Australian Boomers: Tasmanian teenager Jacob Furphy reveals lessons from Aussie veterans
He is Australia’s newest Boomer, and teenager Jacob Furphy has revealed it was three of the team’s oldest heads who helped him swim in the deep end. Find out more.
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Unheralded teenage Boomer Jacob Furphy has credited three of the nation’s veteran stars with unlocking a new side of his game.
The 18-year-old, who grew up in the small seaside town of Smithton in Tasmania’s northwest, made his Australian Boomers debut last month after he was parachuted into the squad for a pair of Asia Cup qualifiers.
The Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence athlete said he was handed a healthy reality check about what it takes to compete at the highest levels of the game on his arrival in camp.
“It was really the older guys that pulled us all together. I learnt a helluva lot from guys like Chris Goulding, Nick Kay, and Dejan Vasiljevic, it was really cool,” Furphy said.
“Just their professionalism and the way they go about things, they really take care of their body and when they’re in their pre-game stuff they’re locked in and doing what they need.”
The 6’5 shooting guard was afforded 15 minutes on the floor and managed five points and two assists in Australia’s thumping 101-48 win over Thailand, and a further five minutes against South Korea.
“It was pretty surreal, I’ve worn the Australian jersey as a junior but not as a senior before, it was cool stepping on (the floor),” he said.
“I was a bit nervous but the older guys got around me and instilled a bit of confidence in me and when I scored my first point all the guys on the bench got up, it was a really good feeling.”
So much is made of the Boomers culture, and Furphy said it was something that struck him immediately.
“Culture’s the main thing the Boomers correlate with, it’s just the way they stick together, it’s not just the bond with the players but also the coaching staff that pays dividends to the way they play on the court, just playing together,” he said.
Furphy has modelled his game on NBA stars Luka Doncic and Jalen Brunson, and is in the midst of chasing Basketball Australia Schools Championship glory with Lake Ginninderra College on the Gold Coast.
“I’m not the most athletic guy in the world but I feel like my IQ and skill level can get me to where I want to go,” Furphy said.
Furphy is currently leading Lake Ginninderra College’s quest for a national title at the Basketball Australia Schools Championships, and sits among the tournament’s best in every important statistic.
The guard, who is averaging a double-double across the week, leads the competition for assists per game at 5.5, while sits second in points (22.25) and third in rebounds (12.25).
Lake Ginninderra coach Jason Denley raved about Furphy’s influence on his side in their run to the tournament finals.
“(He’s a fantastic, not only player but person … the quality he has as a leader of the group, he’s a leader at the Centre of Excellence too, and his ability to make everyone better, you can see on the court, he reads the game and puts the ball in the right places,” Denley said, adding that the fact Furphy had committed to play College basketball at UConn said everything you need to know about him.
UConn have won back-to-back NCAA championships and boast one of the United States’ top college programs.
“I guess it was the same thing as the Boomers, I’ve always been around a great culture group,” Furphy said of why he chose UConn.
“Coach (Dan) Hurley is very passionate and hardworking and that rubs off on his players because they’ve got the same passion and the same energy and effort.
“It’s a place where I’m going to get better and a place where I need to be.”
*You can watch every match of the Championship division at the Basketball Australia Schools Championships LIVE on KommunityTV. Click here to find out more
Originally published as Australian Boomers: Tasmanian teenager Jacob Furphy reveals lessons from Aussie veterans
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