Veteran shooting guard Phill Jones today cited family reasons
for his retirement from international basketball after 14
years with the Tall Blacks.
Jones, 34, has made himself unavailable for New Zealand's
last-chance attempt to qualify for the Beijing Olympics via a
repechage tournament in Athens next month.
He said he wanted to spend more time with wife Kat and their
young family.
"Definitely the big motivation is family," he said.
"I think I'm still playing reasonably well and can compete at
that level, but family comes first." Jones, who has been
turning out for Nelson in the National Basketball League, is
also set to move back to Auckland.
He is rejoining the New Zealand Breakers in the Australian
league after having been a club foundation member in 2003-04
before leaving for overseas after the first season.
Jones said it would have been unfair on his wife if he was
away again on international duty during the another shift of
house.
His withdrawal means at least five of the 12-man squad who
faced Australia in last year's Oceania championship will not
take the court for the national side this year.
He joins point guards Mark Dickel and Paul Henare, forward
Dillon Boucher and centre Tony Rampton on the sidelines.
Dickel and Henare are taking a break from international
basketball, while Boucher, who has retired, will travel with
the Tall Blacks to Europe as coach Nenad Vucinic's video
technician.
Jones was taking a positive view of the gap in experience
that he and the others would leave.
Everyone had to step down at some stage, and the vacancies
would give promising talent the chance to take part in a high
calibre tournament overseas.
"If they play well, they may be able to achieve something,"
he said.
"If they can't compete well, they will get to see where they
need to be at the international level." Jones' career
highlights mirrored the greatest moments of Tall Blacks
basketball over the past decade.
With longtime ally Pero Cameron, he was their leadingscorer
with an average of 16.7 points when they upset in a
three-match series Australia to qualify for the 2002 world
championship in Indianapolis.
