POCATELLO, Idaho – Former Idaho State basketball standout Brooke Blair has joined the New Zealand Tall Ferns for a tour in East Asia. Blair will travel to Taiwan with the women's national team to play in the William Jones Cup against top national talent July 25-29.
The Tall Ferns, ranked No. 42 in the world, ready themselves for the cup with a preparation camp in Japan July 20 and 22. In the cup they will face No. 16 Korea, No. 13 Japan, No. 40 Chinese Taipei, Chinese Taipei B and another team to be determined. Japan is the reigning FIBA Asia Cup Champion.
Blair is one of five graduating players returning to play for the national team as the squad builds its player pool looking ahead to the 2020 Olympics.
New Zealand had recent success at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games where it secured a bronze-medal finish with a 74-58 win over Canada. Kalani Purcell will serve as team captain to the new generation of players after securing the team's third-place finish in April.
Blair takes pause from play for the Rockhampton Cyclones in the Austrailia-State League to join the Tall Ferns, but will return prior to the playoffs. She is averaging 16.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game.
Blair played 66 games for Idaho State from 2015-18, amassing career totals of 837 points (12.7 per game), 236 rebounds, 146 assists, 65 steals and 10 blocks.
To follow the team during its tour, visit the Tall Ferns official website or Facebook page.
