‘Complete the vision’: Goorjian excited by the Boomers’ dozen chasing Olympic gold

Patty Mills and Joe Ingles have been named for their fourth Olympics as key members of Australia’s 12-man Boomers squad for the Tokyo campaign starting later this month.

With the absence of NBA superstar Ben Simmons confirmed this week, the Boomers are finalising their preparations to launch another assault an all-elusive Olympic medal in Japan.

Mills, 32, and Ingles, 33, are just one Games behind the feat of the legendary Andrew Gaze, who wore the green and gold at the Olympics between 1984 and 2000.

Australia’s Patty Mills in 2019.Credit: Getty Images

Despite Simmons opting out, Australia still has a talent-laden squad, with seven debutants - Dante Exum, Joshua Green, Nicholas Kay, Jock Landale, Duop Reath, Nathan Sobey and 24-year-old Matisse Thybulle, who was named to the NBA All-Defensive second team playing with Philadelphia.

Reath is the biggest bolter. The European-based, shot-blocking centre has impressed with his form in the EuroLeague this season.

Projected NBA Draft pick Josh Giddey was among the final cuts, with the teenage guard named as one of the replacement players should injury hit. Power forward Brock Motum and forward Xavier Cooks are the other two replacement players.

Forward Mitch Creek was also in the 16-man selection squad but was left out of the 15, while Ryan Broekhoff and Isaac Humphries withdrew before the squad flew out for camp.

Head coach Brian Goorjian, who returns to the job after leading the 2004 and 2008 campaigns, is energised by the opportunity ahead.

“I’m really excited, we’ve got some nice youth coming into the team, and a good balance,” Goorjian said.

“It’s very clear what the goal is. It’s not driven from me, I’ve walked into it and it’s hit me in the face. “That leadership group want a gold medal and if they don’t get it they’ll be disappointed. My job is to come in here and do everything I can to help them complete the vision.

“It’s huge having that experience. I’m in a unique situation where I was part of the Boomers in Beijing with Patty and Joe to come back close to 12 years later and see what the culture has become – the first two days of practice I just took it all in. Where it’s gone in that time, through that leadership group with Delly [Matthew Dellavedova], Baynes [Aron Baynes], Joe and Patty has been amazing to see.“

With his veteran core potentially playing in their last Olympics and Andrew Bogut already retired, Goorjian’s decision to select Green, 20, Thybulle, 24, Exum, 25, Reath, 25, Landale, 25, and have Giddey, 18, in the selection squad is nod to keeping the Boomers competitive beyond Tokyo.

But for Mills, Ingles and co, their focus is fully on finally claiming the nation’s first men’s medal in basketball.

Australian Boomers roster for Tokyo: Aron Baynes, Matthew Dellavedova, Dante Exum, Christopher Goulding, Joshua Green, Joe Ingles, Nick Kay, Jock Landale, Patrick Mills, Duop Reath, Nathan Sobey, Matisse Thybulle.

Meanwhile, Australia will send their biggest athletics team for an Olympics outside Australia after selecting 63 athletes to represent the country in Tokyo, with veteran Jeff Riseley heading to his fourth Olympics to compete in the 800 metres.

He has been joined in that event by Charlie Hunter and Peter Bol with the Australians sending over a strong aet of male middle distance runners with Tasmanian Stewart McSweyn a hot prospect in the 1500 metres after recording a personal best during the week. McSweyn will concentrate on that event in Tokyo where he is considered a medal chance.

The women are also well represented in the middle distance events, with Linden Hall returning for her second Olympics in the 1500 metres alongside Georgie Griffith, Jessica Hull and Ollie Hoare.

On Saturday there were 22 athletes who will make their debut in the Olympics among the 36 athletes added to the 27 already named in the Olympic team.

On the gymnastics front, the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) selected an 11-strong team for Tokyo, almost matching Australia’s largest ever squad of 12, set the last time Tokyo hosted the Games.

With all 11 athletes making their Olympic debut, Emily Whitehead, Tyson Bull and Georgia Godwin will compete in Artistic, Lidiia Iakovleva in Rhythmic individual, Emily Abbott, Alexandra Aristoteli, Alannah Matthews, Himeka Onoda and Felicity White make up the Rhythmic team, with Dominic Clarke and Jessica Pickering to compete in Trampoline.

Iakovleva and Pickering both competed for Australia at the 2018 Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires, with Pickering taking home silver. Godwin and Onoda’s Japanese heritage also make Tokyo a special place to make their Olympic debut.