From NBL.com our most likely starting lineup is:
CENTRE: Chris Anstey
POWER FORWARD: Andrew Bogut
SMALL FOWARD: Sam McKinnon
SHOOTING GUARD: Jason Smith
POINT GUARD: Andrew Bruce
Boomers-Tall Blacks ready
Wednesday, July 12, 2006 - 09:41 AM
Basketball Australia
The Australia Post Boomers open their four-match series against New Zealand in Napier on Wednesday night with NBA star Andrew Bogut suiting up for the Aussies.
Game One tips off at 7:30pm in New Zealand (5:30pm AEST), with the match broadcast on delay on FOX SPORTS 1 at 11pm (AEST).
A team of 12 was named by Boomers coach Brian Goorjian on Sunday and all players are reported to be fit to suit up for the series opener.
Game 2 will be played in Napier on Friday night at 7:30pm. The teams will then travel to Australia on Saturday and will play the Resi Mortgage Test Series in Hobart on July 17 and Melbourne on July 19.
Boomers schedule
Wednesday, July 12 – Match v New Zealand in Napier – 7:30pm (NZ)
Friday, July 14 - Match v New Zealand in Napier – 7:30pm (NZ)
Saturday, July 15 – Return to Hobart, Australia
Monday, July 17 - Match v New Zealand in Hobart – 7:30pm
Tuesday, July 18 – Travel to Melbourne
Wednesday, July 19 - Match v New Zealand in Melbourne – 7:30pm
Thursday, July 20 - Basketball Australia Hall of Fame dinner in Melbourne
Boomers team
Chris Anstey (Melbourne Tigers), David Barlow (Sydney Kings), Andrew Bogut, Aaron Bruce, Wade Helliwell, Russell Hinder (Sydney Kings), Luke Kendall (Sydney kings), Sam Mackinnon (Brisbane Bullets), Aleks Maric, Steve Markovic, Brad Newley (Townsville Crocodiles), Jason Smith (Sydney Kings).
Smith backs Bogut
Wednesday, July 12, 2006 - 10:17 AM
NBL, Herald Sun
Sydney Kings star and Boomers veteran Jason Smith has told the Herald Sun newspaper ahead of Australia's four-game series against New Zealand that the Tall Blacks have no answer for Andrew Bogut.
"We just need to get the ball up the court and throw it inside to Bogut," Smith told the Herald Sun's Grantley bernard. "Why complicate things?"
"I honestly don't know what they can do to stop him."
"They'll just have to try to clog up the middle and force the ball outside."
Despite his confidence in the Milwaukee Bucks young star, Smith said the Boomers weren't likely to go into the series expecting anything but a tough match.
"We've come to expect nothing but a hard game against them," Smith said.
"We definitely won't underestimate them."
Meanwhile, Tall Blacks star Kirk Penney has told the New Zealand Herald his team can upset the Australians.
"We're going up against a good team. We just have to execute, play well and knock our shots down. We know what our strengths are and how to go use them, but we have to fire on as many cylinders as possible," Penney said.
"Australia are a tall team, but there are a lot of ways to counter that, it's just a matter of going out there and running our stuff."
Goorjian: Kids no gamble
Wednesday, July 12, 2006 - 11:02 AM
NBL, The Australian
Boomers head coach Brian Goorjian says adding young college stars Aleks Maric and Aaron Bruce to the team which will take on New Zealand in a four-match series starting Wednesday is no gamble.
Only five players from the Commonwealth Games gold medal winning team have been recalled for the four-match series against New Zealand starting in Napier on Wednesday night. Instead, college stars Aleks Maric and Aaron Bruce have been selected along with fellow rookies David Barlow (Sydney Kings) and Steve Markovic (formerly West Sydney Razorbacks).
Despite the youth movement sweeping through the Boomers, Goorjian told The Australian's Peter Kogoy that adding the rookies was a calculated move.
"The fact he has size and is mobile attracted me to the kid," Goorjian said of the 211cm and 125kg Maric.
"Aleks has all the fundamentals and will get to play some minutes off the bench backing up Andrew Bogut and Chris Anstey."
"I don't see myself as gambling in throwing Maric and the other kids into the fray against the Kiwis."
"Retirements since the Athens Olympics, injuries and players not available has opened the door to blood new bodies, the next generation of players who will be around the national program for the next five to 10 years."
"I'm looking at putting the building blocks in place not just for next month's world championships in Japan, but I'm also looking ahead to the Beijing Olympics in two years' time."
Goorjian said Bruce would have the opportunity to show his stuff at point guard.
"I would have liked to have had selected either CJ Bruton or Brisbane's Stephen Black, but neither are available," he said.
"Bruton is in the United States playing Summer League, while Black is out injured, but Bruce has proven himself at point guard as starter with Baylor University."
"But this will be a big test for him."
Bruce is expected to start alongside Sydney's Jason Smith in the Boomers backcourt while Brisbane's Sam Mackinnon fills the small forward role alongside Bogut and Anstey.
CENTRE: Chris Anstey
POWER FORWARD: Andrew Bogut
SMALL FOWARD: Sam McKinnon
SHOOTING GUARD: Jason Smith
POINT GUARD: Andrew Bruce
Boomers-Tall Blacks ready
Wednesday, July 12, 2006 - 09:41 AM
Basketball Australia
The Australia Post Boomers open their four-match series against New Zealand in Napier on Wednesday night with NBA star Andrew Bogut suiting up for the Aussies.
Game One tips off at 7:30pm in New Zealand (5:30pm AEST), with the match broadcast on delay on FOX SPORTS 1 at 11pm (AEST).
A team of 12 was named by Boomers coach Brian Goorjian on Sunday and all players are reported to be fit to suit up for the series opener.
Game 2 will be played in Napier on Friday night at 7:30pm. The teams will then travel to Australia on Saturday and will play the Resi Mortgage Test Series in Hobart on July 17 and Melbourne on July 19.
Boomers schedule
Wednesday, July 12 – Match v New Zealand in Napier – 7:30pm (NZ)
Friday, July 14 - Match v New Zealand in Napier – 7:30pm (NZ)
Saturday, July 15 – Return to Hobart, Australia
Monday, July 17 - Match v New Zealand in Hobart – 7:30pm
Tuesday, July 18 – Travel to Melbourne
Wednesday, July 19 - Match v New Zealand in Melbourne – 7:30pm
Thursday, July 20 - Basketball Australia Hall of Fame dinner in Melbourne
Boomers team
Chris Anstey (Melbourne Tigers), David Barlow (Sydney Kings), Andrew Bogut, Aaron Bruce, Wade Helliwell, Russell Hinder (Sydney Kings), Luke Kendall (Sydney kings), Sam Mackinnon (Brisbane Bullets), Aleks Maric, Steve Markovic, Brad Newley (Townsville Crocodiles), Jason Smith (Sydney Kings).
Smith backs Bogut
Wednesday, July 12, 2006 - 10:17 AM
NBL, Herald Sun
Sydney Kings star and Boomers veteran Jason Smith has told the Herald Sun newspaper ahead of Australia's four-game series against New Zealand that the Tall Blacks have no answer for Andrew Bogut.
"We just need to get the ball up the court and throw it inside to Bogut," Smith told the Herald Sun's Grantley bernard. "Why complicate things?"
"I honestly don't know what they can do to stop him."
"They'll just have to try to clog up the middle and force the ball outside."
Despite his confidence in the Milwaukee Bucks young star, Smith said the Boomers weren't likely to go into the series expecting anything but a tough match.
"We've come to expect nothing but a hard game against them," Smith said.
"We definitely won't underestimate them."
Meanwhile, Tall Blacks star Kirk Penney has told the New Zealand Herald his team can upset the Australians.
"We're going up against a good team. We just have to execute, play well and knock our shots down. We know what our strengths are and how to go use them, but we have to fire on as many cylinders as possible," Penney said.
"Australia are a tall team, but there are a lot of ways to counter that, it's just a matter of going out there and running our stuff."
Goorjian: Kids no gamble
Wednesday, July 12, 2006 - 11:02 AM
NBL, The Australian
Boomers head coach Brian Goorjian says adding young college stars Aleks Maric and Aaron Bruce to the team which will take on New Zealand in a four-match series starting Wednesday is no gamble.
Only five players from the Commonwealth Games gold medal winning team have been recalled for the four-match series against New Zealand starting in Napier on Wednesday night. Instead, college stars Aleks Maric and Aaron Bruce have been selected along with fellow rookies David Barlow (Sydney Kings) and Steve Markovic (formerly West Sydney Razorbacks).
Despite the youth movement sweeping through the Boomers, Goorjian told The Australian's Peter Kogoy that adding the rookies was a calculated move.
"The fact he has size and is mobile attracted me to the kid," Goorjian said of the 211cm and 125kg Maric.
"Aleks has all the fundamentals and will get to play some minutes off the bench backing up Andrew Bogut and Chris Anstey."
"I don't see myself as gambling in throwing Maric and the other kids into the fray against the Kiwis."
"Retirements since the Athens Olympics, injuries and players not available has opened the door to blood new bodies, the next generation of players who will be around the national program for the next five to 10 years."
"I'm looking at putting the building blocks in place not just for next month's world championships in Japan, but I'm also looking ahead to the Beijing Olympics in two years' time."
Goorjian said Bruce would have the opportunity to show his stuff at point guard.
"I would have liked to have had selected either CJ Bruton or Brisbane's Stephen Black, but neither are available," he said.
"Bruton is in the United States playing Summer League, while Black is out injured, but Bruce has proven himself at point guard as starter with Baylor University."
"But this will be a big test for him."
Bruce is expected to start alongside Sydney's Jason Smith in the Boomers backcourt while Brisbane's Sam Mackinnon fills the small forward role alongside Bogut and Anstey.
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