GET TO KNOW THE BOOMERS AND OPALS COMMONWEALTH GAMES TEAMS

AUSTRALIAN BOOMERS

Six NBL clubs are represented by the Boomers Commonwealth Games team with only Cam Gliddon’s recent departure from the Cairns Taipans keeping every Australian club from being featured. Chris Goulding and Nathan Sobey will put aside hostilities following the NBL Grand Final series which saw Melbourne United beat the Adelaide 36ers last weekend with Goulding earning the Larry Sengstock medal.

Indicating the strength of the NBL not just as a premier league in the world but as a source of development, five NBL Rookies of the Year (Brad Newley, Jesse Wagstaff, Gliddon, Nick Kay and Angus Brandt) are included in the team.

Goulding is one of two members from Australia’s Rio Olympic team alongside Damian Martin while seven players helped the Boomers advance through the FIBA Asia Cup undefeated last year to claim the gold medal.

Brad Newley was one of those players and he is the only Boomer back in the line-up after he won the 2006 Commonwealth Games gold medal in Melbourne.

Every player has also been a part of Australia’s FIBA World Cup qualifiers which they are currently in the middle of, having already advanced to the second round later this year with two games still to come in the first round through June and July.

#1 – Lucas Walker – Forward
Current Club: Perth Wildcats.
Career Brief:
NBL Champion- 2017.
QBL All-League Team- 2017

#3 – Cameron Gliddon – Guard
Current Club: Free Agent.
Career Brief: 
NBL Rookie of the Year- 2013.
FIBA Asia Cup Gold Medal- 2017.
Cairns Taipans Co-MVP- 2018.

#4 – Chris Goulding – Guard
Current Club: Melbourne United.
Career Brief:
NBL Champion- 2007, 2017.
All NBL First Team- 2014, 2016.
NBL Top Scorer- 2014.
FIBA Oceania Championships Gold Medal- 2015.
Rio Olympics- 2016.

#5 – Jason Cadee – Point Guard
Current Club: Sydney Kings.
Career Brief:
Stankovic Cup All-Star Five- 2012.
World Uni Games Silver Medal- 2013.
NZNBL All-Star Five- 2014.
FIBA Asia Cup Gold Medal- 2017.

#6 – Mitch Norton – Point Guard
Current Club: Illawarra Hawks.
Career Brief:
Stankovic Cup Silver Medal- 2012
Stankovic Cup Gold Medal- 2013
World University Games Silver Medal- 2013
FIBA Asia Cup Gold Medal- 2017

#7 – Nick Kay – Forward
Current Club: Illawarra Hawks.
Career Brief:
RMAC Tournament MVP- 2014.
NBL Rookie of the Year- 2016.
FIBA Asia Cup Gold Medal- 2017.

#8 – Brad Newley – Guard/Forward
Current Club: Sydney Kings.
Career Brief: 
FIBA Oceania Championships Gold Medal- 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2015.
NBL Best Sixth Man- 2005.
NBL Rookie of the Year- 2005.
Commonwealth Games Gold Medal- 2006.
FIBA World Cup- 2006, 2010, 2014.
Olympic Games- 2008, 2012.
FIBA Asia Cup Gold Medal- 2017.

#12 – Daniel Kickert – Forward
Current Club: Brisbane Bullets.
Career Brief:
All WCC First-Team- 2004, 2005, 2006.
FIBA World Cup- 2006.
All NBL First-Team- 2016.
All NBL Second-Team- 2017.
FIBA Asia Cup Gold Medal- 2017.

#14 – Angus Brandt – Forward/Centre
Current Club: Perth Wildcats.
Career Brief:
First Team All-Pac 12- 2011.
NBL Rookie of the Year- 2015.
NBL Championship- 2017.
FIBA Asia Cup Gold Medal- 2017.

#15 – Damian Martin – Point Guard
Current Club: Perth Wildcats.
Career Brief:
NBL Champion- 2010, 2014, 2016, 2017.
All NBL First-Team- 2011.
NBL Defensive Player of the Year- 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018.
NBL Grand Final MVP- 2016.
Rio Olympics- 2016.

#20 – Nathan Sobey – Guard
Current Club: Adelaide 36ers.
Career Brief:
NBL Most Improved Player- 2017.
All NBL Second-Team- 2017.

#24 – Jesse Wagstaff – Forward
Current Club: Perth Wildcats.
Career Brief:
NBL Champion- 2010, 2014, 2016, 2017.
NBL Rookie of the Year- 2010.
NBL Best Sixth Man- 2012.

AUSTRALIAN OPALS

While the WNBL is currently in it’s free agency period, 11 members of the Opals Commonwealth Games team played in the league last season, representing every club. Only Steph Talbot, who headed overseas to play in France last year, has returned to Australia but she also competed in the WNBL between 2011-2016 and overall, the 12 players have collected 15 WNBL Championships.

Ezi Magbegor and Nicole Seekamp will make their debuts for the Opals and both players are coming off stunning WNBL seasons with Magbegor earning the Betty Watson Rookie of the Year award.

Four Olympians from the 2016 Rio Games are back for the Opals while Liz Cambage, Jenna O’Hea and Belinda Snell are Olympic medalists from 2004-2012 while Snell was also a part of the 2006 Commonwealth Games gold-medal winning team in Melbourne.

Following the disappointment of Rio, the Opals began their charge for redemption at the FIBA Asia Cup last year and seven players from that silver-medal winning team will now look to go one step further with Commonwealth Games gold including Kelsey Griffin who was named MVP of the Asia Cup in her Opals debut.

#4 – Jenna O’Hea – Guard/Forward
Current Club: Melbourne Boomers.
Career Brief:
WNBL Champion- 2011, 2012.
WNBL All-Star Five- 2011, 2012.
London Olympic Bronze Medal- 2012.

#5 – Tessa Lavey – Point Guard
Current Club: Dandenong Rangers.
Career Brief:
WNBL Championship- 2014.
FIBA World Championships Bronze Medal- 2014.
Rio Olympics- 2016.
FIBA Asia Cup Silver Medal- 2017.

#6 – Steph Talbot – Forward
Current Club: USO Mondeville (France).
Career Brief:
FIBA Under-19 World Championships Bronze Medal- 2013.
FIBA Under-19 World Championships All-Star Team- 2013.
FIBA Oceania Championship Gold Medal- 2015.

#7 – Steph Blicavs – Guard
Current Club: Free Agent.
Career Brief:
WNBL Champion- 2012, 2015.
World University Games Bronze Medal- 2013.
SEABL MVP- 2015, 2016.
WNBL Defensive Player of the Year- 2016.
FIBA Asia Cup Silver Medal- 2017.

#8 – Liz Cambage – Centre
Current Club: Dallas Wings (WNBA).
Career Brief:
Olympics- 2012 (bronze), 2016.
WNBL All-Star Five- 2010, 2011, 2018.
WNBL MVP- 2011.
WNBL Champion- 2011.

#9 – Kelsey Griffin – Forward
Current Club: University of Canberra Capitals.
Career Brief:
WNBL Champion- 2013, 2014.
WNBL Grand Final MVP- 2013, 2014.
WNBL All-Star Five- 2015, 2016.
WNBL Defensive Player of the Year- 2015.
FIBA Asia Cup Silver Medal- 2017.
FIBA Asia Cup MVP- 2017.

#10 – Katie Ebzery – Guard
Current Club: Free Agent.
Career Brief:
FIBA 3×3 World Championships Bronze Medal- 2012.
World University Games Bronze Medal- 2011 and 2013.
FIBA Oceania Championships Gold Medal- 2015.
Rio Olympics- 2016.
WNBL All Star Five- 2016.
FIBA Asia Cup Silver Medal- 2017.

#12 – Belinda Snell – Guard/Forward
Current Club: Sydney Uni Flames.
Career Brief:
WNBL Champion- 1999, 2007, 2017.
WNBL All-Star Five- 2001, 2004, 2005, 2012.
Olympics- 2004 (silver), 2008 (silver), 2012 (bronze).
FIBA World Cup- 2006 (gold), 2014 (bronze).
WNBA Champion- 2007.
Commonwealth Games Gold Medal- 2006.
FIBA Asia Cup Silver Medal- 2016.

#13 – Ezi Magbegor – Forward/Centre
Current Club: Melbourne Boomers.
Career Brief:
FIBA Under-19 World Championship Bronze Medal- 2015.
FIBA Under-19 World Championships All Star Five – 2015
FIBA Under-17 World Championship Gold Medal- 2016.
FIBA Under-17 World Championship MVP- 2016.
WNBL Rookie of the Year- 2018.

#15 – Cayla George – Forward
Current Club: Melbourne Boomers.
Career Brief:
WNBL Rookie of the Year- 2007.
FIBA World Championship Bronze Medal- 2012.
FIBA World Championships Bronze Medal- 2014.
WNBL All-Star Five- 2015.
WNBL Champion- 2015, 2016, 2018.
Rio Olympics- 2016.

#21 – Alice Kunek – Forward
Current Club: Free Agent.
Career Brief:
WNBL Champion- 2011.
FIBA 3×3 World Championships Bronze Medal- 2012.
World University Games Bronze Medal- 2013.
FIBA Asia Cup Silver Medal- 2017.

#35 – Nicole Seekamp – Guard
Current Club: Adelaide Lightning.
Career Brief:
FIBA Oceania Under-18 Gold Medal- 2010.
Played four years with the South Dakota Coyotes- 2012-16.
MVP of the Summit League Tournament- 2014/15.

Prior to the start of the 2018 Commonwealth Games, get to know the Boomers and Opals teams as they aim to recreate their success from the last time basketball was played at the Games in 2006.