac, 18, and Ball, 16, are the youngest in the squad while Webster, 36, is the oldest. Waardenburg, a University of Miami graduate, played for Dallas and Minnesota in the NBA Summer League. Flavell is determined to pay back Gilas and losing isn’t an option for the Tall Blacks on their homecourt. It’s why he’s revamped the roster to surprise Gilas with eight new players.