Nine games into their tour, the men's team from the South Island-based basketball academy has a record of 7-2. Their scalps include impressive wins over Foothill High School, Arbor View High School, Impact Academy, Quest Academy and a weakened Bishop Gorman High School team.
Along with these wins, they are attracting the attention of college scouts. Coach Mark Dickel reeled off a list of nine players who "are all receiving real interest from Division One, Two and Three Universities with their play."
Of those nine, six are products of the successful Otago development system. Dickel referred to their ability to play well within the US system as being the key to attracting the attention.
The success has come off the back of a high intensity approach to the game, which has seen the Eagles wear down opposition that Dickel described as "bigger" and "more athletic."
"Our denying defensive pressure and hustle has taken each team we have played out of their game, allowing us to score easy points in transition. Pushing the ball at each opportunity [is] a style of play that all our players thrive in," the former Nuggets player-coach remarked.
"Our success in America thus far has been due to the work our players have put in training over the last three years. Our level of fitness has made bigger more athletic players struggle to keep up with our fast break tempo. Giving us big scoring runs to blow games open."
It is a game plan the team was always going to have to adopt given their lack of size. Other than 6' 7" forward Jackson Stent, the team has no true big men, although boast a handful of talented guards who possess skill, speed and intensity in bundles. They are a relentless group defensively and are exceptionally tough to stop in transition with their speed up the floor and ability to both go to the hoop and to pull-up from mid-range.
By playing this fast-paced game effectively, they can make the size of the opposition a non-factor - to an extent at least.
Assistant Coach Greg Brockbank added to this, suggesting that the skill-set of the New Zealand players was at a high level than their American opponents.
The Tarkanian Classic begins today, where the Eagles will take on National Prep (GA) in their first of five games, before returning home on Christmas Eve.
