Boomers draw tough London pool

Updated July 10, 2012 17:29:33

The ninth-seeded Australian Boomers have been handed a tough draw for the men's basketball competition at the London Olympics.

Already drawn against number two seeds Spain, 10th-seed China and the 13th-ranked Brazil, the last spot in the Boomers' Group B was allocated to world number 11 Russia following the final qualification tournament in Venezuela.

Also in Group is host nation Great Britain, ranked 43rd in the world.

Boomers coach Brett Brown says the inclusion of Russia highlights the strength of the Olympic competition, which has room for just 12 nations.

"Competition for those spots is intense so we we're not surprised to see Russia join us in Group B," Brown said.

"When you have 213 countries battling it out for just 12 spots, it means that only the best of the best will be in London."

The Boomers qualified for London after defeating arch rivals New Zealand in the 2011 FIBA Oceania Championship. All the Boomers' group games will be played at the London Basketball Arena.

The Boomers' Olympic draw (AEST):

July 29: v Brazil, 8:15pm

July 31: v Spain, 8:15pm

August 2: v China, 8:15pm

August 5: v Great Britain, 5:00am

August 6: v Russia, 6:00pm

Tags: olympics-summer, sport, basketball, australia

First posted July 10, 2012 17:29:33

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Boomers coach spoilt for London choice

Updated May 01, 2012 20:35:11

Point guard Patty Mills will front up Australia's campaign at the London Olympics in fine form after taking part in the NBA postseason.

But while Mills is almost certainly a lock after a breakout campaign in Beijing, Boomers coach Brett Brown has plenty of other talent to put around his young playmaker as he looks to cut down his 25-man squad to 12.

Mills, playing off the bench for the Western Conference top-seeded San Antonio Spurs, is the only member of Brown's squad currently playing in the American competition.

Giant Victorian Andrew Bogut, a centre for the Golden State Warriors, is normally a mainstay of the Australian national team but ankle surgery has ruled him out of the hunt for an elusive Olympic medal in London.

Brown will have a myriad of options from which to select his final 12-man Boomers side with 10 prospects currently plying their trade in European leagues, nine from the NBL and five from the US college system.

"Our first camp will effectively be a 'melting pot' of players from various backgrounds and this very early start will enable us to begin moving forward while we wait for our core European players and Patty Mills to return," Brown said.

"How far our players stretch across the globe is a testament to the talent identification and developmental programs delivered by Basketball Australia and the AIS.

"I have great Aussie talent competing all over the world at my disposal."

Five Australian hopefuls are capable of filling Bogut's sizeable shoes at centre, and two of those have tasted limited NBA action.

Journeyman big David Andersen, who will turn 32 in June, had stints with Houston, Toronto and New Orleans but did not play in the lockout-shortened 2011/12 competition.

After a strong season for the Sydney Kings, Julian Khazzouh was given the opportunity to try out for Golden State during the NBA preseason and saw some brief court time before ultimately being waived.

But the NBL's 2010/11 MVP runner-up continued to turn in solid performances in Sydney and finished the regular season leading the league in rebounds per game (10.8) and fifth in average points per game (16.4).

Three players from the 2011/12 grand finalist Perth Wildcats side - Damian Martin, Jesse Wagstaff and Matt Knight - join Khazzouh and five other NBL players in the 25.

Sydney-born forward Nathan Jawai has also seen game time in the US, having played for the Raptors and Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA, and five members of the squad have honed their games in the NCAA college basketball system.

Brown said that he was excited about having to narrow down such a talented roster.

"Our coaching staff is excited to extend invitations to this group of athletes who have earned the right to be considered for the Boomers London Olympic Games team," he said.

"We have identified these players, worked with these players, and watched their growth over the past four years.

"The large majority of this squad has participated in several camps, tours, and world events during my time as coach, and now each of them has the opportunity to take it one final step and represent Australia at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

"This invitation is a tremendous honour and is a result of years of hard work and dedication."

Brown aims to have the fittest team in the competition leading into London, and said he is confident with how the Boomers' preparations will play out.

"All of the athletes understand that we need to arrive into London with the best fitness base of the 11 other countries. This is our main goal," he said.

"Each player will arrive into camp with this in mind, and only here can we truly begin a very serious campaign and focus as we prepare to play the world's best. Our players understand this.

"I am beyond excited to continue on in the final stages of our four-year plan.

"We have not skipped steps along the way and I have complete confidence that we can achieve special results with the players and staff that we have assembled."

The Boomers will assemble in Perth for their first training camp on June 3 ahead of the tournament's opening tip on July 29.

Boomers squad: Anatoly Bose (Sydney Kings), Peter Crawford (Townsville Crocodiles) Matt Dellavedova (St Mary's), Anthony Drmic (Boise State), Adam Gibson (Gold Coast Blaze) Hugh Greenwood (New Mexico), Damian Martin (Perth Wildcats), Patrick Mills (San Antonio Spurs), David Barlow (UCAM Murcia), Ryan Broekhoff (Valparaiso), Mitch Creek (Adelaide 36ers), Joe Ingles (Spain), Brad Newley (Valencia), Brock Motum (Washington State University), Matthew Nielsen (BC Khimki), Jesse Wagstaff (Perth Wildcats), Mark Worthington (Gold Coast Blaze), Nathan Jawai (UNCIS Kazan), Daniel Kickert (PGE Turow), Matt Knight (Perth Wildcats), AJ Ogilvy (Valencia), David Andersen (Montepaschi Siena), Aron Baynes (Ikaros Kallitheas), Julian Khazzouh (Sydney Kings), Aleks Maric (Panathinaikos).

Tags: basketball, olympics-summer, sport, australia

First posted May 01, 2012 20:35:11

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Opals qualify for London Games

Updated September 09, 2011 20:26:58

The Opals have given themselves a shot at a fifth successive Olympic Games medal, booking their tickets to London next year by beating New Zealand in their qualifying series.

Australia's 92-73 victory in Brisbane on Friday night put it 2-0 up in the best-of-three Oceania championship series and ensured direct qualification for London.

The Opals, silver medallists at the past three Olympics, had won game one in Melbourne on Wednesday night.

Bench tall Elyse Penaluna starred along with giant centre Suzy Batkovic, as the Tall Ferns struggled to cope with their size and power in the paint.

Batkovic top-scored with 19 points and pulled down nine rebounds after a similar starring role in game one, while Penaluna poured in 11 of her 17 points in a third quarter burst which swung the match the Opals' way.

Guard Micaela Cocks and forward Natalie Taylor top-scored for New Zealand with 17 points apiece.

The Opals ambushed the Tall Ferns with their size advantage in the first quarter, taking a 14-point lead to the first break as Batkovic and Abby Bishop dominated early at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre.

Despite New Zealand pulling them back in the second quarter, it always looked a retractable lead the Opals were capable of stretching once they found another gear.

That they did late in the third quarter.

Australia pushed its lead out to 14 again by the final break as Penaluna lit up, hammering home once more the Opals' size advantage and depth.

Opals coach Carrie Graf paid tribute to a squad without its WNBA stars and key injured players being able to get the job done.

"It was ultimately about finding ways to win, so credit to this particular team of Opals to do their job as part of our Olympic campaign, to make sure we're qualified and going to London," she said.

"I thought our containment defence at time was lacking, our ability to make two-foot shots was a problem.

"There's still a lot of things for us to tidy up."

Graf said she was likely to experiment in game three at the Sydney Entertainment Centre now it was effectively a dead rubber.

Game three in the Oceania series will be played in Sydney on Sunday.

New Zealand coach Kennedy Kereama hopes his side can now gain the required funding from Kiwi authorities to compete at next year's repechage tournament, as well as some good quality lead-up games.

The top five sides from the 12-team tournament - which will also feature teams from Europe, Africa, South and Central America who have not qualified directly - will win inclusion for London.

AAP

Tags: basketball, sport, brisbane-4000, qld, australia, new-zealand

First posted September 09, 2011 19:31:20

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Boomers get go-ahead for London

Updated August 12, 2011 16:43:22

Australia's men's basketball team flies to riot-torn London on Saturday for an Olympic Games test tournament, confident security arrangements are adequate.

Basketball Australia has confirmed the team will take part in next week's tournament, which is set to go ahead with Olympic-style security measures.

It will be the first test event held at the London Olympic Park venue at Stratford, just a few kilometres from where much of the worst rioting around north and east London took place.

Boomers coach Brett Brown said he and his players felt no trepidation entering what has at times in recent days resembled an urban war zone.

"It's a test event for London security as well as the basketball security and we'll be fine," he said.

"They know they'll be under the world's eye and we've got complete faith in the city and Basketball Australia putting us in a position which is safe."

The Boomers will take part in the first game to be held at the Games venue - their clash with China on Tuesday.

And Brown is licking his lips at the prospect of his players getting a first-hand taste of what to expect should they qualify for the Olympics.

China, France, Croatia, Great Britain and Serbia will also take part in the tournament, before the Boomers play two matches against Spain.

"It's a reminder to our players what the end game and our purpose really is," Brown said.

"To visit the actual court and site where we hope to be next year is a motivational aspect that is really something special."

Brown has also flagged his Games selection plan in cutting his 16-man squad down to 14 for the London tournament.

The Boomers are without Andrew Bogut because of insurance wrangles resulting from the NBA lockout.

But NBA player Patty Mills heads a still-formidable squad, which also contains experienced Matt Nielsen, Joe Ingles and Mark Worthington.

Perth Wildcats' Jesse Wagstaff and youngster Hugh Greenwood have been left out - Brown saying he is attempting to select an experienced, match-hardened group for the Olympic qualifiers against New Zealand from September 7, and eventually for London.

Boomers squad: Patty Mills, David Barlow, Joe Ingles, Brad Newley, Matt Nielsen, Aron Baynes, Daniel Kickert, AJ Ogilvy, Aleks Maric, Matthew Dellavedova, Peter Crawford, Adam Gibson, Damian Martin, Mark Worthington.

AAP

Tags: basketball, sport, england, united-kingdom, australia

First posted August 12, 2011 16:30:41

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Boomers follow Opals to London

Updated September 09, 2011 22:26:24

Australia's men's basketball team has joined the women at the London Olympics with a series-clinching 81-64 victory over New Zealand in Brisbane.

While the Opals qualified with a reasonably comfortable 19-point win, the Boomers needed a huge final quarter to post a 17-point victory in their game two at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre.

"We've worked a long time for this and every since we went to Beijing I know it's a massive focus for us to get back to this point and it feels pretty good," skipper Matthew Nielsen told Grandstand.

"New Zealand is a tough team and we've played a lot of good European teams in the last two months, and no one's competed with us like they have.

"It's credit to them and good luck to them."

Trailing by two points at the end of the third quarter and the game in the balance, the Boomers men dug deep in every facet of the game - rebounding, scoring and defence - to see off the stubborn Tall Blacks.

They limited New Zealand to just 10 points for the final term - the bulk of which came after Australia's sensational 23-3 run which secured passage to London in the most emphatic style.

Boomer Brad Newley top-scored for his side with 12 points.

But much of the fourth quarter energy came from centre Aleks Maric, who poured in seven of his nine points in the term along with three vital boards.

"We don't rely on anyone on every night, which is a good thing going into a game," Nielsen said.

"Because you know someone can have an off night and it's not going to affect your team."

Boomers coach Brett Brown was ecstatic with the evenness of his side's effort as it lifted when it needed to.

"We did it by committee, we did it with a team, it was a true team effort," he said.

"We've got depth, we've got toughness, we did it with our defence and our defence generated our offence in that (fourth) period.

"To finally close the deal and get it done is a fantastic accomplishment."

New Zealand skipper Kirk Penney led the way for his side with 17 points.

The Tall Blacks were not helped with starters Tom Abercrombie and Mika Vukona fouling out early in the fourth term, leaving the visitors undermanned and outmatched at the most crucial time.

"At the end of it, it seemed we just ran out of gas in the fourth quarter," New Zealand forward Casey Frank said.

"When you lose two of your three best players, with a handicap like that it's always going to be difficult for us."

The Tall Blacks also lost guard Corey Webster prior to game one after Basketball New Zealand called him home after confirmation he returned a positive drugs test during an NBL game last season.

Both Australian teams have now qualified for next year's Games, regardless of the results in game three in Sydney on Sunday.

New Zealand's teams have a second chance to qualify for London through worldwide repechage tournaments to be held next year.

ABC/AAP

Tags: basketball, sport, brisbane-4000, qld, australia, new-zealand

First posted September 09, 2011 22:04:06

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