Boomers blast China, announce Olympic squad
THE Australian Boomers have kept their strong form rolling on the eve of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, defeating China by 33 points at John Cain Arena on Thursday night before finalising their squad for the tournament today.
Following the two games against China, Australia’s selectors had seen enough to pick the 12-man team that will be representing the nation in France.
Among the notable omissions are NBA wing Matisse Thybulle and returning NBL gun Xavier Cooks, both of whom were omitted alongside NBL stars Chris Goulding, Dejan Vasiljevic and Jack White.
Fresh off a championship with the Tasmania JackJumpers, frontcourt pair Jack McVeigh and Will Magnay are both poised for their Olympic debuts, continuing an excellent 2024 for the duo, with the former in particular impressing in Australia’s two wins.
The Boomers previously played and defeated China on Tuesday night, and made it two from two with a convincing performance last night that should fill the team with confidence heading into the next batch of warm up games.
The result came after a scrappy first quarter, during which China was restricted to just six points and both teams struggled to find the bottom of the net. However, Australia still managed to break out to a 10-point lead at the first change despite shooting just 29 per cent from field, with Josh Green impressing on both ends.
As the game rolled on, the Boomers began to find their rhythm, maintaining their strong on-ball defence while improving their ball movement to create good looks from the field. China consistently turned the ball over and allowed the Aussies to score in transition.
The second half saw Goulding catch fire with four triples, while Joe Ingles was injected into the game and impressed with his playmaking, with the Boomers in a comfortable position for the remainder of the match, cruising home to a 91-58 victory.
Big man Jock Landale impressed with a game-high 19 points, showing how valuable he will be after missing last year’s World Cup and leaving a gaping hole in the team’s frontcourt stocks. However, star guard Patty Mills will need to improve ahead of the Games after shooting just 1/11 from the field on Thursday as he looks to avoid a repeat of 2023’s inaccuracy.
The Boomers will now take their squad to Abu Dhabi, facing off against Team USA and Serbia before heading to France for the Olympics.
Australian Boomers 12-man squad
Joshua Giddey
Dyson Daniels
Patty Mills
Josh Green
Dante Exum
Jock Landale
Duop Reath
Joe Ingles
Jack McVeigh
Will Magnay
Matthew Dellavedova
Nick Kay
Rising coach set to lead Boomers at Asia Cup Qualifiers
HAVING earned his stripes as an assistant coach in the National Basketball League (NBL), Jacob Chance will be at the helm of the Australian Boomers at the upcoming FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifying Tournament. Chance is currently an assistant coach at Melbourne United and has spent time on the coaching staff of the Tasmania JackJumpers […]
All out assault as Aussies bring home Asia Cup
THE Australian Emus have secured gold at the 2024 FIBA Under-18 Asia Cup after defeating New Zealand by a whopping 63 points in Jordan overnight. The two sides clashed in the title match for the second time, with the 2018 decider seeing Australia take out its first U18 Asia Cup title. That result was repeated […]
Emus set up title rematch against NZ
THE 2024 FIBA Under-18 Asia Cup is finishing with an Oceanic clash, after the Australian Emus defeated Jordan in emphatic fashion to book a spot in the gold medal match overnight. The Emus will face off against their Trans-Tasman neighbours in New Zealand for the ultimate prize later tonight, having cruised through the remainder of […]
Emphatic Emus complete clean sweep towards quarterfinals
THE Australian Emus produced their most dominant performance at the 2024 FIBA Under-18 Asia Cup on Wednesday night, defeating the Chinese Taipei by a whopping 65 points at Arena Complex in Jordan. The result sees the Emus complete the group stage with a perfect record of three wins from three games to sit comfortably at […]
Emus go two from two after besting Lebanon
THE Australian Emus have continued their perfect start at the 2024 FIBA Under-18 Asia Cup this week after defeating Lebanon by 32 points at Prince Hamza in Jordan on Tuesday night. It was the second match of the group stage for the Aussies, who came into the game in some serious form after defeating Mongolia […]
Emus off to excellent start at Asia Cup
THE Australian Emus have started their campaign at the 2024 FIBA Asia Cup in perfect fashion, recording a huge win over Mongolia in their first clash of the tournament at Arena Complex on Monday night. It was an emphatic display from the Emus in their first outing, sending a big message to the remainder of […]
Ezi’s excellence helps Opals secure bronze
THE Australian Opals defeated Belgium to bring home a bronze medal from the 2024 Paris Olympics on the back of a career-best performance from Eziyoda Magbegor. After being bested by the eventual gold medalists in Team USA a couple of days prior, the Opals still had a chance to bring home some silverware in the […]
Opals off to semis after Serbia smashing
A DOMINANT performance from the Australian Opals has seen them book a spot in the semi-finals at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, after defeating Serbia by 18 points on Wednesday night. A disastrous start to their 2024 campaign with a loss to Nigeria saw the Opals with their backs against the wall for much of […]
Serbia stunner sees Boomers bow out
IT seems to the be the end of an era for the Australian Boomers, with their 2024 Paris Olympic campaign ended by a stirring Serbia comeback overnight, as the Aussies suffered a five-point defeat in the Quarterfinals. The Boomers led by 24 points in the second quarter, having complete control of the contest behind a […]
