Australia national team (Boomers)

[Saskibaloia]

That's funny, I've watched both games and I didn't hear anyone say we were a legit chance for a medal...

tru 2 dat mate!

Someone needs to get their facts right ...

GO THE BOOMERS!

[CKR13]

Any info on Patrick Mills and his status on the NT?

[aussieasker]

Any info on Patrick Mills and his status on the NT?

Played in a three game series against Argentina a few days ago, and is pretty much a lock for Turkey...

[CKR13]

Played in a three game series against Argentina a few days ago, and is pretty much a lock for Turkey...

Thanks for the info.

[Saskibaloia]

Aussies in the Summer League

Looks like some of the lads from the NT will be showcasing their skills at this year's NBA Orlando Summer League:

Nathan Jawai, Centre, 6'10, 280lbs - Centre (Charlotte Bobcats)

AJ Ogilvy, 6'10, 250lbs - Power Forward (Chicago Bulls)

Joe Ingles, 6'7, 200lbs - Small Forward (Golden State Warriors)

Luke Schenscher, 7'0, 265lbs - Centre (Portland Trailblazers)

Patty Mills, 6'2, 180lbs - Point Guard (Portland Trailblazers)

[albiongate]

Alex Maric will miss the World Championship. He told to serbian medias that he need some rest after a very long season.

[Saskibaloia]

The boomers

NBL.com.au

Just who is Turkey-bound?
July 20, 2010, 11:53 AM AEST

By: Marc Howard

It is less than forty days until the 2010 FIBA World Championships will tip-off in Turkey and the Australian Boomers are on the Gold Coast for their second major training camp in preparation.

Fifteen players are part of Brett Brown’s world championship squad, but ultimately just 12 will don the green and gold at the world titles. Brown is even now working through all the various player combinations to determine just who deserves a ticket to Turkey.

With starting centre Andrew Bogut already ruled out due to injury and the late withdrawal on Saturday of fellow NBA big Nathan Jawai due to family commitments, Brown was hoping that European pro forward Aleks Maric would be available to fill the void.

Maric’s participation is looking extremely unlikely however, meaning Brown and the Boomers now have to find an answer to a very large question mark in the middle.

So just who will be lining up for the Boomers’ when they open their world title campaign against Jordan on 28 August?

The joy of being an armchair coach is you get to argue long and loud in favour of your favourite players. So allow me to slip into my La-Z-Boy recliner and take you through the current 15 man Boomers squad with a player-by-play analysis and tell you who I think you’ll see in the 12 come 28 August.

Any resemblance between my comments and the final team will be totally coincidental (but boy will I brag about it).

Note: These selections are based on the likelihood that Maric will not be available.


David Andersen - 212cm Centre, Houston Rockets (US)
Always considered a likely member of the team, with Bogut and Jawai out it’s a certainty Andersen will be on the plane to Turkey. Considering the long list of accomplishments he has accrued during an amazing career in Europe and now the NBA, Andersen has often found himself the target of unfair criticism from Australian fans. A lot of that has to do with the fact that he is yet to have a breakout tournament on the high-profile Olympic or World Championship stage, but this could just be the year. He will be asked to step up and should take a leadership role in this side. A versatile big man who can step outside or play back-to-basket, he will likely see most of his minutes at power forward against the bigger international competition, but could also swing across to centre as required. Whilst it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen, I’d actually like to see Andersen start in the five next to Nielsen in the four.

David Barlow - 205cm Forward / CAI Zaragoza (Spain)
Barlow has had a good season in Spain, averaging 12.6ppg, 6.2rpg and 1.5apg as a starter for Zaragoza, who finished with a league-best 27-7 record in the LEB Gold competition. A versatile forward with super athleticism, Barlow has been a staple of the Boomers program for years and I would be very surprised if he wasn’t in the final 12. That may not make those who remember his last few tragic minutes against Greece at the last world titles in 2006 very happy, but his excellent defence and accurate offence is going to be important. He will likely play mainly in the three-spot and quite possibly as a starter.

Mark Worthington - 202cm Forward / Brose Baskets (Germany)
Worthington is another who can probably start boning up on his Turkish language skills (and yes Wildcats fans, I do know that “dirsek” means “elbow” in Turkish). Worthington has played often for the Boomers as an undersized but feisty four man, but will be able to revert back to his more natural small forward position here. A talented offensive player who finds ways to score, he is also tough as nails and brings some real grunt to the Boomers’ defence. Worthington will most likely come off the bench behind his former Tigers’ teammate Barlow.

Joe Ingles - 203cm Forward / CB Granada (Spain)
Although his returns for Golden State in the NBA summer league haven’t been overly impressive (1.8 points and 2.8 rebounds), Ingles is a quality player who is another super athlete. He is a talented offensive force who is lethal in transition. He has been averaging 11.0ppg, 4.1rpg, 2.6apg and 1.1spg as a starter for Spanish team CB Granada. Expect to see Ingles in Turkey coming off the bench and seeing time at small forward and shooting guard.

CJ Bruton - 188cm Guard / New Zealand Breakers
Another Boomers regular over the past decade, Bruton will likely slip on the green and gold once more and fill the back-up point guard role. A seasoned international and triple Olympian, Bruton has a high basketball IQ and the ability to break games open with his lethal offence and pick-pocket defence. He has that unteachable quality of knowing when a big play needs to be made and finding a way to come up with it. Although there are many who will argue that he is actually a shooting guard rather than a point guard, he is incredibly effective with the ball in his hands and can provide steady veteran leadership from the point.

Patrick Mills - 183cm Guard / Portland Trail Blazers (US)
Starting ahead of Bruton at the one spot in Turkey will be Mills, who is coming off an awesome showing in the NBA summer league in Las Vegas. In four games Mills averaged 14.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 5.3 assists and led his Portland team to a 3-1 record. Lightning fast and absolutely fearless, Mills’ game belies his 21 years. He is also an underrated defender who works tirelessly on every possession. The prospect of Mills pushing the ball on the break with Ingles, Brad Newley or Barlow running the lanes is an enticing one for Boomers’ fans.

Adam Gibson - 188cm Guard / Gold Coast Blaze
Gibson is in a battle with Damian Martin and Steven Markovic for the third point guard role on the depth chart. He is just the right sort of player to fill that position; a hard worker who doesn’t complain. He is physically stronger than Martin and unlike Markovic has been in the Boomers’ program for the past couple of years under Brown. Prior to the recent Boomers World Challenge series, Gibson was looking the leading contender for the role but Martin impressed against the Argentineans making it a close race. Either would be a good addition in this role, but for mine Gibson narrowly misses out and Martin gets the gig. Either way, it’s going to be intense on the court on the Gold Coast over the next few days as Gibson, Martin and Markovic battle it out. There has actually been some discussion of the Boomers taking two additional guards to act as defensive stoppers off the bench, which could see both Martin and Gibson earn a berth, but I just don’t see Brown having that luxury given he will be relying on less experienced big men.

Damian Martin - 188cm Guard / Perth Wildcats
Martin was given the chance to shine against Argentina, and he made the most of his opportunities. He is also coming off a season when he led his Perth team to the title and wiped away any doubts as to whether he would ever develop the sort of outside shot that would go with his superior ability to penetrate to the basket. In season 2009/10 for Perth he made a sizzling 49.4% of his three-point attempts. Even more importantly, he is a natural leader on the floor and the ultimate team guy. You just know this kid isn’t going to sulk on the bench when he has to sit while Mills and Bruton are soaking up the vast majority of the minutes at point guard. For me, he gets the nod for the back-up back-up role at one.

Brad Newley - 198cm Guard / Besiktas (Turkey)
Newley has played well in Turkey this past season with strong averages of 17.6ppg, 4.5rpg, 1.3apg, 1.2spg. Another player with great hops who can get to the rim, Newley has also worked hard on his perimeter game and made 42.5% of his treys for Besiktas. That makes him a far more dangerous player than the one who burst onto the NBL landscape for the Townsville Crocodiles in 2004. Newley is a gimme for the final team assuming he is healthy and I would see him starting in the shooting guard role.

Matthew Nielsen - 209cm Forward / Olympiacos (Greece)
Another player who appears a certainty to go to Turkey is former Sydney Kings championship player Matthew Nielsen. Like Ingles, Worthington, Newley and Markovic, Nielsen is a former NBL Rookie of the Year. Since 2004 he has been earning a living as a pro in Europe and recently signed with Greek superclub Olympiacos. His stats last season in the Eurocup weren’t gaudy (9.6ppg, 4.8rpg, 2.5apg, 1.1spg) but he is the sort of player whose contribution isn’t always measured on numbers. He brings a toughness to teams he plays on and is also the ultimate competitor. As a result, expect to see him start at the four ahead of Andersen.

AJ Ogilvy - 211cm Centre / Besiktas (Turkey)
Ogilvy had a stellar career at Vanderbilt University, and declared for the NBA Draft after his junior season. He ultimately went undrafted, mainly because he never quite managed to match his phenomenal rookie college season, but played for the Chicago Bulls in the summer league recently. A true centre, Ogilvy can provide a legitimate low post target for the Boomers. With the big man positions up for grabs with Jawai and Bogut now out of the mix and Maric unlikely, he is in the running for the back-up centre role. My guess is coach Brown will take a chance on this promising young big man and use him as the reserve five man.

Aron Baynes - 207cm Centre / EWE Baskets Oldenburg (Germany)
Whilst Baynes wasn’t even in everyone’s predictions to actually make the team last year, the current big man situation has consolidated his chances and could even see him elevated to the starting centre role. A bruiser who is tough inside and good on the glass, he had a stellar college career with Washington State. Although his height would seem more likely to make him a power forward for the Boomers, he plays bigger than his 207cm and is an exceptionally hard worker. Expect to see him in green and gold in Turkey and to play a sizeable role for Brown’s depleted team.

Steven Markovic - 190cm Guard / KK Crvena Zvezda Beograd (Serbia)
Markovic has been somewhat of an enigma over recent years for Australian fans. Whilst they might remember his Rookie of the Year season with the West Sydney Razorbacks, it has been a case of out of sight, out of mind since he decided to go to Europe. He has played predominantly in the highly-competitive Serbian league but also spent time with well regarded Italian team Benetton Treviso. Whilst his numbers have been modest, Markovic has developed into a well-regarded player with a wealth of international pro experience. He is vying for the third point guard spot behind Mills and Bruton and appears to be trailing both Gibson and Martin for that role. If he were to have a stellar training camp on the Gold Coast, that could change of course but he appears to have some ground to make up.

Alex Loughton - 205cm Forward / Cairns Taipans
Let me go on record now as saying that I am a huge fan of Loughton and I agree with cach Brown’s recent comment that the Cairns Taipans may well have made the signing of the off-season in picking him up. That being said, barring injuries to any of the other bigs I think Loughton might just miss out on a berth for Turkey. I would love to see him get the chance to go as a back-up big man in one of the 11th or 12th spots, but it looks likely to me that Brown will need some to use one of those for additional cover for the centre position. Loughton is a power forward and lacks the height to play the pivot role at international level, so that gives the likes of Ogilvy and Luke Nevill the inside running to make the team. Having said that, Loughton is renowned as a great team person and a very hard worker, so if he can use those qualities to standout at camp on the Gold Coast it is not inconceivable that he could set the cat amongst the pigeons.

Luke Nevill - 216cm Centre / Melbourne Tigers
The loss of Bogut, Jawai and (quite probably) Maric may just have opened up a slot for Nevill to make the team for Turkey. The newly-signed Melbourne Tigers centre would, at 216cm, bring some good additional size to the Boomers’ middle. He is also a player who likes to stay close to the basket, working on the low-block – always a commendable attribute in a centre if you ask me. If Brown decides to go with a small ball line-up and change his offensive focus to more of a movement-based game, Nevill might miss the boat. However size is critical in the international game, so I think he will find his way into the 12.


Have Your Say – Who should make up the final Boomers 12 for Turkey?
Email us your Boomers team for the World Championships. We will print some of the best emails on nbl.com.au over the next week.

[Picek]

Alex Maric will miss the World Championship. He told to serbian medias that he need some rest after a very long season.

according to this:

http://www.b92.net/sport/kosarka/vesti.php?yyyy=2010&mm=07&dd=20&nav_id=446810

Marić will play for the aussie team at WC..

[aussieasker]

according to this:

http://www.b92.net/sport/kosarka/vesti.php?yyyy=2010&mm=07&dd=20&nav_id=446810

Marić will play for the aussie team at WC..

Do you think that website is trustworthy? Do they usually get things right? Are they a famous website?

I really hope he plays...

[aussieasker]

Also, 5 hours before the story you posted was published, the same website said Maric isn't playing for Australia- http://translate.google.com/translat....google.com.au

[Picek]

Also, 5 hours before the story you posted was published, the same website said Maric isn't playing for Australia- http://translate.google.com/translat....google.com.au

yes, but in the article in the link I gave you they denied that news..
unlike many other serbian "yellow" newspapers I think they are trustworthy..
atleast they have been before..

[kerdito]

Guys Julian Kazzouh is not invited to tryouts this year right?

[aussieasker]

Guys Julian Kazzouh is not invited to tryouts this year right?

Nope, he wasn't, should've been though, I think he might of been a chance of making the team. He has signed to play in the Australian league for next season though...

[Saskibaloia]

Don't write Boomers off yet: Andersen

Check out this article.

[aussieasker]

Check out this article.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctza-LCobHY

Video to that story...