2009 FIBA Oceania Championships

[Saskibaloia]

Boomers squad named
Fri, 14 Aug 2009 2:05 PM
By Basketball Australia

Australia’s men’s basketball team will undergo a training camp at The Kings School in Parramatta next week to prepare for the 2009 FIBA Oceania Championship against New Zealand.

The Boomers will play the Tall Blacks at 6:00pm on Sunday August 23 at Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre before heading to Wellington for the second and final match on August 25 to determine seeding at the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey.

Australia’s squad has been strengthened by the return of Olympian Brad Newley, who together with his Beijing team mates Joe Ingles and Mark Worthington will form the experienced core of the team.

Dallas Mavericks power forward Nathan Jawai provides a formidable inside presence while Sudanese-born Australian Ater Majok will experience his first taste of Boomers culture after his first national call up.

Majok, a 208cm refugee from Sudan who lived in Egypt before moving to Australia with his family in 2000, will suit up for the University of Connecticut in the United States later this year.

Boomers Head Coach Brett Brown will select the Boomers team to take on New Zealand after the conclusion of the camp.

“Everything we have done so far in the 2009 program comes down to this series against New Zealand,” Brown said.

“We have gotten progressively better during our tours of China and South America but the Kiwis have announced an experienced team and we’ll have to be ready.”

Tickets for the Sydney match are still available through Ticketek or the Basketball Australia website, www.basketball.net.au

Australian Boomers squad for Sydney Camp Aug 18-22

Name / Most recent college or pro team / Junior Association / Age / Height

Aron BAYNES / Washington State University (USA) / Cairns, QLD / 22 / 208cm
Jason CADEE / Australian Institute of Sport / Bankstown, NSW / 18 / 185cm
Peter CRAWFORD / Townsville Crocodiles / Mt. Isa, QLD / 29 / 193cm
Matthew DELLAVEDOVA / Australian Institute of Sport / Maryborough, VIC / 18 / 189cm
Oscar FORMAN / New Zealand Breakers (NZ) / Sturt, SA / 27 / 206cm
Adam GIBSON / Gold Coast Blaze / Launceston, TAS / 22 / 188cm
James HARVEY / Gold Coast Blaze / Perry Lakes, WA / 30 / 196cm
Joe INGLES / CB Granada (Spain) / Southern, SA / 21 / 203cm
Nathan JAWAI / Dallas Mavericks (NBA - USA) / Cairns, QLD / 22 / 208cm
Ater MAJOK / University of Connecticut (NCAA - USA) / Macarthur, NSW / 22 / 208cm
Aleks MARIC / KK Partizan Belgrade (Serbia) / North Sydney, NSW / 24 / 211cm
Damian MARTIN / Sydney Spirit / Gloucester, NSW / 24 / 188cm
Brad NEWLEY / Besiktas (Turkey) / Forestville, SA / 24 / 199cm
Luke NEVILL / University of Utah (NCAA - USA) / Stirling, WA / 23 / 218cm
A.J. OGILVY / Vanderbilt University (NCAA - USA) / Hills, NSW / 21 / 210cm
Liam RUSH / Sundsvall Dragons (Sweden) / Broome, QLD / 27 / 198cm
Stephen WEIGH / Perth Wildcats / Rockhampton, QLD / 22 / 202cm
Mark WORTHINGTON / Melbourne Tigers / Bunbury, WA / 26 / 202cm

Average age: 23 years 5 months
Average height: 200cm (6’6”)

Head Coach: Brett Brown (San Antonio Spurs, NBA - USA)
Assistant Coach: Andrej Lemanis (New Zealand Breakers)
Assistant Coach: Shane Heal
Assistant Coach: Marty Clarke (Australian Institute of Sport)
Manager: Nic Mercer

BOOMERS KEY DATES AT A GLANCE:

Aug 18-22 Camp 3 – Sydney, NSW
Aug 23 FIBA Oceania Championship Game 1, AUS v NZ, Sydney
Aug 25 FIBA Oceania Championship Game 2, AUS v NZ, Wellington
Aug 28-31 Stankovic Cup, Kunshan, China (AUS v Turkey, Angola, China: 4 games)

The Aussies have been quick in selecting their squad.

GO AUSTRALIA!!!!

[donmar]

Go the Tall Blacks!!!

[b3lowzro]

no Papua New Guinea or other small countries here?

[Dtown]

no Papua New Guinea or other small countries here?

Nope, 5th straight tournament where it's just the two teams. To my knowledge there's never been a tourney with 4 or more teams.

[donmar]

Yup only Australia and New Zealand in a two-game series... sometimes its three-game series... last time they have a third team was with Fiji...

This championship is just for the seeding for next year's World Championship... since both already qualified... but this is not about next year's World Champs... its about the Trans-Tasman rivalry between the Aussies and the Kiwis... regardless of sports codes... these two countries will fight for pride and Trans-Tasman superiority...

Australia is the favourites in my opinion... with NBL calibers in their line-up but the Kiwis has the NBL MVP... either way, I got no problem who finish on top... I'm a big fan of the NBL and this is pretty much an all-star game for me...

[b3lowzro]

hmm I guess fiba should do something for this even if those countries are rugby die hard fans

[donmar]

Small countries in Oceania just doesn't have the financial capabilities to maintain their national basketball teams.. and most of the Pacific Island countries prefer football (Solomon Islands) or rugby league (Papua New Guinea) or rugby union (Fiji, Samoa, Tonga) than basketball... and I think FIBA doesn't see any financial benefits from those countries... so they're pretty much content of Australia and New Zealand as the only competitors in Oceania...

[Saskibaloia]

Small countries in Oceania just doesn't have the financial capabilities to maintain their national basketball teams.. and most of the Pacific Island countries prefer football (Solomon Islands) or rugby league (Papua New Guinea) or rugby union (Fiji, Samoa, Tonga) than basketball... and I think FIBA doesn't see any financial benefits from those countries... so they're pretty much content of Australia and New Zealand as the only competitors in Oceania...

I'll second that. However, if the French Basketball Federation put more support to their French outpost (New Caledonia) I am confident that eventually they would be competitive. I still remember back in 2003 or 2004 there were 5 or so New Caledonians playing in the lower French basketball leagues all of whom were eligible to compete for New Caledonia since one of their parents were born or originated from there according to oceaniabasket.com (Oceania branch of Eurobasket.com)

In my opinion, the lower French league as many of you would know are quite competitive though not as good as the Australian NBL but I'm confident maybe as good as the New Zealand NBL (feel free to correct me donmar). Therefore, if the New Caledonians had fielded a team back then, maybe a few surprises MIGHT have occured.

However, currently basketball according to oceaniabasket.com is still struggling in New Caledonia as football is still king followed by cricket and ruguby as well as other sports.

Hopefully, basketball will grow in New Caledonia or in any country in the region in order for a stronger FIBA Oceania.

Yup only Australia and New Zealand in a two-game series...

Ain’t we lucky

This championship is just for the seeding for next year's World Championship... since both already qualified... but this is not about next year's World Champs... its about the Trans-Tasman rivalry between the Aussies and the Kiwis... regardless of sports codes... these two countries will fight for pride and Trans-Tasman superiority...

This rivalry is definitely intense. Whenever an Australian team looses to any Kiwi (New Zealand) team of any sporting code, those blokes or sheilas (guys or girls in Australian English) are put to shame! It is okay for us Aussies to loose to the South Africans but NEVER to the Kiwis! Thus, in 2001 FIBA Oceania series when the Aussies lost to the Tall Blacks for the very first time, the coach (Phil Smyth) was fired immediately. However, if there were an Aussie, a Kiwi and a group of Yanks or Poms in a pub (bar) you’d bet that the Aussie and Kiwi would be more than happy to watch each other’s back. It’s a love-hate relationship.

Australia is the favourites in my opinion... with NBL calibers in their line-up but the Kiwis has the NBL MVP... either way, I got no problem who finish on top... I'm a big fan of the NBL and this is pretty much an all-star game for me...

On top of that some of the Aussies in the squad are playing overseas as well.

[donmar]

I'll second that. However, if the French Basketball Federation put more support to their French outpost (New Caledonia) I am confident that eventually they would be competitive. I still remember back in 2003 or 2004 there were 5 or so New Caledonians playing in the lower French basketball leagues all of whom were eligible to compete for New Caledonia since one of their parents were born or originated from there according to oceaniabasket.com (Oceania branch of Eurobasket.com)

In my opinion, the lower French league as many of you would know are quite competitive though not as good as the Australian NBL but I'm confident maybe as good as the New Zealand NBL (feel free to correct me donmar). Therefore, if the New Caledonians had fielded a team back then, maybe a few surprises MIGHT have occured.

However, currently basketball according to oceaniabasket.com is still struggling in New Caledonia as football is still king followed by cricket and ruguby as well as other sports.

Hopefully, basketball will grow in New Caledonia or in any country in the region in order for a stronger FIBA Oceania.

I don't know much about French leagues... New Zealand NBL. on the other hand, is kinda improving because aside from the Kiwi NBL players and American Imports, some Australian NBL players who did not go to play in Europe for the off-season crosses the ditch and played here... it sort of started two years ago by about a couple of Aussies (one of them is Luke Martin), then last year about 3-5 of them (including Adam Bellenger) and now, theres about more than 5 Aussies and it help raise the quality of the league.. but it still not as competitive as the Australian NBL, who not also got players coming back from the New Zealand NBL but also coming back from Europe and those upcoming stars from the United States' colleges and development leagues...

Ain’t we lucky

hehehe yes we are

This rivalry is definitely intense. Whenever an Australian team looses to any Kiwi (New Zealand) team of any sporting code, those blokes or sheilas (guys or girls in Australian English) are put to shame! It is okay for us Aussies to loose to the South Africans but NEVER to the Kiwis! Thus, in 2001 FIBA Oceania series when the Aussies lost to the Tall Blacks for the very first time, the coach (Phil Smyth) was fired immediately. However, if there were an Aussie, a Kiwi and a group of Yanks or Poms in a pub (bar) you’d bet that the Aussie and Kiwi would be more than happy to watch each other’s back. It’s a love-hate relationship.

Well said bro... agree to that... love-hate relationship between the two really helps improve and maintain the Trans-Tasman rivalry...

IMO, New Zealand's best rugby coach is currently Australia's head coach... some people here in Canterbury are actually supporting the Aussies (usually support the Wallabies in the first test but after that they return to support the All Blacks for the next two tests) simply because of Robbie Deans...

[Saskibaloia]

IMO, New Zealand's best rugby coach is currently Australia's head coach... some people here in Canterbury are actually supporting the Aussies (usually support the Wallabies in the first test but after that they return to support the All Blacks for the next two tests) simply because of Robbie Deans...

Robbie Deans is a legend!!!

Let's start up a rugby thread

GO PHILIPPINE VOLCANOES!!!

https://www.prfu.com

[donmar]

Robbie Deans is a legend!!!

Let's start up a rugby thread

GO PHILIPPINE VOLCANOES!!!

www.prfu.com

hehehe I think we should... I assume you know Erick Elefante... he is one of PRFU's leading recruiters of players from Australia and New Zealand... he is based in Australia too..

[kerdito]

I wish Patrick Mills would play in the 2 game series this guy is really superb!!!!

[Saskibaloia]

hehehe I think we should... I assume you know Erick Elefante... he is one of PRFU's leading recruiters of players from Australia and New Zealand... he is based in Australia too..

He's probably the bloke trying to get my mate to switch from semi-pro rugby league over to play rugby union for the Philippines

My mate's actually really considering it because the beauty of playing for one's own country and to be able to travel the region to play sport. AIN'T THAT GOLD!!!!

[donmar]

He's probably the bloke trying to get my mate to switch from semi-pro rugby league over to play rugby union for the Philippines

My mate's actually really considering it because the beauty of playing for one's own country and to be able to travel the region to play sport. AIN'T THAT GOLD!!!!

Yeah thats him... about 3/4 of the players of the national team are recruited by him... he's a good guy and constantly looking for Filipinos or half-breeds playing rugby to recruit... and so far, he's doing an excellent job...

I think your friend should consider it... but I don't think its a professional but rather just play for flag and country.. so I guess, he can still play rugby league in the semi-pro circuit while playing union internationally... its should be easy to adjust...

BTW, I got three high school friends who are currently playing in Australia in the semi-pro rugby league circuit at the moment.. they're waiting for a breakthrough to enter and join NRL...

[Saskibaloia]

BTW, I got three high school friends who are currently playing in Australia in the semi-pro rugby league circuit at the moment.. they're waiting for a breakthrough to enter and join NRL...

I'm sure they'll eventually break in. The NRL used to have an immense pool of talent to choose from however, rugby union have been tapping into the pool heavily especially with their marketing tool that rugby union has greater international exposure (which is true) and that the game is growing overseas and in Oceania.