Sports News Sunraysia with Sammy Smythe

Former Cairns Taipans head coach Aaron Fearne has been brought in by New Zealand Tall Blacks head coach Paul Henare to assist with their Commonwealth Games campaign in April.

NZ Basketball made the announcement today, indicating that Fearne would be joining the camp in a support role alongside Henare and assistant coaches Pero Cameron and Mike Fitchett.

With the Tall Blacks playing their pool games in Cairns, the addition of Fearne was a logical one for Henare given his long-standing respect for the former Snakes coach.

“I have always had an enormous amount of respect for Aaron, for his ability to get the best out of players, but also a programme with limited resources, as has typically been the case throughout his career in Cairns,” said Henare.

“Our programme at the Games is a very condensed one, with games coming and going quickly, and time of the essence. We identified that to be successful we needed extra resource at the Games.

"Fearney will be busy in a scouting role, providing us with team and individual player scouts ahead of each game, while also there as a sounding board for myself and the coaching team throughout the campaign."

Fearne has strong ties to the Kiwis having grown up in New Plymouth before leaving at the age of 17 to play high school and college basketball in the US.

Joining the Tall Blacks when they arrive on the Gold Coast, Fearne was honoured with the position and full of praise for the trajectory New Zealand is currently on.

“You learn to appreciate the passion, importance of a positive culture, dedication and professionalism needed to compete on the world stage, and it really impresses me the success stories of New Zealand's sporting men and women," he said.

"The future and the direction of basketball in New Zealand is extremely positive and its growth potential is exciting.”

The Commonwealth Games commence on April 5 with pool games played at both Townsville Entertainment and Convention Centre as well as the Cairns Convention Centre.