Tall Blacks missing captain
26/07/2006
New Zealand captain Pero Cameron will sit out part of the Tall Blacks' South American tour after picking up an illness.
The jetlag that saw the Kiwis lag in the fourth quarter and fall to a 105-89 loss to Brazil in Rio de Janeiro has contributed to a virus in the camp.
Cameron is the worst hit as the tourists suffered a blow to their preparations for next month's FIBA World Championship.
Coach Tab Baldwin confirmed: "PC is not looking good right now. He has a high fever and has been in bed all day. He would have to improve significantly to be able to play.
"We're doing an awful lot of travelling in a short time and it has taken a toll on the guys. I sure would like to have a fully-fit team, but we're a few, if not several days away from that right now."
Point guard Mark Dickel will probably miss out again with knee tendinitis, although Paoro Winitana returns to contention after sitting out the first game due to religious beliefs - the Hawke's Bay guard/forward refuses to play on Sundays.
Baldwin expects a vast improvement after acclimatising to the Brazilian weather following a cold New Zealand winter.
"There are a lot of things working against us right now, but we have to overcome these things to be at our best," he said.
"These are mental things, they can become physical things, but we have to be mentally tough.
"I really believe we can play a heck of a lot better. We gave up too many easy baskets and it's not in our style to do that. We just weren't ready to play that game."
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