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Australian basketballers are entering the unknown following a clean sweep of their three-game series against Argentina, Boomers coach Brett Brown says.
The Boomers were rarely challenged by the Argentinians, ranked No.1 in the world but derided for bringing a spare parts squad on their Australian tour.
Australia wrapped up the series with a 90-72 triumph in Adelaide on Tuesday night, after which Brown immediately turned his focus to the world championships starting in late August.
Australia enter the championships in Turkey ranked 11th in the world.
Of the five other nations in their group, three are ranked higher – Argentina, Serbia (five) and Germany (seven), while Angola are one spot behind the Boomers.
While the top four in each group progress to the second round, Australia’s only easybeat looms as 38th ranked Jordan.
Brown said Argentina’s foxing in Australia, and uncertainty surrounding the line-ups of the European powers, meant the Boomers have few answers about their upcoming opponents.
What they do know is they want to progress from their pool and avoid finishing fourth, which comes with a likely second-round clash with the mighty United States.
“The landscape is foreign now, it’s all guess work,” Brown said.
“So to pinpoint a specific goal is difficult.
“We need to take care of business in our pool, we want to not play the United States in that death-wish crossover game and go beat one of the powerful European countries.
“When you break it down, those kind of stepping stones are more manageable than just reaching out recklessly for medals.”
Brown said the Boomers’ world title preparations would have fallen behind without the lopsided Argentinian series.
“This is such a long road,” he said.
“In isolation, there are many parts of our game that I am unhappy with.
“But to have this at our disposal now, in late June, with a lot of my wing players, not many of my bigs, is a fantastic experience.”
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