Team in focus - New Zealand

WELLINGTON (FIBA Basketball World Cup) - The 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup is just around the corner. In the lead-up to the biggest international basketball event, we take an individual look at all 24 teams.

Country: New Zealand
FIBA bwin Ranking Men: No. 19
Last participation in the FIBA Basketball World Cup: 2010 (3 wins, 3 defeats; 12th place)
Best result in the history of the FIBA Basketball World Cup: 4th Place (2002)
Result in qualifying tournament for 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup: 2nd place at 2013 FIBA Oceania Championship (0 wins, 2 defeats)

The New Zealand Tall Blacks have won a lot of admirers over the years with their determination on the basketball court.

There are sure to be many others to become fans of the Kiwis as they usher in a new generation of players.

At the FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain, where Nenad Vucinic's team will compete in Group C, in Bilbao, against the United States, Ukraine, the Dominican Republic, Turkey and Finland, both youngsters and veterans will don the New Zealand shirt.

Kirk Penney will be a link to the Tall Blacks' successful past, a member of the 2002 side that reached the Semi-Finals of the FIBA World Championship in Indianapolis.

Tai Webster, Isaac Fotu and Rob Loe all represent the extremely bright future.

Penney, a 1.96m guard, has plenty of smarts and possesses an deadly-accurate shooting stroke, a combination that makes him a player who needs to be on the court as much as possible.

His value to New Zealand has been high since 2002 when, as a 21-year-old at the FIBA World Championship, he averaged 16.7 points a game.

A collegian at the time with the Wisconsin Badgers, Penney is one of his country's finest ever players. He has remained devoted to the Tall Blacks.

In 2010, he averaged 24.7 points per game at the FIBA World Championship in Turkey.

Among his memorable games at the tournament was the opener against Lithuania. Penney poured in 37 points against the team that would end up on the third step of the podium.

Just as Penney wowed Tall Blacks fans with his promise 12 years ago, Webster, Fotu and Loe are doing so now.

The three were all US college basketball players in 2013-14.

Loe, who plays for the Saint Louis Billikens, is an exceptional shooter from long range. However, on the current Tall Blacks roster, he is likely to spend most of his time in the paint to help the team on the boards.

Webster and Fotu have made headlines playing FIBA 3x3 for New Zealand, and Webster has already sampled important games as a guard on the senior team that competed at the 2012 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

He is a student/athlete with the Nebraska Cornhuskers while Fotu plays for the University of Hawaii Rainbow Warriors.

Vucinic, who has served as the New Zealand head coach since 2007, will need contributions from all players to have success in Spain.

Center Alex Pledger suffered an injury during the preparations that has ruled him out.

Others who have tremendous importance to the team are battling forward Mika Vukona, athletic swingman Thomas Abercrombie, naturalized New Zealander Casey Frank and guards Lindsay Tait and Corey Webster, Tai's older brother.

FIBA