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RAMS/TALL
BLACKS DOUBLE-HEADER: NEWSLETTER
by Piet Van Hasselt
11 July 2002
BASKETBALL FEAST
Friday 12 July
WestpacTrust Centre, Addington
5:30pm - CANTERBURY RAMS vs OTAGO NUGGETS
7:30pm - BURGER KING TALL BLACKS vs HUNGARY
Tickets at Ticketek - arrive early to avoid the
queue
Rams Fans are in for a feast of basketball on Friday with
two matches to whet their appetite. First up the Scenic
Circle Hotels Canterbury Rams face the
“giant-killers” Otago Nuggets
in a vital match. The second game is the final match of
the Burger King Series between the Burger King
Tall Blacks and Hungary. New
Zealand captured the series on Wednesday with an
unbeatable 3-1 lead and a confidence boost in the
build-up to the World Championships in Indianapolis, USA.
 1. LAST CHANCE TO
SEE TALL BLACKS ON HOME SOIL
Pride is on the line when the Burger King Tall
Blacks and Hungary conclude
their five-game Burger King Series on
Friday. While New Zealand have already won the series,
coach Tab Baldwin will be keen to see
continued improvement from his charges in their final
home match before the World Championships (Aug 29 - Sept
8). The depth of talent in the Burger King Tall Blacks
line-up has been displayed, with all squad members
contributing at both ends of the floor. A trademark of
this team is heart and hustle, with players laying their
body on the line and succeeding as a unit rather than as
individuals.
Results and Leading Scorers:
Game 1:
New Zealand 84 (Penney 17, Jones 15, Dickel 14) Hungary
81 (David 15, Simon 13, Sitku 13).
Game 2: Hungary 110 (David 31, Sitku 24,
Fodor 20) New Zealand 99 (Jones 34, Boucher 17, Penney
10).
Game 3: New Zealand 92 (Penney 31, Book
21, Jones 12) Hungary 78 (Kaman 24, David 13, Fodor 13).
Game 4: New Zealand 96 (Book 20, Jones
16, Penney 15) Hungary 86 (Bader 23, David 20, Simon 16).
2. RAMS MUST RECOVER
FROM DOOMSDAY DOUBLE
The Rams are coming off an Auckland “doomsday
double”, falling to the Stars and Kings by a
combined four points, and need a victory on Friday to
stay in contention for a home semi-final. The missing
link in the “doomsday double” was “Mr
Clutch” Terrence Lewis who was representing
the Burger King Tall Blacks. Lewis will again be needed
for national duty, so more the scoring will be needed
from the Rams guard trio of Carlo Varricchio,
Tim Edmonds and Dave Langrell.
After a slow start to the season the Todd
Marshall-coached Nuggets have reigned terror on
the top NBL sides, twice upsetting the Nelson Giants and
shocking the Waikato Titans. Super-scorer Ron
Grady has been on fire, leading the NBL in
points at a 25.0 average and free throw percentage 93.5%.
Former Ram Kenny Perkins is pulling down
9.3 rebounds and hard-working Daniel Ryan
is averaging 16.4 points per contest.
3. RACE FOR #1
With just two weeks remaining in the regular season, the
race for the number one spot for the playoffs has three
contenders: The Rams, Waikato
Titans and Nelson Giants. There
are still various scenarios, but what is known is that
the Rams must finish with a better win-loss record than
the Titans as Waikato have a better points differential
in the two games between the sides. Also, if the Rams win
on Friday, a victory against the Giants next weekend will
ensure they finish above them. For an update after this
week’s games check out Canterbury Rampages - https://rams.org.nz
Remaining Games:
Rams: vs Nuggets, vs Giants.
Titans: vs Jets, @ Kings,vs Nuggets.
Giants: vs Hawks, @ Rams
4. POPE = NBL MVP?
If the NBL were to introduce a Most Valuable Player
award, John “Pope” Whorton
would surely be a worthy recipient. Evidence: 24.7
Points per game (2nd in NBL), 13.2 Rebounds per game (1st
in NBL), 60.5% Field Goal percentage (3rd in NBL), 1.9
Blocks per game (2nd in NBL), 12 x Double-doubles from 14
games (10+ points & rebounds) and 2 x Player of the
Week Awards.
5. WILDCATS FACE BREAKERS ON SUNDAY
The Canterbury Wildcats will have their
own "Southern Derby" when they encounter the Otago
Breakers on Sunday 14 July at Cowles Stadium,
2pm. The Wildcats had a bye last weekend and are looking
forward to playing at home after suffering their first
lost during an Auckland double-header a fortnight ago.
For season statistics and a breakdown of Wildcats
rankings in the various stats categories visit:
https://rams.org.nz/22wildcats.htm
6. CANTERBURY QUEST TRAVEL TO KAIKOURA
The Canterbury Quest will be in action
on Saturday 13 July, 7pm, at Kaikoura against the Whale
Riders in the Conference Basketball League. The Canterbury
Knights were beaten by Kaikoura last weekend,
which may push them out of the CBL finals. The Knights
have a bye this weekend and will play Nelson College on
Sunday 21 July at Cowles Stadium, 12noon.
For more info: https://rams.org.nz/22knights.htm
7. SEPTEMBER BASKETBALL CAMP
The Rambo Charitable Trust will be holding a three-day
basketball camp with the Rams during the
September School Holidays, for boys and girls aged 8-14.
The cost will be $75 and includes a camp t-shirt or Rams
size 5 basketball. Dates and venue to be confirmed.
Please contact 358-3865 or [email protected] Info and a registration
form will be posted in early August. Spaces are limited.
8. TALL BLACKS SUPPORTERS TOUR - INDY WORLD
CHAMPS 2002
Calder & Lawson Travel, based in Hamilton, are
conducting the only world championships supporters’
tour officially endorsed by Basketball New Zealand. The
$5399 package includes return economy class flights, 12
nights at the Hampton Inn in downtown Indianapolis and a
tour leader to show you around. This doesn’t include
game tickets. The tour leaves Auckland on August 28 and
departs Indianapolis on September 9, the day after the
championship final. Contact Judy Court (ph 07 856 9009 or
0800 739 009) for further details.
 SCENIC CIRCLE HOTELS
RAMS SUPPORTERS: WEEKEND SPECIAL
Stay at any Scenic Circle Hotel New Zealand Wide and pay
only $99 incl. GST per room (2 person per room), extra
person rate applies. Please make your bookings through
0800 NZ Owned (0800 69 69 63) and quote 'RAMS'. Special
conditions apply. Subject to availability. Special valid
from 1/4/02 - 1/9/02.
Please
feel free to forward this information to your basketball
friends. Newcomers can subscribe to Rams News by sending
an e-mail to [email protected] with "sign me
up" in the subject line. Comments about the
newsletter can be sent to [email protected]
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