Why now is the time for the Boomers to take gold

Saturday, August 26, 2023

“There’s a lot more meaning, a deeper meaning to why we play for Australia now."

There is no sporting team that better represents the Australian culture of mateship and diligence than the Boomers, and this time around they're closer than we've ever seen before.

Australia has never won a medal at the FIBA World Cup - which was formerly known as the World Championships - but the closeness of this year's side could be a potential foreshadowing of a medal push with renewed vigour.

“There’s a lot more meaning, a deeper meaning to why we play for Australia now,” Boomers leader Patty Mills said at a FIBA pre-event press conference.

“Our mateship is a real strength in our Boomers culture,” Mills said.

“No matter what environment you put us in, we’ll find ways to be able to come together closer than we’ve ever done before.

“When it comes down to it, we know that we can have each other’s backs and trust everyone that’s in the locker room to be able to get the job done.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">It all counts from here ?<br><br>Josh Giddey will lead an NBL-heavy side against NBA star Lauri Markkanen and the Finnish national team in tonight's World Cup opener ?<br><br>Watch every game live on ESPN ?<br><br>? via <a href="https://twitter.com/FIBAWC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FIBAWC</a> <a href="https://t.co/O92EcjMMrr">pic.twitter.com/O92EcjMMrr</a></p>— NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1694868727760855078?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 25, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

There is high level NBA talent littered throughout this Boomers squad, from mainstays Mills and Joe Ingles to emerging stars Dyson Daniels and Josh Giddey.

And it's those young players, according to Mills, who will be driving the nation forward in the future.

“There are NBA players that didn’t make the team, we’ve risen our quality of play to another standard to where, this is now our reality,” Patty said on the unselected players.

“To strengthen our team culture within our Boomers squad, was something that needed to happen for the longevity of our program.

“When the day comes where me and Joe (sic) finally hang them up - not anytime soon - we’ll know that this program, and the legacy of this program is protected. It’s in the hands of Josh Giddey, Dyson Daniels and Jock Landale,” he said.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Who is the Boomers most important player? ?<a href="https://twitter.com/RBroekhoff45?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RBroekhoff45</a> answer might surprise some ?<br><br>Listen to the full episode: <a href="https://t.co/8DfQukuwTP">https://t.co/8DfQukuwTP</a> <a href="https://t.co/eJ4iJzSeRX">pic.twitter.com/eJ4iJzSeRX</a></p>— NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1694566767836950804?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 24, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Head coach Brian Goorjian echoed Mills’ sentiments, and said that now is the time to earn that inaugural gold medal.

“We’ve got a blueprint now ... on how we need to play and everybody understands what we need to do in order to win that gold medal,” Goorjian said.

“There are no excuses. Everybody is healthy, everybody is ready to go and we’ve got the blueprint we feel that we need for success.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">One of Australia's best players is missing the FIBA World Cup, but former Boomer <a href="https://twitter.com/RBroekhoff45?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RBroekhoff45</a> believes there could be a silver lining in the way the roster is now shaped ?<a href="https://t.co/HypxtnCkPb">https://t.co/HypxtnCkPb</a></p>— NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1694518889525502195?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 24, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

It hasn't been all smooth sailing for the side though. Likely starting centre Jock Landale was ruled out of the tournament following an ankle injury suffered in a warm-up game against South Sudan, while Chris Goulding's preparations have been interrupted by a minor complaint.

Joe Ingles was also hobbled during the 'Boomers vs World' pre-tournament campaign.

22-year-old Josh Green had his own injury scare against France, and was sidelined against Georgia in Australia's final exhibition game but has confirmed he is back healthy and ready to go.

Mills said the speed bumps they crossed have made them adapt to a new-found, confident style of play.

“It’s a little bit different with Jock being out. The style that we’re playing now is confident, it’s fast, it’s athletic,” he said.

“Being able to be a pro and adapt on the fly is a real thing, and especially to be able to do it in a World Cup major tournament like this is especially important.”

“We’ve had a few niggles, but Josh Green is 100 per cent ready to go, Chris Goulding got a good little hit in against Georgia," Goorjian added.

“Everybody here is healthy, and everybody is ready to go and on point.”

The Boomers’ World Cup opener is tonight at 6:00pm AEST against Finland, watch the game live and free on ESPN via Kayo Freebies.