Australia NT 2008

[geeup]

NOTE: I saw the game, I personally thought the boomers were sluggish.
the fire that we all saw when they played the US were obviously missing in their game against Croatia, and now would have to pull a miracle to beat an angry Argentinian after they suffered a 79-75 lost from the hands of the Lithuanian.

They played the same half court trap defense and zone as they did against USA. USA shot the threeball poorly so it seemed somewhat successful.

Croatia had 4 guys sitting out there on the 3pt line and were nailing their 3s at 80% for most of the game yet the Boomers coach stuck with the same strategy.

At the same time Croatia were just a different class that night on both ends of the court.

Australia doesn't deserve to be in the Olympics.

[VII]

Boomers vs Croatia Stats

Boomers vs Croatia Stats

Country Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Total
Australia 14 17 22 29 82 Nielsen (13pts), Anstey (7rbs), Barlow (3ast)

Croatia 21 26 26 24 97 Prkácin (16pts), Loncar (10rbs), Popovic (5ast)

Australia
No. Name Rebounds Points

4 C Anstey 7 6
5 P Mills 1 9
6 A Bogut 1 10
7 J Ingles 0 7
8 B Newley 2 6
9 C Bruton 2 5
10 D Barlow 2 12
11 M Worthington 0 4
12 G Saville 0 0
13 D Andersen 1 4
14 M Nielsen 5 13
15 S Redhage 1 6

Total 82


Croatia
No. Name Rebounds Points

4 R Ukic 1 9
5 D Kus 0 7
6 M Popovic 0 6
7 M Rozic 2 3
8 N Prkacin 1 16
9 M Tomas 4 12
10 Z Planinic 2 12
11 S Nicevic 3 2
12 D Rudez 0 0
13 M Banic 2 16
14 K Loncar 10 10
15 S Barac 2 4

Total 97

[mvblair]

Matt's Uninformed Australian 2008 Campaign Comments

• Team Australia was wonderful. They played tough and hard, just the way I enjoy basketball. The finesse game from Mills is also fun, but I'll take bangers any day.
• The best individual performance was Bogut against Lithuania. Yes, Bogut should’ve played better in the other games, but he was unstoppable against Lithuania, hence the 31 point victory. Absolutely incredible game.
• Somebody buy that Barlow kid a comb. He’s got a nice career, but the kid needs a comb.
• Matt Nielson can play. Statistically, he wasn’t too hot. But that guy is a real bruiser. He’s not a thug. He could play with any of the NBA bruisers.
• Patty Mills has wonderful finesse. He’s a super smooth player. Watching him fly past Chris Paul was great, wasn’t it? I hope we get to see more of this young man. I loved watching him play defense. He picked up his man right when he crossed the half-court and, as we say in the US, played “in his drawers.”
• Goorjian might not be good at coaching big men, but I think he did a great job. Australia played incredible games against Lithuania and Russia. Unfortunately, they just couldn’t compete at all against Argentina and Croatia. I think Argentina and Croatia are better than Australia, but if they played again, I guarantee the game would be a "fourth quarter finish."
• Fortunately, Australia is going to have this same core group of players for the next couple of years. They’ll continue to play well. I don’t think there is any doubt now that Australia can play competitively against the best teams in Europe. They deserve to be in the Top 10 FIBA rankings.

[Dtown]

Without reading mvblair's post so this goes without influence.

I love Australia's potential and I think without their bad start at the beginning of the tournament, they could have made some serious noise in the knockout stage. They played the US as tough as anyone barring Spain, and Mills has the potential to be a legit NBA guard. If they can keep this team together, Australia and medals may not be far fetched in the future.

[redred]

i think australia has a real exciting future to look forward to. Youngsters Bogut, Newley, Barlow, Mills and Ingles will eventually be joined by Jawai (raptors), Ogilvy (ncaa) and Aaron Bruce; that should be the core moving forward. And this is the core that will one day soon medal for Australia, i think.

Its not a basketball country in the slightest, but this could be the start of very nice era of hoops for them.

[mvblair]

Its not a basketball country in the slightest, but this could be the start of very nice era of hoops for them.

I agree. They've got some bright young players. Let's hope they keep playing well. I think you're right that they could compete for medals in the near future.

Australia is lucky. Gaze, Heal, and Longley left the team after a great showing in Sydney (4th place, right?). Now Australia has some youngsters ready to go fight again.

[Shin_Dong_Pa]

Coach Goorjian's defense is actually being copied by nba teams.
some even asked for tapes of the sydney kings to study the pattern
im trying to remember the name of the defense...

Australia's defense is physical and very admirable. The way they hold down the US in exhibition match and Russia in the Olympics proper.

[rikhardur]

AUS – Heal: "I don't think the Boomers coach should be coaching in the NBL"


SYDNEY (National team) - Former Australia national team star Shane Heal has spoken of the need for the Boomers to have a full-time coach.

Brian Goorjian has been at the helm of the national side for six years while also coaching in the NBL.

Goorjian indicated before the Olympics that he would step down from the Boomers’ job after the Beijing Games and Heal, who reached the semi-finals of the 1996 and 2000 Olympics, has offered his view on the coaching situation in a column on www.goldcoast.com.au.

"I don't think the Boomers coach should be coaching in the NBL and doing the most important role in Australian basketball as a part-time thing in the off-season," Heal wrote.

"The head coach should also coach the under-19 Australian team too. This would provide some continuity and understanding of what's needed for these kids to eventually step up to the senior level.

"It allows the coach to run the same offenses and defenses, use the same terminology and create the same values and cultures that the senior team has."

Heal believes that a national team coach who is also at the head of an NBL side might show favouritism towards his own players.

"Coaches also have been criticised for being biased in choosing guys who play in their club team," Heal wrote.

"Goorjian copped flak for choosing so many (Sydney) Kings players.

"I had my opinion about him choosing Luke Kendall from the Kings over my teammate in Melbourne Joe Ingles.

"A year later he was coaching Joe and chose him over Kendall whom he no longer coached.

"The national coach should not be put in this situation."

http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/news/lateNews/p/newsid/28699/arti.html

[Saskibaloia]

http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/new...8699/arti.html

I can definitely see and to a certain agree where Shane Heal is coming from. It is evident that Coach Goorjian does prefer to select players that he has coached or are on his ball club and besides Shane Heal's example of Luke Kendall and Joe Ingles there's also the case of Nathan Crosswhite, though a bruiser, and bruisers are needed in training camp or even on national teams his selection was debatable.

That is a great idea that the coach of the national team is to also coach the junior national team however, from my experience as a varsity high school coach that coaching players at that age is very, very different from coaching a national team where the players are more mature, intelligent, professional and have a better and quicker understanding of the game. Thus I believe that the coach should not be the coach of the junior national team. However, I do believe that the national coach should still be invovled with the junior national team program possibly as a assistant coach or senior advisor.

[Mortified Penguin]

Doesn't Rob Beverage still coach the Juniors? Wouldn't he be the next logical Senior coach?

[Saskibaloia]

Doesn't Rob Beverage still coach the Juniors? Wouldn't he be the next logical Senior coach?

I don't think so reason being is that he is now coaching the Sydney Spirit in the AUS-NBL. Normally, the coach of the AIS - Australian Institute of Sport, an elite sporting academy of sport. All of Australia's best basketball players have gone there.

[kajacko]

beveridge is coaching the spirit but is also involved with Nike Asia as their head coach. of course he coached the under 19 (emus) to a gold medal in the 2003 junior world championship.
He is still also the Nike Hoops World All stars coach that takes on the US in the annual junior fixture in the US.
He would be an ideal addition to the Boomers coaching ranks and indeed held down a position with the Boomers (for which he gave up the role with the U19s) under Goorjian but he stepped down from that.
IMO present assistant Gordie Mcleod would be a good replacement for Goorjian if he decides to step down.
Mcleod has also had experience of coaching the junior team to a silver medal in Greece in 1997. He has coached in the NBL and is a proven performer.

[1Dream Basketball]

st. mary's ca

Patty Mills is legit... hope he doesn't go to the NBA early, hurting the wrist might actually help SMC keep him for another year.