Joe Ingles pumps up Boomers’ NBL players after perfect start to World Cup
Boomers veteran Joe Ingles has fired back at critics who questioned the make up of Australia’s World Cup squad.
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Boomers veteran Joe Ingles has hit back at critics who questioned the make up of Australia’s World Cup squad, saying NBL players like Nick Kay and Chris Goulding were chosen for a reason.
Australia surged into the second round following a thrilling 87-82 victory over European foes Lithuania.
While NBA stars Patty Mills, Aron Baynes and Matthew Dellavedova have excelled in the World Cup thus far, the Australians have also received valuable contributions down the depth chart. The likes of Kay, Goulding, Mitch Creek and Jock Landale have all impressed.
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Kay was outstanding coming off the bench against a physical Lithuanian side, finishing with 11 points.
Goulding has also stood out, playing a crucial role with his potency from the perimeter.
Ingles believes the strong performances of the Boomers’ role players justifies their positions in the team.
“I think it shows that we picked the right players after all the articles that came out about picking the wrong team,” Ingles said. “It’s credit to the coaching staff and those guys.
“Being around the guys in training camp and seeing the things that you guys didn’t see, it was an easy decision to select them.
“We saw them every day for three weeks before we selected the team and that is why you are seeing the performances now.
“There is no one guy in this team that is bigger than anyone else.
“We are all here to win games and win a gold medal and everyone has bought into that.”
Thursday’s win over Lithuania ensures the Boomers finished first in Group H, placing them in a strong position to progress to the quarter-finals.
Australia now play the Dominican Republic and France in the second round, starting on Saturday. The Boomers must finish in the top two to qualify for their first quarter-final appearance since 1982.
Ingles praised his team’s composure down the stretch against a formidable Lithuanian side.
“I’m proud of our guys with the way we were able to pull it out,” he said.
“It was just a hell of a team effort from everyone.
“But they (Lithuania) are a great team — we’ve got a lot of respect for them.”
Mills continued his outstanding form with 23 points against Lithuania.
The veteran San Antonio Spurs guard also came up with two clutch baskets down to stretch, including a monster three in the final seconds, to help the Aussies over the line.
Ingles wasn’t surprised by Mills’ Magic.
“Patty has done that in every game,” he said. “It is what he does — he is a great player.”
Baynes led the way for Australia in the physical stakes against Lithuania with 21 points and 13 rebounds in his best performance at the World Cup to date.
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Baynes loves the big man battles, so he thrived versus the Lithuanian’s NBA duo Domantas Sabonis and Jonas Valanciunas.
The proud Queenslander dominated in the paint while he added 3 of 5 from beyond the arc.
Ingles said Baynes was the key to victory for the Boomers.
“Aron got us going early with those couple of shots,” he said.
“He was huge with his defence on their two bigs- Baynesy did a great job.”
Australia play the Dominican Republic in their first second-round game on Saturday at 6pm (AEST) before a clash versus France on Monday at 10pm (AEST).