July 4, 2016
Countdown to Manila OQT: 1 day
New Zealand national basketball team leader Corey Webster is confident that the Tall Blacks can succeed in the 2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Manila, Philippines.
The odds are against the team ranked No. 21 in the world, but Webster, who led the team with 19 PPG in the 2015 FIBA Oceanias, thinks the team can qualify for the Rio Olympics.
“We are confident. I think you have to be confident heading into a tournament like this. We are going to play some tough teams. But we believe we can get the job done,” Webster said.
“Our goal is to win the tournament. That’s what we are here for.”
Webster said it helps that New Zealand will be parading a core that has been together for the last three years. Seven of the Tall Blacks’ 12 players suited up in the 2015 FIBA Oceanias, while eight participated in the 2014 FIBA World Cup.
“For sure, we played with each other for a long time. We know each other’s games, we play together as a team. I think that helps that you played with each other for so long. It will help us in the long run,” Webster said.
“We just need to get our new guys in the team up to speed and we will be okay.”
And even if the combo guard expects a tough game against Gilas Pilipinas on July 6, he is excited for the experience of playing in front of a country so passionate about hoops.
“They are going to be tough. They are going to play hard. They know the game very well. And (Tab Baldwin) knows us too so he going to tell them a lot about us. They have probably scouted us. But we will just focus on what we can do, and how we can play, and hopefully we can get the win,” Webster shared.
“I see that you guys love basketball. It’s your main sport. It’s good to see. I know it is going to be a sold-out arena for our game, and it is going to be a great experience playing in front of so many people who love basketball,” he said.
“It will be awesome to play here. The whole country loves it. It’s great to see a whole country behind a sport that we love.”
New Zealand, which is in Group B of the Manila OQT, will play the Philippines on July 6 and France on July 7.
