Tall Ferns assemble in Melbourne

Three-time WNBL championship winner Micaela Cocks is poised to lead New Zealand at the up-coming Commonwealth Games.

The Fire stalwart, who captured silver for the Tall Ferns at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games, will join her teammates in Melbourne over the weekend for a three-day camp under new coach Guy Molloy.

With the Tall Ferns poised to play their pool matches in Cairns, they will be hoping to win their way through to the medal rounds on the Gold Coast.

“It’s an important camp for us as it is the start of an important process being put in place to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics,” Cocks said.

“There is a lot of learning within the camp as there is new and different systems being put in place from what we have done in the past.”

Cocks is one of two Fire championship winners in the New Zealand squad, with Chevannah Paalvast also present.

Jill Harmon is unavailable for the camp – and the Games – due to her European commitments.

The Tall Ferns have named a 22-player squad which will be trimmed to 12 ahead of the Gold Coast Games, with Cocks a lock to make the final team.

“We have a terrific group of senior players that have been Tall Ferns campaigners for some time now,” Molloy said.

“The mission is to develop the New Zealand team into one of the top teams in the FIBA Asia qualification zone and we want to make a fast start at the Commonwealth Games also.

“I want to get off to a great start and we want to hit that tournament full steam.”

The Tall Ferns open their Commonwealth Games campaign with a game against Malaysia on April 5 in Cairns.

Click here to see the New Zealand Commonwealth Games squad.