Boomers star issues blunt message to teammates after loss to Team USA

Australia’s highest-profile Boomers were too shattered to speak after losing to America, but they don’t have time to dwell on their devastation.

It was a tough one for Patty Mills.

Joe Ingles and Patty Mills kept their heads down as they made their way quickly through the bowels of Tokyo’s Saitama Super Arena.

Leaving the court after a 97-78 loss to Team USA in their semi-final, the veterans of four Olympic campaigns were in no mood to talk to the dozens of reporters separated by a metal fence on the other side of the corridor.

After outgunning the Americans for nearly two quarters, the game took a nightmare turn in the second half as the best team in the world finally started to sizzle.

Competing at their fourth Olympics each, Ingles and Mills were digesting the reality that what may be their last ever shot at a gold medal was gone for good.

Jock Landale was devastated too, cutting a sad figure as he lamented how the Aussies went on to lose by 19 points when at one stage in the second quarter, they were up by 15.

“There were mistakes that were made but they were easy mistakes,” Landale said. “Again it was turnovers, not keeping the ball in front of us, stuff like that so it’s stuff that we can control.

“It’s hard to get demoralised based on that but it’s just an effort thing.

“There were patches where we were bloody fantastic and then we just let it slip at the end of that second (quarter) and then going into the third they just really put it out there. It’s tough.”

The Boomers can’t dwell on their devastation for long though. They still have a chance at winning Australia’s first Olympic medal in men’s basketball when they play for bronze against the loser of Thursday’s other semi-final between Slovenia and France.

Jock Landale had a tournament to remember.

It’s easier said than done but Landale knows how important it is to forget about the USA result in time for the third-place playoff – using some colourful language to ram the point home when asked how the Boomers get themselves up for their final game.

“Put this game behind us and just be men about it, move on, don’t let there be a hangover,” he said. “Obviously guys are going to be disappointed because we came here to win gold but at the end of the day we have an opportunity to make history in our country and win a bronze medal.

“It would be selfish of us to carry that over to our next game. We’ve got to be ready to roll. I’m already motivated and trying to put this thing behind me but I’m sure there’ll be some guys who have put so much into this program, who expected to come in and win gold and we all expected to come in and win gold.

“There’ll be some guys hurting right now and it’s our jobs to pick them up and make sure they realise they’ve got one more game in 48 hours’ time to f***ing make history. So that’s where our heads are at.”

Boomers coach Brian Goorjian was understandably gutted, but not disheartened. The veteran mentor said this USA team is as good as any he’s faced and echoed Landale’s sentiments about bouncing back to win a historic bronze medal.

“I’m certainly not going to be in the room with my head hung. We showed what the Olympics is about, you’ve got an opportunity to show what your team and country is about,” Goorjian said.

Patty Mills had reason to be unhappy with some of the calls.

“For us right now it’s going to a place where the country has never been before. A proud tradition of basketball and we’ve never medalled. For us right now it’s wipe it, get up in the morning and wash your face and get ready for this next one, which is as important as any of us … have ever been involved in.”

Asked about the devastated reactions of players like Mills, Ingles and Matthew Dellavedova, Goorjian understood their pain but urged it not to become a distraction.

“These guys have put 12 years into this. I come in and out of this so the more you’re willing to commit to something, the more you’re willing to sacrifice for something, the harder it is to retreat, to step backwards, to accept,” he said. “I understand that.

“But when I walked out of that locker room, the message is loud and clear. Back straight, head back, walk out of here proud. Proud of what you do, proud of who you are, proud of who we’re displaying.

“No time for, ‘Always me, I’m sorry, this didn’t happen’.

“We’ve got something right now in front of us that has never happened I this country and let’s get excited about that.

“I feel my team’s feeling real good about themselves, proud of what they’ve put on display to this point and we’re very honoured and we’re very excited to be involved in a game coming ahead that could be a country’s first.

“I’m not allowing that out of the box.”

Originally published as Boomers star issues blunt message to teammates after loss to Team USA