Victorians selected in Boomers 12-man FIBA World Cup squad

The team features two players who are set to make their national team debuts. Jonah Bolden and Xavier Cooks have been selected for the first time after impressing at the Boomers’ selection camp.

Bolden is fresh off completing his first season in the NBA with the Philadelphia 76ers, and will don the Australian jersey for the first time since the 2013 FIBA Under-19 World Championships.

Meanwhile, Wollongong native Cooks will make also his debut for the Boomers in China. Cooks enjoyed a stellar season in Germany with Oliver Wurzburg before embarking on an NBA Summer League campaign with the Phoenix Suns.

Joining Bolden and Cooks as fresh faces in the team is Jock Landale, who made his Boomers debut in February during the final FIBA World Cup qualifying window. Landale is currently signed to Lithuanian club Žalgiris Kaunas, while he also starred for the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA Summer League.

Six members of the 2016 Olympic team will return, with Aron Baynes, Andrew Bogut, Matthew Dellavedova, Chris Goulding, Joe Ingles and Patrick Mills taking their places in the Boomers team.

Chris Goulding is one of four NBL players in the team, alongside Cameron Gliddon, Nicholas Kay and Nathan Sobey. The latter three will all play in their first major international tournament after playing key roles in helping the Boomers qualify for the World Cup.

The 2019 Australian Boomers team for the FIBA World Cup:

Australian Head coach Andrej Lemanis said:
“I’m always so humbled in the Boomers environment. The commitment to the team and the pride each athlete shows in being a Boomer is a privilege to experience. As a nation, we are extremely fortunate to have players who are not only extremely skilled on the court, but who are also wonderful human beings.

“It is an exciting time for the program as we now settle on our team for China. There are a number of guys getting their first experience of a World Cup, which is exciting for them and for us as a team. Of course, we also have a solid core of veteran players who understand what it will take for us to succeed in China. As a staff, we’re really pleased with the mix of skill sets we have to utilise and look forward to watching it evolve over the next couple of weeks.

“It is also appropriate to recognise the players that missed selection on this particular occasion. The toughest part of this job is telling a player who cares about the program and has just given everything they have for the good of the team, that they haven’t been selected. The depth of Australian basketball also means that these guys are extremely skilled and often it simply comes down to team balance.

“As a team, we would also like to acknowledge the “heavy lifting” of all those who participated in the World Cup Qualification stage – their hard work and commitment to the program allows us to have this opportunity to compete in the World Cup – for which we are all grateful.

“This is a focused and united team. I hope the Australian public come on the journey with us again just as they did in Rio. We play the right way, we play for each other, and we play for the name on the front of the singlet rather than the back. I think the public will enjoy the way we play and will be proud to call us ‘their team’.”

The Australian Boomers warm-up schedule ahead of the 2019 FIBA World Cup:
August 22: Boomers vs. USA Basketball at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne. Tickets available via Ticketmaster
August 24: Boomers vs. USA Basketball at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne. Tickets available via Ticketmaster

The Australian Boomers schedule for the 2019 FIBA World Cup: (All times AEST)
September 1: Boomers vs. Canada, 5:30pm
September 3: Boomers vs. Senegal, 5:30pm
September 5: Boomers vs. Lithuania, 9:30pm
September 7 & 9: Round of 16
September 10 & 11: Quarter-Finals
September 13: Semi-Finals
September 15: Medal Games

The post Victorians selected in Boomers 12-man FIBA World Cup squad appeared first on Basketball Victoria.

The 12-man Australian Boomers team that will compete at the FIBA World Cup and the lead-up games in Perth and Melbourne has been announced today, Wednesday 7 August.

The post Victorians selected in Boomers 12-man FIBA World Cup squad appeared first on Basketball Victoria.