XAVIER COOKS ADDED TO BOOMERS 2019 FIBA WORLD CUP SQUAD
Following the camp, 12 players will be selected to compete at the FIBA World Cup which runs from August 31 – September 15 in China.
That team will also compete in the international games against Canada Basketball in Perth on August 16 and 17 and USA Basketball in Melbourne at Marvel Stadium on August 22 and 24.
Having fulfilled the formal documentation process required by FIBA, Cooks comes into the squad as one of 11 players that developed their game through the AIS/Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence.
Hailing from Ballarat in regional Victoria, Cooks recently completed the 2018 European season with Wurzburg in Germany and spent four years at Winthrop University where he averaged 14 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.7 blocks.
Cooks was named to the All-Big South Conference first team in 2017 and 2018 before earning the Big South Player of the Year award in his senior year.
2017 also saw Cooks make his debut in the green and gold when he represented Australia at the World University Games as a member of the Emerging Boomers.
“I am super excited to be a part of this extremely talented squad and look forward to this opportunity,” said Cooks.
“Xavier has been on our radar for some time now and his wonderful season in Germany showed just how far his game has developed at the professional level,” said Boomers head coach, Andrej Lemanis.
“I’m glad he now gets an opportunity to show how he can contribute in the national team environment.
“It’s always rewarding to see young players grow and I’m excited to once again get an opportunity to work with Xavier.”
Cooks joins nine NBA players in the squad as well as seven players that led the Boomers to a fourth-place finish at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
In addition, Nick Kay, Mitch McCarron and Nathan Sobey represented Australia in ten of the 12 FIBA World Cup qualifiers, leading the Boomers to advance as the number one ranked country in Asia.
They will be aiming to make their first FIBA World Cup team while more experienced players such as Aron Baynes and Joe Ingles have the chance to feature in their third consecutive tournament and Andrew Bogut looks to return to the FIBA World Cup for the first time since 2006.
The Boomers squad will come together in Melbourne in early August for the selection camp before heading to Perth and returning to Melbourne for their international games.
“Our preparation as a squad starts in August and we embrace the challenge before us,” added Lemanis.
“We are excited about the team we will have in China for the FIBA World Cup and the opportunities that lie ahead.”
The Australian Boomers Squad for the 2019 FIBA World Cup:
| NAME | CLUB |
| Deng Adel | Cleveland Cavaliers (NBA) |
| Aron Baynes | Boston Celtics (NBA) |
| Todd Blanchfield | Illawarra Hawks |
| Andrew Bogut | Sydney Kings Golden State Warriors (NBA) |
| Jonah Bolden | Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) |
| Xavier Cooks | s.Oliver Würzburg (Germany) |
| Mitch Creek | South East Melbourne Phoenix |
| Matthew Dellavedova | Cleveland Cavaliers (NBA) |
| Cameron Gliddon | Brisbane Bullets |
| Chris Goulding | Melbourne United |
| Joe Ingles | Utah Jazz (NBA) |
| Nicholas Kay | Perth Wildcats |
| Jock Landale | Partizan (Serbia) |
| Mitch McCarron | Melbourne United |
| Patty Mills | San Antonio Spurs (NBA) |
| Brock Motum | Anadolu Efes (Turkey) |
| Ben Simmons | Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) |
| Nathan Sobey | Brisbane Bullets |
The Australian Boomers warm-up schedule ahead of the 2019 FIBA World Cup:
August 16: Boomers vs. Canada Basketball at RAC Arena in Perth. Tickets available via Ticketek
August 17: Boomers vs. Canada Basketball at RAC Arena in Perth. Tickets available via Ticketek
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 at 5.30pm
September 3: Boomers vs. Senegal at 5.30pm
September 5: Boomers vs. Lithuania at 9.30pm
September 7 & 9: Round of 16
September 10 & 11: Quarter-Finals
September 13: Semi-Finals
September 15: Bronze medal game at 6pm, Gold medal game at 10pm
Basketball Australia
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