Former Tall Blacks stalwart Dillon Boucher has given Pero Cameron's appointment as the new head coach his full seal of approval - and now wants to come along for the ride.
Boucher intends to put his name forward as a candidate for one of the assistant coach roles, yet to be appointed under Cameron, his long-time frontcourt teammate in the black singlet.
While he hasn't yet formally registered his interest with Basketball New Zealand, he's made his intentions clear.
"I'll certainly be letting them know that I'm keen and interested to do that," Boucher told Newshub.
"I'd love to help Pero out. I want to see him succeed in this role and I'd love to be involved with the Tall Blacks programme."
The 43-year-old stepped down from his role as NZ Breakers general manager earlier this season, but was adamant that he wanted to remain in basketball circles.
Cameron currently only has Ross McMains alongside him as an assistant, while Mike Fitchett is also expected to be in the running. NZNBL and Breakers standout Zico Coronel is another potential candidate.
Two of New Zealand basketball's greatest servants, Boucher has shared plenty of time with Cameron, both on and off court. They were part of the Tall Blacks side that stunned the basketball world with their run to the 2002 FIBA World Championship semi-finals.
"Pero and I have a great relationship. We've known each other over 20 years now - played together and played against each other.
"We've been to battle many times. I think I could definitely help him in that role, but there are plenty of talented coaches in this country and I'm sure they'll be putting their hands up too."
Boucher's relatively inexperienced when it comes to coaching, with just one season as a player/coach for Auckland Supercity Rangers under his belt in 2015.
He said Cameron, appointed on a short-term basis, would face a stern initial test in the rigors of Tokyo Olympic qualification, but he had complete faith Cameron had what it takes to prime the team to perform.
"It's a real uphill battle and a tough campaign that he's come into... where you normally would've had a couple of years building into this.
"It's a tough ask, but when guys put on the Tall Blacks uniform, they tend to grow another leg and play above what they're capable of, and no doubt Pero will be able to motivate the guys to be able to do that.
"Pero is a tough taskmaster, so it might not be everyone's cup of tea. He tells some hard truths, but one of his strengths as a coach is in holding people accountable.
"He's going to be expecting a lot from this team."
Basketball NZ hasn't given a time frame for the appointments.
