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SHE is neither kooky or spooky but the Adams Family has produced another Tall Ferns prospect in Gabriella Adams.

From Rotorua, Adams has impressed New Zealand's national women's coach Kennedy Kereama who has her in his Tall Ferns squad for August's Oceania series against Australia's Opals.

NZ cricket captain and former Olympic basketballer Suzie Bates also is back in contention, Kereama casting his net across the domestic competition for the next crop of internationals, including teenagers such as Waikato's Kalani Purcell, Hutt Valley-Poriruas Stella Beck and Auckland's Penina Davidson.

"I was quite encouraged by what I saw at the WBC round in Christchurch last month," KK said. (That's Kereama, not Kristina Keneally, obviously.)

"Some of these young players were stepping up to play key roles in their teams and you can see that across most teams in the competition.

"The sooner we can expose them to the environment at the next level, the better."

The Tall Ferns are unfunded, which cannot help the cause against the current Olympic Bronze Medallist Opals.

Returning from NZ's unsuccessful London Olympic qualifying bid are Natalie Taylor and former Olympians Bates, Lisa Wallbutton and Micaela Cocks.

The 21-player squad includes US college scholarship holders, most notably Whangarei centre Megan Craig, Counties-Manukau guard Jordan Hunter and Waitakere guard Chevannah Paalvast.

Tall Ferns trials are on August 5-7 before the camp and preparation to face the Opals at North Shore Events Centre on August 14.

That is before the series shifts to Australia's basketball "mecca" in, um, Canberra? The Opals-Boomers double-header is on August 18 in the always alive, 24-hours-a-day, 365-days-a-year, we-never-close, this-is-mecca, Australian capital.

"This will be a great chance to see top international basketball in New Zealand again, with not only our own best, but also the prospect of NBA and WNBA performers in the Australian team," Basketball New Zealand chief executive Iain Potter said of the NSEC series openers.

The last time the Boomers played against New Zealand across the Tasman, the Tall Blacks scored a record 100-78 victory at Wellington in 2009. (No Aussie coach was harmed in the revelation of this fact.)

"It's been a long time since we played at home - too long," Tall Blacks coach Nenad Vucinic said.

"The players step up to another level when they play in front of their families, friends and fans, so we must take advantage of that."

Unlike the women's games, the men's clashes only determine "seedings" for the 2014 World Championship.

Basketball New Zealand is urging fans to get behind the Tall Ferns and Tall Blacks by joining The Huddle. All money raised through The Huddle goes toward basketball's high performance program, enabling the two national teams to continue to play on the international stage.

For more info, go to http://thehuddle.co.nz/

The 2013 Tall Ferns squad is:

Gabriella Adams (Rotorua Lady Vols), Suzie Bates (Otago Gold Rush), Stella Beck (Hutt Valley-Porirura Flyers), Brooke Blair (Harbour Breeze), Shinae Blair (Harbour Breeze), Amanda Buck (Auckland Lady Hawks), Michaela Cocks (Townsville Fire, Australia), Megan Craig (University of Albany, US), Shea Crotty (Canterbury Wildcats), Penina Davidson (Auckland Lady Hawks), Antonia Edmondson (West Coast Waves, Australia), Deena Franklin (Harbour Breeze), Jordan Hunter (Southeast Missouri University, US), Karlene Kingi, Anna Lacey (Harbour Breeze), Casey Lockwood (Townsville Fire, Australia), Chevannah Paalvast (Monmouth University, US), Kalani Purcell (Waikato Wizards), Natalie Taylor (Logan Thunder, Australia), Rebecca van Kuyk (Harbour Breeze), Lisa Wallbutton (West Coast Waves, Australia).