Boomers Set to Light up Melbourne
It’s been all about the Matilda’s of late (and rightly so!) but it’s time for the Boomers to take centre stage starting tonight down in Melbourne against Venezuela.
Boomers schedule below, with all games live on 9GEM.
- Australia v Venezuela – Tonight 7.30pm
- Australia v Brazil – Wednesday 5.30pm (moved forward for the Matilda’s SF v England)
- Australia v South Sudan – Thursday 7.30pm
Much to the delight of all Australian sports fans, the Boomers initially slated for a 7.30pm tip off on Wednesday night, have moved their slot forward to 5.30pm to accommodate for the Matilda’s v England World Cup Semi Final. A smart and brilliant move from Basketball Australia, and gives everyone the chance to tune into both games for what is sure to be a huge night of television in Australian homes.
Tonight gives us a look into the future for the Boomers, with Josh Giddey and Patty Mills to give us a new look back court heading into the World Cup beginning next Friday, where we face off against Finland at 6pm (25/08).
For as long as we can remember, Patty and Delly led a Boomers back court built on heart and determination, but as of last week, Delly was cut from the Boomers squad for the World Cup and he leaves as one of the greats in Boomers history.
Delly hands the keys over to Josh Giddey who was outstanding in his 2nd season with the OKC Thunder this past NBA Season, averaging just over 16.5 PPG, 7.9 RPG and 6.2 APG. His court vision will be huge for the Boomers, as having the ability to play Patty off the ball and having Josh find him for open 3s will be a big win for the team!
The team is loaded with NBA talent, with Matisse Thybulle and Josh Green due to play a much bigger role in the World Cup, as well as being joined by fellow vets of the team Joe Ingles and Jock Landale. Landale sustained an ankle injury in camp and may miss the entire warm up campaign, but will be good to go for the World Cup.
Landale’s injury gives Brian Goorjian an extra look at his bigs for the tournament, with the Boomers due to start Duop Reath at centre now, with the likes of Cooks, Kay and White to be given extra minutes now at the 4-5 spot during the Melbourne series.
With only 1 spot left to cut out for the World Cup campaign it may come down to the back up big position, and no one would envy Goorj in making this decision, as all remaining members are well and truly right in the mix for the 12 man squad.
We also get our first look at Dyson Daniels in a Boomers jersey, and may see him alongside the likes of Dante Exum in the back court off the bench. The two guards could provide a huge spark off the bench for the Boomers, and joining them will be sharp shooter Chris Goulding who will love playing down in Melbourne.
Goulding has been a staple for Melbourne Utd since returning to the NBL in 2015, and will be a key bench contributor for a team needing a knock down 3 point shooter.
The Boomers should comfortably handle Venezuela tonight, with the bigger challenge coming against Brazil on Wednesday.
Marcelo Huertas (former LA Laker) heads up the Brazilian team, along with star big Bruno Caboclo.
The last remaining team, South Sudan, make their world cup debut and are filled with plenty of talent. Wenyen Gabriel (LA Lakers) joins a team with plenty of promise and excitement, with Mangok Mathiang, Majok Deng, Deng Acuoth and Sunday Dech all familiar names in the Basketball Australia circle.
It’s sure to be a great week down in Melbourne, all basketball fans are super excited to see our Boomers at home and cheer on the boys before a huge world cup campaign.
Bring home the gold boys!
Bauky