Australia v Japan: Boomers win 98-52 in FIBA Basketball World Cup Qualifier
On the same day Andrew Gaze became a Legend, Australia did their best to make him proud, with demolition of Japan in their FIBA World Cup qualifier.
On a day when Boomers icon Andrew Gaze was elevated to Legend status, a relentless Australian team did him proud with a resounding demolition of Japan.
The game went to script, Australia’s guns locking in defensively and running the inferior Japanese ragged in a 46-point FIBA World Cup qualification win, 98-52.
Japan led 7-5 three minutes into the game on a Hirotaka Yoshii three-pointer — and then that was it. The Aussies scored 10 straight, and then piled on 25 points to 10 in the second to open up a 47-17 halftime lead.
From there, it was as if the Boomers had put glad wrap on the hoop, the depleted Akatsuki Five — sans NBA players Rui Hachimura and Yuta Watanabe and Melbourne United sparkplug Yudai Baba — running into a green and gold brick wall every trip up the court.
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This was a game where the Boomers adopted a sharing-is-caring attitude — every listed player took the floor and every one of them made at least one field goal. They dished out 25 dimes, led by New Zealand Breaker William McDowell-White’s six.
McDowell-White, the son of Brisbane Lions great Darryl White, was in everything, pacing the Boomers along with the hot hand of Tasmania JackJumper Sam McDaniel, each with 14 points. Keisei Tominaga played a lone hand for Japan with a game-high 18.
Australia was already assured safe passage into the second round and remains undefeated at 5-0 in qualification.
Boomers coach Brian Goorjian was pleased the Boomers did not let up after the win over China on Thursday night.
“Coming in with a new group on a real high and when you play something like this, is there going to be a let down as far as the things you can control?” Goorjian said.
“I thought we were really good, we came out on the defensive end of the floor, did a lot of switching, they moved the ball real well and I thought, for most of the game, we did a real good job defensively, didn’t let them get second shots and penalised them in transition running and then got a great opportunity to get everybody involved in the group, which is going to be important coming into the next game against China.
“So ticked a lot of boxes … and now a real big challenge awaits us with China, but really pleased about everybody’s contribution about where we went in today’s game.”
Before the game, Goorjian was given the honour of speaking at Gaze’s enshrinement.
When the American first arrived in Australia to play in the NBL way back in 1977, he was picked up from the airport by Melbourne Tigers coaching great Lindsay Gaze — with his little fellow Andrew in tow.
Fast forward 45 years and Gaze’s legend status was made official by the Australian Basketball Hall of Fame, at a pre-game function where Goorjian said he had put the sport on the map Down Under.
“I remember … coming from America where basketball is No.1 and you can’t get a ticket to anything and coming here and going in the back of Albert Park (where the Tigers used to play) and there’s 250 people at the game,” Goorjian said.
“Where that game has gone from then until now, there was one person that everybody knew. So if you got in a cab, ‘oh do you know Andrew Gaze’ — ‘yes’.
“Having a person of the quality of Andrew Gaze, humble, a lot of pride, respectful, honourable, all the traits you want in your son, all the traits you want in your teammates, he possessed, and he was the face of the game for everybody.”
He was all that and more, one of Australia’s greatest players said he was humbled and emotional as he regaled tales from his fabled career and thanked the countless people who had helped him along his incredible journey.
Fellow Aussie hoops greats Michelle Brogan, Penny Taylor and Chris Anstey, along with former Opals team doctor and Basketball Australia chief medical officer Peter Harcourt were inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Thump Maker
The former NBA man was always going to be better for the run a night earlier against China and the South Sudanese-born behemoth made his presence felt early on both ends. The audible hammering he gave the carom on back-to-back first quarter rejections on Kai Toews and Yoshii thundered through John Cain Arena.
Moments later he went down the other end and drilled a three-pointer to signal he’s back. Still just 25, The big man wants to be in the NBA, but he’ll have no shortage of NBL suitors, should he choose that path.
Goorjian hailed the selfless attitude the Boomers, who have only practised together as a group three times, have displayed.
“I said to them after the game, defensively, they’ve got each others’ back and offensively … there’s a thing there amongst the group that they share the ball, there’s no hogs out there,” Goorjian said. “If the guy’s open for the next one, they throw it (the pass) and that’s just instinctive within the group.
“A lot was said when we put this group together (six international debutants) about guys not being available and the problems (that might cause) and now this group’s playing a pretty good brand of basketball and they are doing the things that make it attractive to the eye.”
China rises
In the earlier game, China belted Chinese Taipei by 36 points, 94-58. Towering Zhou Qi, who spent last season with South East Melbourne, backed up his 16 points and 17 boards against the Aussies with an ultra-efficient effort around the rim, making eight of his 12 shots on his way to 21. 2021 Chinese Basketball Association Finals MVP Mingxuan Hu had just the five points against Australia, but exploded on Chinese Taipei with 26 points to go with six boards and four dimes. To their credit, Chinese Taipei were plucky early, and were within four points at the long break, but only managed 20 in the second half to China’s 52.
PROTESTS MAR CONTEST AS NBL-LACED BOOMERS DENY CHINA
An inexperienced Boomers side — at least internationally — has made a narrow escape from its FIBA World Cup qualifier against China, 76-69.
Featuring six debutants, the Boomers, led by the cool head of NBA champion Matthew Dellavedova, found a way to hold off a Chinese team as it produced an intense finish that threatened to steal the game away from Melbourne’s John Cain Arena in front of an impressive 8113.
Without all but one Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist, former NBA men Dellavedova and Thon Maker were the biggest names in a side packed with Australia’s finest NBL performers.
Up 16 with four-and-a-half minutes to go in the third quarter, the wheels fell off for the Boomers and China roared back into the contest with an 18-4 run that sucked the life out of the Aussie support and ignited what was already a parochial Chinese contingent.
Powered by goliath Zhou Qi, who played in the NBL with South East Melbourne last season, China made the opening bucket of the fourth quarter to tie it at 57 and what was looking like a routine result, all-of-a-sudden had new life.
What followed was a delightful display of international basketball, both teams trading blow after blow until William McDowell-White popped up with 33 seconds left to ice the game with a nothing-but-twine corner three that put the Boomers up seven.
Captain Delly is the heart and soul of this NBL-themed Boomers team and he just has a want for the ball few can match. His coolness under pressure provided key buckets for either himself or teammates and he led the way with 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
Boomers coach Brian Goorjian said he was proud of this incarnation of the Boomers’ first game together.
“Early days, it’s the first game, we’ve got a couple more coming, but I feel really excited about what we did tonight and the way forward,” Goorjian said.
“(It’s) virtually a totally new group.
“Selection was a real difficult process and we brought the guys here who wanted to be a part of this and were committed to it and were excited about being Boomers.”
He paid tribute to Dellavedova, who has been a huge influence on the young group.
“The guy next to me (Dellavedova) just makes it all go,” he said in the post-game press conference.
“Just his leadership, what he does on and off the floor, all those little things. In this group, being a young group in a short time, I’m just leaning on him, every minute of the day and he’s just a pro.
“Tonight he was outstanding.
“Really happy for him, happy for the group, look forward to the next one.”
Dellavedova said he was relishing his new role, which reminded him of his early years in the Australian system.
“Tonight we executed well, intensity was there, bench was awesome and everyone was involved,” Dellavedova said.
“The buy in and excitement, you can feel it from everyone involved.
“It was just a lot of fun.”
Dellavedova and fellow guard Mitch McCarron, who had 13, worked beautifully together as ball handlers.
The last time Jack McVeigh was on John Cain Arena, he was putting Dellavedova, debutant Jack White and Melbourne United to the sword in the NBL semi-finals. This time it was China’s turn, all of his 11 points coming in the first half, while White, bound for Denver in the NBA Summer League, had 10.
Unstoppable Aussies
Australia is now 4-0 in their World Cup qualification campaign. They’re safely through to the next round, but will still want to bank wins against Japan Friday and then China again Sunday, to ensure their second-round fixture is as friendly as possible. I’ll need an abacus to explain qualification, but essentially 16 from Asia start out, 12 go through to round two and, from there, seven teams qualify for the big dance.
Protest mars first half
Several protesters were ejected from John Cain Arena during the first-half. The group was seen chanting slogans and brandishing flags, including one that read ‘Hong Kong Independence’. One man clashed with a fan as police moved to remove the agitators — the fan retaliated by shoving him to the ground.
Mr Maker’s back
It’s been four long years since we’ve seen Maker in Aussie colours — the infamous 2018 karate kick against The Philippines. He put his hand up to say he wasn’t fit enough for the Tokyo Olympic campaign, but it was heartening to see the giant centre back at it — even if he did play like a man who hasn’t been involved in an organised game since April. He didn’t make a bucket in the first half, but got on the board in the third with a sweet finish off a Dellavedova dish. He will be better for the run.
Qi whiz, Big Zhou
China’s biggest star, literally and physically, knows John Cain Arena well. Usually wearing the laser green of South East Melbourne Phoenix, Big Zhou — pronounced Joe — at 216cm, was a constant roadblock for the Boomers. He keyed everything good the Chinese did, ripping down 17 rebounds to go with his 16 points.
Brawl to Boomers: Returning Maker’s NBA comeback plan
By Matt Logue
A return to the green and gold has only strengthened Thon Maker’s NBA aspirations as he looks to star for the Boomers in a World Cup qualifier against China on Thursday night.
Maker will play his first game for Australia since 2018, when he was involved in the infamous brawl in a 2019 World Cup qualifier against the Philippines.
He copped a contentious three-game international ban from FIBA for using a fly kick to protect himself and teammates during the ugly melee.
Maker has also missed the past two Boomers campaigns – the 2019 World Cup and the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics – due to NBA commitments and fitness.
These near misses have only fuelled the South Sudanese-born forward to don the Australian colours again and succeed as he looks to impress NBA sides.
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Day 1 ✅ The Boomers’ FIBA World Cup Qualifiers week starts NOW 😤
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Maker hasn’t appeared in the world’s best league since the 2020-21 season when he played eight games for the Cleveland Cavaliers before being waived.
His NBA goal still burns bright, and he plans to emulate fellow Boomer turned San Antonio Spur Jock Landale, who used the Tokyo Olympic stage to earn an NBA deal.
“My main focus is to win for the Boomers, but you’ve also got to have that motivation like Jock (Landale) did last year,” Maker told News Corp.
“He used the Olympic stage (to impress) and he got a great opportunity with San Antonio.
“That is definitely something to look at as well, but my main focus is internally and working hard to get better every single day.”
Maker says it feels “amazing” to be back in the Boomers camp following a three-year absence.
He admits the time away from the national team has helped his heart grow founder for the famed Australian culture.
Maker also felt disappointed to pull out of the Boomers squad for the Tokyo Olympics due to fitness, so he is desperate to repay coach Brian Goorjian.
“I was invited to do the camp (in California) with the Boomers for Tokyo, but I just didn’t feel healthy and ready to do that,” he said.
“I told Goorj I had to step back because I wanted to get my body fully healthy. “I’d just had a year where I’d had a lot of lingering injuries, but I promised Goorj that the next time he hits me up for the Boomers that I’d play.
“The guys did a great job with the bronze (in Tokyo), and I couldn’t wait to come back and play and to defend that Australian honour.”
Maker’s transition back into the Boomers squad has been made easier thanks to the presence of former Milwaukee Bucks teammate Matthew Dellavedova.
He has played countless NBA and international games alongside Dellavedova, who has been named Australian captain for this week’s World Cup qualifiers.
Maker praised ‘Delly’ for his leadership, which stretches back to their days together at the Bucks between 2016 and 2018.
“We signed Delly after his championship year with Cleveland and he was that vocal leader in the locker room,” he recalls.
“Giannis (Antetokounmpo) and Khris Middleton where still young guys trying to figure themselves out in the league.
“Jason Kidd (coach) expected a lot from Delly because he had just come off that championship run.
“So, Delly was already that natural leader, but when he goes to that national team level, he is different and his (leadership) is amplified even more.
“He knows we’ve always got young guys coming up through the program because the NBA guys aren’t always playing.
“Delly always steps it up even more and rightfully he has been chosen as Boomers captain for these World Cup qualifiers.”
Maker doesn’t possess Dellavedova’s national experience, but it hasn’t stopped him from taking on a mentor role to the team’s younger and rookie players.
The Boomers will debut six players for their two World Cup qualifiers against China and Japan this weekend.
Maker has enjoyed passing on his knowledge to the likes of Jack White, Keanu Pinder and Sam McDaniel.
“I’ve been in a leadership role my whole life as well, so it’s nothing new,” he said.
“It has been great dealing with the new guys in the team. They are quick learners who just enjoy being around each other.
“So, it has been a smooth transition for all of us.”
Maker is expecting tough clashes against China and Japan, but he is confident the Boomers can emerge victorious.
The Australians have only had five days to prepare for their opening clash against China on Thursday, yet their combinations look sharp like a team with far greater playing time together.
“It has been great to see the speed in which we’ve been picking everything up, the communication and the bond,” said Maker, who is coming off a 22-game G League season with the Long Island Nets under former Boomers assistant Adam Caporn.
“I’ve only just met a few of these guys, but it feels like we’ve been together for years and that is great.”
The Boomers play Japan on Friday from 7.30pm before another game against China on Sunday at 6.30pm.
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