Basketball World Cup: Luc Longley calls for Boomers to move on from heartbreak as big game looms large
A shot at gold may have been snatched away but a third place game against France and a historic tournament medal is a still a nice consolation for the Boomers, according to Luc Longley.
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Aussie legend and assistant coach Luc Longley has urged the current crop of Boomers to mentally move on from the heartbreaking double overtime loss to Spain in a bid to claim a maiden medal against France.
The players were left devastated after they blew a golden opportunity to progress to the World Cup final.
The Boomers led by as many as 11 points in the third quarter but poor shooting and turnovers in the second period of overtime proved costly.
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Australia will now have to quickly regroup to win a historic bronze medal in Sunday’s third place game versus the French.
The players were so shattered after the Spain game that they didn’t leave the sheds to speak to the media.
The squad sat in silence as they came to terms with a match that they should have won.
Longley was the only Australian official to emerge from the team’s dressing room.
He has been a part of every fourth-placed finish for Australia, so he understands the pain the current players are experiencing and had some timely advice heading into the rematch against France.
“The guys need to take care of their bodies second and take care of their minds first,” Longley said.
“They have to do what they’ve got to do to express their frustration without it costing them physically.
“We’ve got a bronze medal game coming up. I know it is a consolation prize, but I would sure like a bronze medal.”
Boomers legend Andrew Gaze sat with News Corp Australia to watch the loss to Spain.
Gaze finished fourth as an Australian player at three Olympic Games in 1988, 1996 and 2000, so he appreciates the determination driving the current crop to create history.
In typical ‘Gazey’ fashion, he rode every possession with all the energy, enthusiasm and passion that we’ve come to love from the Melbourne Tigers great.
In the closing stages of the second period of overtime when Spain surged to the lead, Gaze sat slumped.
He looked like his favourite pet had died while he repeatedly hit the table out of frustration.
Gaze was devastated at full-time to see the Boomers come so close yet lose another big game on the world stage.
“Of course, we will be disappointed not to win the gold but that is just the expectations of this team,” Gaze said.
“It would still be a remarkable achievement even if we win a bronze medal.”
The Boomers meet France in the bronze medal game on Sunday from 6pm (AEST).
Australia will head into the clash confident of winning after they beat the French 100-98 in the second round in Nanjing.
Although, the French will be fired up after losing their semi-final to a weakened Argentina side while they’ll be determined to exact revenge on the Boomers.
The Boomers were in reasonable spirits at their training session in Beijing on Saturday morning. Only a handful of players practiced as they came to terms with their heartbreaking loss to Spain.
Guard Matthew Dellavedova didn’t attend as he recovered from serious cramps that he suffered throughout the Spain game.
Dellavedova struggled to walk in the team hotel on Saturday night but he is expected to play against France in Sunday’s bronze medal game.
Joe Ingles, who struggled to find his shooting form against the Spanish, refused to speak to the media at training as he honed his focus in on an improved performance against the French.
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Bench guard Chris Goulding was happy to talk and refused to blame a number of controversial refereeing decisions for the Boomers’ meltdown against Spain in a double overtime classic.
“We came really close to putting ourselves in a position to play for a gold medal and we didn’t get there, so of course we (blame ourselves),” Goulding said.
“You give credit to Spain for being a really good f***ing basketball team. A powerhouse of our game for years and years and years.
“And you have to look at yourself and realise what we could’ve done better.
“It’s a tough one because individually everything thinks they’ve done something wrong which cost the game but that’s not how basketball works.”