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When the final whistle sounded on Australia’s 107-93 win over Slovenia at the Tokyo Olympics, it meant more than a simple bronze medal. It meant decades of frustration, near misses, heartbreaking refereeing decisions and untapped potential had finally been vindicated.
When the Aussie Boomers won that historic medal, our country’s first in any major tournament, the emotion immediately spilled over.
Australia’s greatest ever basketballer Andrew Gaze broke down in tears on live television, NBA stars Joe Ingles and Patty Mills embraced for an eternity on the court.
From the early years of warehouse basketball in the infancy of the NBL to the boom period inspired by Michael Jordan in the 1990s, from the near collapse of the NBL in the 2000s to a record number of players in the NBA – Australia had ridden every twist and turn of a rollercoaster of a ride.
Josh Giddey (pictured right) was cut from the Boomers squad for the Tokyo Olympics but is approaching the peak of his powers as he prepares for the 2023 World Cup
Patty Mills leads celebrations as the Boomers claim an historic bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics with victory over Slovenia
Mills and Boomers coach Brian Goorjian share a warm embrace in Tokyo where the Aussies announced themselves as world contenders after years of near misses
‘This country expects greatness. We over-achieve, put our blood, sweat and tears into this,’ Gaze said at the time.
Now, the Boomers have demanded their seat the big table, but they will go being the hunters to the hunted at the FIBA Basketball World Cup which tips off this Friday against Finland in Japan, the Philippines and Indonesia.
With the strongest contingent of NBA talent travelling to the World Cup to date, there is high expectation of not only repeating the heroics of Tokyo, but exceeding them.
So can the Boomers achieve what was previously thought near impossible and bring home the gold medal for Australia?
The Boomers Squad
Luck hasn’t been kind to the Boomers in the lead up the tournament. Prodigal son Ben Simmons ruled himself out again, which left the Aussies short on tall timber.
While Simmons mostly plays as a point guard in the NBA, his size and versatility meant he would likely have spent plenty of time in the paint for the Boomers.
Aron Baynes has been a warrior for the Boomers over the years but suffered a serious injury in Tokyo and has since returned to the NBL and out of the national program.
Houston Rockets star Jock Landale was injured and ruled out of the World Cup on the eve of the tournament.
Patty Mills will lead the Boomers at point guard once again after his heroics in Tokyo to help Australia win its maiden medal at a major tournament
Boomers head coach Brian Goorjian had a tough job whittling down his squad to just 12 players as Australia enjoys enormous international success with a host of stars in the NBA
He may be uncontracted at present, but NBA-hopeful Duop Reath will have a huge job to do for the Boomers in the paint
It leaves Australia light on when it comes to bigs, however Duop Reath has been enormous in the lead-up games and will carry a lot of expectation.
The absence of Landale should not be understated, though, with Boomers great Andrew Bogut previously saying he was the key for the Boomers at the World Cup.
It means NBA champion and new Oklahoma City Thunder signing Jack White will get more minutes however fellow bigs Sam Froling, Thon Maker and Keanu Pinder have all been cut from the final squad.
‘Jack White has been right on the cusp of this thing and is huge for us,’ coach Brian Goorjian said.
‘Thank goodness he is here, he has played in all of our games and we went down the road that we went on as he is a very helpful piece. He is multipurpose and if we are going to play that small ball, switch [style of game] then he is another important piece.’
It means forwards like reigning NBL MVP Xavier Cooks, veteran Nick Kay and White could share the load at centre.
While Australia’s weakness is clearly its lack of bigs, its greatest strength lies in its back court.
Josh Giddey was one of the last players cut for Tokyo, but he has shown in two strong years with the Thunder in the NBA that he is more than up for the assignment this time around.
Josh Green brings a toughness and ruggedness to the squad that Matthew Dellavedova once did, although he will need to overcome a minor ankle sprain to prove his fitness for the opening match against Finland.
Boom NBA talent Dyson Daniels also brings plenty of excitement while veteran NBL sharpshooter Chris Goulding will get cameos to blast opposition teams off the court.
Pacing the back court will be Mills, the ageless NBA star who grows two feet taller every time he pulls on the green and gold for Australia.
Mills and Ingles have always been the focal point for Australia and will play enormous roles here as well, but this time they have ample support with Portland Trailblazers star Matisse Thybulle and re-energised star Dante Exum rounding out the squad.
The Pool of Death
Fate can often dictate the fortunes of teams at major tournaments and the Boomers have been handed no favours with the draw this time around.
They have drawn world No.24 Finland and world No.11 Germany along with dangerous co-hosts Japan, who infamously stunned the Boomers in a FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifying game in 2018.
Home court advantage make them a dangerous proposition. Nick Kay has played two seasons with Japanese B-League franchise Shimane Susanoo Magic and knows they will be more than a handful.
‘I’ve played against these guys every week, and they’re going to be very tough to beat,’ Kay said.
‘We’ve obviously got a tough game ahead when we get to Okinawa.’
Nick Kay (pictured right) has played two seasons in the Japanese domestic competition and knows their national team will be no pushover at home
Franz Wagner (pictured right) is one of several NBA players that will line up for Germany against the Aussies
Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen will line up for Finland in a tricky assignment for the Australian Boomers
Germany present Australia’s toughest challenge with NBA stars Franz Wagner, Mo Wagner and Dennis Schroder at their disposal while Finland will be led by Lauri Markkanen.
Australia’s Group E then crosses over with Group F in the knockout stages, meaning the Boomers will likely have a re-match of their Tokyo bronze medal game against Slovenia, a dangerous assignment against Venezuela who qualified ahead of Argentina, or a tricky Georgia side that nearly beat the Boomers in a lead-up match.
As always, every team will be hoping to dodge the might of the United States until as late in the tournament as possible. They have been drawn in Group C along with Jordan, Greece and surprise package New Zealand which means the Boomers cannot meat the United States until the quarterfinals at the earliest.
The Tournament Favourites
The burning question at all of these tournaments is ‘can anybody stop the might of the United States?’. It has been done before, but the Team USA will still be unbackable favourites to claim a record sixth World Cup in Japan, the Philippines and Indonesia.
However this Team USA is not the same as the Dream Team or even the Redeem Team that towelled up rival nations with ease in the past.
Not a single player from the 2022-23 All-NBA teams will be present here, with the likes of Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, Kyrie Irving, Khris Middleton, Bam Adebayo, Anthony Davis and Devin Booker all withdrawing for various reasons.
Kevin Durant was a huge part of Team USA’s gold medal run at the Tokyo Olympics but will not be part of this World Cup squad
Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards has been enormous for Team USA in the lead-up matches and looms as one of the main threats to stop
That does not mean Team USA will be weak, boasting a young roster including the likes of predicted starting five Jalen Brunson, Anthony Edwards, Mikal Bridges, Paolo Banchero and Jaren Jackson Jr.
Australia are equal second favourites to win the tournament along with a dangerous Canadian side that includes arguably the best player at the World Cup in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, along with NBA stars Dillon Brooks, Lu Dort, RJ Barrett and Jamal Murray.
However the likes of Serbia, Spain, France and Germany should never be underestimated, especially with the Boomers having the Germans drawn in their pool.
The Smoky
Nothing will expected from South Sudan, who have qualified for the nation’s first World Cup in history. However the African nation is bound to shock more than one team in Asia and could make or break other nation’s tournaments.
The Bright Stars won 11 out of 12 games in the second round of qualifying to easily book their place at the big dance and their roster includes former Los Angeles Lakers forward Wenyen Gabriel and former NBA guard Maryal Shayok.
South Sudanese-Australian basketball player Bul Kuol plays in the Australian NBL and was part of qualifying for South Sudan, but did not make the final squad – highlighting its depth.
South Sudan’s Marial Shayok is a former NBA star that has helped lift his nation to its first-ever World Cup
Australian-Sudanese basketballer Bul Kuol plays for the Cairns Taipans in the NBL but has pledged his allegiance to South Sudan
He warned that his home nation would be fuelled by more than just basketball success at the World Cup.
‘It’s provided a nation with pride, with unity,’ Kuol said.
‘It’s brought people together despite the differences, despite the conflict.
‘What we’re doing – it’s not for ourselves. We’re winning games, we’re qualifying. But that’s not where the real wins are. The real wins are at home, where people are celebrating, people are experiencing joy, people are excited.
‘The game of basketball – it’s just a game … the World Cup will be done, another one will happen. But we’ll remember the journey, we’ll remember exactly what we were able to do together as one.’
Australia’s FIBA World Cup Schedule:
August 25 v Finland, 6pm AEST
August 27 v Germany, 6pm AEST
August 29 v Japan, 9pm AEST
