At the completion of five years and 38 games in charge, the Tall Blacks have farewelled head coach Pero Cameron from the New Zealand men’s national team programme.
Well known to Kiwi basketball fans as a legendary player, Cameron captained the Tall Blacks from 2000-2010, famously leading New Zealand to the semifinal of the FIBA World Championship in 2002 where he earned All-Tournament Team honours.
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In 2017, he became the first New Zealander to be inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame as a player.
After retiring from international basketball, Cameron joined the Tall Blacks coaching staff in 2011, serving eight years as an assistant coach under Nenad Vucinic before being selected to the head coach role in 2019.
His first game as head coach – a FIBA Asia Cup Qualifier - was a satisfying 10-point win over reigning Asia Cup champions Australia in Brisbane.
He would go on to amass a respectable 22-16 record over his campaign, with highlights including a bronze medal finish at the 2022 FIBA Asia Cup in Jakarta and a 22nd overall placing at the FIBA World Cup in the Philippines last year.
With the end of the current Olympic cycle in sight, Cameron has recently taken on a new challenge, coaching the Ningbo Rockets in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) for the upcoming 2024-25 season.
Cameron paid tribute to people past and present, who have had an impact on his coaching career with the Tall Blacks.
“To all my coaches but especially Tab Baldwin, Nenad Vucinic and Pauli Henare, thank you for your unwavering support, mentoring and friendship over the years.
“To the players, thank you to each and every one of you, who made yourselves available when given the opportunity to represent New Zealand.
"Thank you for embracing the culture that we have cultivated within the Tall Blacks programme and appreciating the value of what it means to wear the singlet and represent your country.
“To the coaching staff and support team, thank you for your time and support, your expertise,
and your tireless efforts behind the scenes. Your contributions have been invaluable.
"To all BBNZ staff - including Iain Potter and Dillon Boucher - thank you for your support and drive to push our sport in the direction we need to strive to. A special thanks to Melinda Hodgson for holding it all together when we needed that person to dig in and get stuff done.
“A big thank you to my mum and dad who have always supported me, and to my wife and family who have been there through everything. I am excited to move on with the next chapter in my coaching career, and I will be forever grateful for my time spent as a player and a coach within the Tall Blacks programme.”
BBNZ chief executive - and ex-Tall Blacks teammate - Dillon Boucher, said Cameron helped to create a culture of excellence for the Tall Blacks over the past two decades.
“Under Pero’s guidance, the Tall Blacks have risen to 21st place in the FIBA basketball men’s world rankings, and that’s a massive achievement,” said Boucher.
“Basketball is a global sport and it’s continually growing across so many countries, so to be ranked as one of the 25 best teams in the world is something that Pero can be immensely proud of.
“We wish Pero all the best with his new endeavours, and he will always be part of the Tall Blacks family.”
BBNZ will shortly look to recruit the next Tall Blacks head coach, with the Tall Blacks returning to action in November for the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers.
New Zealand taking on the Philippines and Chinese Taipei in a home and away series.