McVeigh on Boomers: "I feel like I belong"

Monday, July 1, 2024

The Paris Olympics are a little over three weeks away and Jack McVeigh wants nothing more than to be on that plane.

Tasmania JackJumpers star Jack McVeigh feels ‘like he belongs’ on the Australian Boomers team.

Of course, he’s one of the newer faces in a squad that features Olympic medallists, NBA stars and some of Australia’s greatest ever basketball talents – but McVeigh says he’s ready to take the next step – and ready to play at the Olympics.

It won’t be an easy task. The current squad of 17 is still to be trimmed to 12. That won’t deter the Sengstock Trophy winner though.

"It's my first time playing basketball at this level, so you're always a little nervous; then, you get on the floor and realise quickly that you belong,” McVeigh told ESPN from the Boomers’ camp in Melbourne.

"This is where I'm meant to be, this is the type of hoops I'm meant to be playing. Just learning, studying. I've got a magnifying glass on guys like Patty [Mills] and Joe [Ingles], and learning as much as I can. And then going out there and doing what I do, which is playing hard and getting buckets.

"I just back what I do. We train so hard in Tassie. We work on our craft. I feel like this is the moment I've been preparing for. This is my chance to take that next step as a basketball player. I feel ready. When I walk out there, I feel like I belong. I'm confident.”

JACK MCVEIGH. INCREDIBLE. pic.twitter.com/GDXFGZAdwA
— NBL (@NBL) March 24, 2024

McVeigh will be part of a Boomers team that will play against China this week in Melbourne, with games on Tuesday and Thursday night.

Then, Brian Goorjian will make the ultimate call on who’s heading to Paris and who gets the chance to win another medal for their country.

"He's (McVeigh) scoring the ball. He's shooting the s--- out of it. He's an elite basketball player, he's an international player, and he's in the mix," Goorjian said.

The JackJumpers star had his best season-to-date across NBL24.

He made the All-NBL Second Team and boasted averages of 16.4 points and 5.3 assists a game.

During the Championship Series, he was on another level.

In April, McVeigh signed a new contract to keep him in Tasmania until the end of the NBL27 season.

Read the full story here >> 'This is where I'm meant to be': Jack McVeigh making strong case for Paris