Tall Blacks centre Rob Loe believes fellow big man Jack Salt is a player Kiwi basketball fans should keep their eye on in the team's World Cup qualifier against Hong Kong in Rotorua on Thursday night.
Salt earlier this year finished his third NCCA campaign in the US at the University of Virginia and this past season the Aucklander was the team's co-captain.
Now 22, he made his debut for the Tall Blacks as a 17-year-old and this week's matches against Hong Kong and China (in Auckland on Sunday) mark his long-awaited return to the national men's side.
Loe said Salt is a physically impressive young player who will be worth watching.
Rob Loe Photo: Photosport
"He's come back, he's strong and he's a great guy to go up against in training every day.
"He'll really enjoy his time on the team and hopefully he shows it on the court."
Salt is just one example of a New Zealand player who has benefitted from time at college in the US.
Many of the country's top young players take up college scholarships after their high school years, exposing them to high level coaching and competition.
One of the guards in the Tall Blacks squad, Isaac Letoa (Dartmouth University) is also making big strides in America, while the likes of Tai Wynyard (Kentucky), Sam Timmins (Washington University) and Matt Freeman (University of Oklahoma) are others doing the same.
Loe, a former US college player himself at Saint Louis University, said the national team is increasingly reaping the benefits of young Kiwi basketballers heading to America.
"For those guys to have that opportunity to go over there and learn and get better is awesome.
"You see so many guys who are great in high school and don't get that opportunity and stop playing basketball.
"So it's great to have that opportunity and good to see guys who have gone over there be successful and come back and join the [Tall Blacks] group."
While talented young players like Salt and Letoa joining a core group of experienced names gives the Tall Blacks a more than solid squad, they are without brothers Corey and Tai Webster for this week's games.
Both guards have been a regular part of the national team over the past few years, but Corey Webster was unable to gain a release from his Chinese club for the fixtures, while Tai Webster is in the US continuing the pursuit of his NBA dream.
But the Tall Blacks do have rising star Shea Ili on board and Loe said there are also others who can help fill the void left by the Webster duo.
"You know they're two world class players so the guys that get on the court they've get to show that next man up mentality.
"If someone gets hurt or someone can't play in the games, someone has to step up and fill the role.
"It goes back to the depth were getting nowadays, if one man goes down we've got four or five guys that can step up and fill their shoes."
The same goes for the big man ranks of the squad, with NBA star Steven Adams again unavailable for a Tall Blacks debut and departing Breakers centre Alex Pledger taking a break as he prepares for a shift to Melbourne.
Adams' decision to again not play was a talking point in the days after the squad was named, with the Oklahoma City Thunder player now having five season under his belt in the sport's premier league.
However, Loe said the players in the New Zealand men's side fully understood the position of the country's best basketballer.
"He's got his reasons and we understand them, when he's ready he'll be ready.
"But right now we've got a great team and a great bunch of guys and we're here to show what we can do."
Along with already being through to the second round of the Asian region's World Cup qualifying process, the New Zealand team thumped Hong Kong by 59 points when the two sides met in Hong Kong in November.
The Tall Blacks also secured an 82-73 win over China in China on that tour.
- RNZ
