Time for new leaders to emerge as Penney, Tait retire from Tall Blacks

AUCKLAND (2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments) - The door is wide open for young, unheralded New Zealand players to make their marks with the national team following the international retirements of Kirk Penney and Lindsay Tait.

The veterans have made their decision to call it a day with the Kiwis before the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Manila, ensuring there will be a different look to the side that reached the Round of 16 at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain.

Penney, 35, was an important member of that team two years ago. His career with the Tall Blacks began at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. Tait, 34, first played for the senior national team at the 2005 FIBA Oceania Championship. He was in the side that played against Australia in the 2015 FIBA Oceania Championship.

While no one will be a direct replacement for Penney, coach Paul Henare will have to consider what role, if any, Ethan Rusbatch, Reuben Te Rangi, Dion Prewster, Everard Bartlett and Marcel Jones will have this summer.

Rusbatch has played well for Canterbury Rams. One of his Canterbury teammates, 2.08m center Mike Karena, could also get a shot with the Tall Blacks. The Christchurch native recently finished his American college basketball career at Wright State University.

Te Rangi showed his class in the second game of last year's Oceania Championship, drilling 4 of 5 shots from long range but he's not a certainty to make the team.

Reuben Te Rangi (NZL) played at the 2015 FIBA Oceania Championship

The New Zealand Breakers, who are coached by Henare, recently decided not to re-sign Te Rangi. What is certain is that Jarrod Kenny will continue to have a significant role with Tait gone. Tai Webster, who started at the World Cup two years ago, will get big minutes and Shea Ili is a talent that could have a place on the roster.

Penney says the decision to call it a day was a difficult one because many of his proudest moments in the game have come while representing his country.

Penney last represented New Zealand at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup

"I remember listening as coach Keith Mair read through the names of the team that would represent New Zealand at the 2000 Olympic Games," Penney said. "We were in a small room filled with New Zealand basketball royalty, it was my name he read last, and it felt like the greatest moment of my life."

Just 19 at the time, Penney ended up having his biggest game in Sydney against Angola, New Zealand's only win. He buried three shots from behind the arc and finished with 17 points. It was a harbinger of things to come because the North Shore-born star would two years later play a major role in the New Zealand team that reached the Semi-Finals of the FIBA Basketball World Cup in Indianapolis.

At the event in the United States, Penney was second on the team in scoring at 16.9 points per game while shooting 45.5 percent (20 of 45) from three-point range. In the Semi-Final defeat to Yugoslavia, he had his tournament high of 24 points.

Henare and Penney were teammates at the Olympics in 2000 and 2004 and the World Cups in 2002 and 2006.

"Kirk's career both internationally and professionally highlights his amazing achievements spanning three decades," he said. "He was a world class shooter at the highest level and is still one of the best today."

I have never met a more meticulous athlete in terms of always doing what is right for his body and performance, something borne out in his (Penney's) ability to still shoot with the best in the game at 35 years of age. I think this is a huge part of why he has been so good for such a long time. The Tall Blacks will miss him but his legacy will live on forever. - Henare

Tait's career was not as prestigious, yet his presence has been crucial since he started playing for the national team. It's an experience that he is going to treasure.

Tait represented the Tall Blacks from 2005 to 2015

"When I first made the team I didn't realize how much it meant to be a Tall Black, but as I got older and understood what they stood for, I became so proud to be a part of that rich culture and history," Tait said.

"I just feel lucky I was able to play with such a great group of people for such a long time."

Two summers stand out as being the best for Tait with the national team. They were 2009 and 2014.

"The most memorable moment for me with the team would be beating Aussie in Wellington in 2009 to take out the Oceania title, that doesn't come around too often, I will always remember that," he said.

He will also have fond memories of 2014, when New Zealand looked to be headed for an early exit from the World Cup but rallied to win their last two Group Phase games to advance to the Round of 16.

At that World Cup, Tait led the team in their famous pre-game Haka against the star-studded United States.

"For me as an individual it was to play against the best players in the world in 2014 when I walked on the court against the USA team, the best team and players in the world - that is something I am proud of," he said. "I can tell my sons now that I have played against Steph Curry when we sit down to watch him on TV."

FIBA