Boomers v World: News and reports from Australia’s three-game World Cup warm up in Melbourne
Ahead of this week’s Boomers clashes, Josh Green has revealed his excitement at playing alongside Dante Exum in Dallas and his cheeky bet with superstar Luka Doncic.
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Josh Green has opened up on Dante Exum’s arrival in Dallas, his notorious Tokyo bet with superstar teammate Luka Doncic and why the Boomers were leaving nothing to chance in this week’s World Cup warm up games in Melbourne.
Green, whose game has improved exponentially in each of his three seasons in the NBA, is excited to attack the campaign alongside Dante Exum, who will join him at the Dallas Mavericks
“It should be really good, man, he’s going to fit really well within the team,” Green said.
“He’s a great guy to be around with the Boomers and I think the guys in Dallas are going to love Dante.”
Mavericks’ teammate Luka Doncic faces a case of double trouble when Exum arrives, given both he and Green were part of the Boomers team that downed the superstar’s Slovenia to win Olympic bronze – something Green reminds him of, from time to time.
“I don’t try to push it too much, just every now and then,” Green laughed.
“We had a little side bet going on in Tokyo where he had to wear my jersey to a (NBA) game because we won.
“We haven’t talked about it yet but if we end up playing each other again I’ll have to bring that up with him.”
Green says the Boomers will be looking to kick off their World campaign with a trio of wins over Venezuela, Brazil and Sudan in Melbourne this week as they attempt top back up their Olympic bronze with another slice of history at the World Cup
“I’m sure I speak for most of the other guys, whatever team’s in front of us, whoever it is, we’re trying to win the game and we’re going to play as hard as we can,” Green said.
“It’s something I’m super proud of, being able to say I’m Australian and being able to say I represent my country.
“I think it’s going to be a bright future but it’s important for all of us to be able to stay in the present now.”
With Melbourne about to be the epicentre of the Boomers’ FIBA World Cup preparation, Green’s teammate and hometown hero Josh Giddey is hungry to tip-off on Monday night on a court steeped in basketball history.
It’s the first time in eight years the Boomers will step onto Rod Laver Arena, the last a 2015 win over New Zealand. The centrepiece of Australian Open grand slam tennis, it once doubled as the home of basketball in Victoria, regularly hosting crowds of more than 15,000, before the opening of nearby John Cain Arena in 2000.
Giddey has heard all the stories about his two-time NBL champion dad Warrick playing enforcer for Andrew Gaze and the Melbourne Tigers at the jam-packed venue during the NBL’s mid-1990s halcyon days.
Now, it’s the 20-year-old Oklahoma City Thunder star’s turn to take centre stage and create his own slice of history with the Boomers.
“I haven’t played in front of my friends and family in Melbourne for a number of years now and I’ve been dying to get back,” Giddey said.
“I’m glad it’s finally going to happen and I can’t wait to run out onto an arena I’ve been to so many times and there’s so much history there.
“These games are going to be really big and important in preparing us to go over to Japan and start the World Cup off the right way.”
The Boomers exited their Cairns selection camp last week having cut their squad from 18 to 13, with coach Brian Goorjian still to make one more big decision. The line-up will be less than optimal with the Boomers’ best big Jock Landale ruled out with an ankle injury.
BOOMERS V WORLD MELBOURNE FIXTURES
Monday, August 14
Brazil v South Sudan, 5.30pm
Australia v Venezuela, 7.45pm
Wednesday, August 16
Australia v Brazil, 5.30pm*
Venezuela v South Sudan, 7.45pm*
Thursday, August 17
Venezuela v Brazil, 5.30pm
Australia v South Sudan, 7.45pm
*Denotes games have been swapped.
WHO ARE THE BOOMERS PLAYING?
BRAZIL
Full squad: Marcelinho Huertas, Yago Mateus, Raul Neto, George De Paula, Vitor Benite, Guilherme Santos, Leonardo Meindl, Didi Louzada, Gabriel Jau, Lucas Dias, Bruno Caboclo, Tim Soares, Felipe Dos Anjos, Cristiano Felicio
Headlined by several former NBA men in Bruno Caboclo, Cristiano Felicio and Marcelinho Huertas, Aussie hoops fans will be familiar with a pair of former Sydney Kings. Didi Louzada was a Next Star in the Harbour City from 2019-21, while big man Tim Soares played a role in the Kings’ brilliant NBL23 title run.
VENEZUELA
Full squad: Michael Carrera, Luis Carrillo, Pedro Chourio, Anyelo Cisneros, Nestor Colmenares, David Cubillan, Windi Graterol, Heissler Guillent, Andres Marrero, Edgar Martinez, Jose Materan, Enrique Medina, Anthony Perez, Franger Pirela, Fabrizio Pugliatti, Miguel Ruiz, Yohanner Sifontes, Garly Sojo, Kender Urbina, Gergory Vargas, Jhornan Zamora
Standing at 218cm, giant teen Enrique Medina is already getting used to life in Australia as part of Canberra’s elite NBA Global Academy development program. He’s 19 and with the world at his feet, but that’s about where the youth stops for the oldest roster at the World Cup — an average age of 32, including Medina. One name who stands out for Aussie fans is Michael Carrera, who was a supremely talented but volatile import who played just five games with Cairns in 2017-18 before he was hit by injury and cut by the Taipans.
SOUTH SUDAN
Full squad: Junior Madut, Nuni Omot, Carlik Jones, Emmanuel Akot, Mareng Gatkouth, Mangok Mathiang, Kuany Kuany, Mathiang Muo, Deng Dut, Marial Shayok, Deng Acuoth, Majok Deng, Peter Jok, Khaman Maluach, Koch Bar, Gob Gabriel, Wenyen Gabriel, Sunday Dech
South Sudan are the feel-god story of international basketball, on their way to their first World Cup. And they have a distinct NBL flavour with four players currently on Aussie rosters. Mangok Mathiang has NBA experience and will man the middle for New Zealand after a season in Illawarra, Sunday Dech is an Adelaide 36ers’ defensive dynamo and both Majok Deng and Junior Madut have joined Tasmania from Cairns and South East Melbourne, respectively. Giant 17-year-old Khaman Maluach has found his way onto NBL Next Star radars, while Kuany Kuany, Mathiang Muo and Deng Acuoth have each played in the NBL. LA Lakers forward Wenyen Gabriel leads the charge, while point guard Carlik Jones is the reigning G League MVP on a two-way contract with the Chicago Bull
PLAYING FOR FREE: BOOMERS’ INCREDIBLE BIG PICTURE SACRIFICE
The Australian Boomers mean so much to the players that the side’s NBA stars are willing to hand over their pay packets to fund the program’s progression.
The Boomers set-up has made significant strides from the days when the players were forced to borrow strapping tape from rivals or wash their own singlets.
Today, the program is world-class, with players surrounded by the best in nutrition, recovery, facilities and medical assistance.
It’s the Boomers senior NBA stars who have played a vital role in the regeneration of the program, as forward Thon Maker reveals.
Maker says the veteran players have agreed to donate their match fees back to Basketball Australia to fund facilities and team staff in camp.
“It’s sacrificing by saying whatever payment we get to play for the Boomers, we’d rather put it back into the program to help it grow instead of me pocketing it,” Maker said.
“It has really grown over the years and the guys in the program now are the ones benefiting.”
Senior players choosing to fund the national program, from Maker’s recollections, dates back to a player-led meeting in Melbourne in 2017.
The South Sudanese-born forward was in his rookie NBA season with the Milwaukee Bucks and a newcomer to the Boomers program.
Maker went on to make his Australian debut in a World Cup qualifier against Japan a year later, but the meeting in ’17 had already provided him with an insight into the players’ passion for the national program.
“I just remember the players talking about how important it was for them to see the program improve,” he said.
“It was tougher in the past and it was also harder for the best team to be put together with the best talent, but now we’ve got guys in the NBA who are like: ‘I don’t want to play in those conditions’, and they’re prepared to make a difference themselves.
“Since that meeting, we’ve been consistent with it (using our pay) to help improve the program and things have got a lot better.”
Players dipping into their own pockets to support the national program hasn’t always been a panacea to the Boomers’ problems.
In fairness, Basketball Australia doesn’t possess the financial clout of bigger federations or institutions, especially the NBA.
This was shown in 2019 when Patty Mills urged Basketball Australia to improve the team’s backroom resources to secure NBA star Ben Simmons’ services on the international stage.
Mills also revealed Simmons had serious concerns about the Boomers’ set-up. He admitted these fears were shared by the entire team.
The Boomers’ NBA players were frustrated that some of their performance demands to Basketball Australia had been knocked back due to budgetary reasons.
These requests included a personal team chef instead of eating at hotels, plus extra recovery and performance staff.
Mills stressed the players’ issues with the Boomers set-up had nothing to do with money and they weren’t being greedy NBA stars on multimillion dollar deals.
He said the grievances were all about creating an environment that would enable the players to reach their potential.
“We don’t play for Australia to get paid,” Mills said at the time.
“We play for the pride of our country and the opportunity to create history by being the best team in the world.”
Fuelled by this desire for excellence, the Australian Boomers program is now in a far stronger position.
This was on show at the recent World Cup selection camp in Cairns. The players had access to the finest facilities, food and even a brand-new team bus.
The program’s improvement hasn’t been lost on the players, according to Maker.
“Some of the guys laugh about it, but it wasn’t that long ago when we were sharing rooms as teammates,” he said.
“Five years ago when we were World Cup qualifiers and preparation, we didn’t have access to a lot of things like facilities, training sessions, nutrition, you name it.
“It is different now and so much better because guys have so much more access to better nutrition and living standards.”
The Boomers’ historic bronze medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics has also intensified the players’ appetite for perfection.
Maker isn’t playing in this month’s World Cup in Japan and the Philippines after being cut from the squad, but he’ll be cheering on from a far and knows the team is primed to succeed.
“The players understand the main goal now is to win the gold medal – and that’s the level and attitude that everything is held to,” he said.
“From our basketball, diet, rest and recovery – everything is gold medal standard.
“To see the growth of our game and this team is all I ever wanted.
“It’s why I have so much fun whenever I come into Boomers camp. Guys like Delly, I’ve played half my career with him.
“That is what goes into us giving back to the program.”
Young NBA gun Josh Green said veterans had dipped into their own pockets to fund projects and team events that have been the bedrock of the Boomers’ storied culture.
He’s looking forward to continuing that tradition.
“That’s a veteran-type thing but my time will definitely come,” Green said.
“Guys like Patty and Joe, they’ve put a lot of their own money into these things and it’s something that you can look at as a young guy and be like ‘damn, put in that money into it seems crazy’ but then you really get around the team and you realise being able to have that connection and being able to do all those extra things, it’s not as crazy as you would think.
“It’s so rewarding in so many ways and being around such a great group of guys, that money is a great investment.”
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Originally published as Boomers v World: News and reports from Australia’s three-game World Cup warm up in Melbourne
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