Two big announcements for the Australian Boomers came out yesterday. Firstly, the two pools for the Olympics games were drawn. Secondly the Boomers squad for the 2012 Olympics was released.
I’m sure fans will be stoked with the teams the Boomers have drawn in London – Great Britain, China, Brazil and Spain. It couldn’t be any better.
This gives us a great chance to finish second in our pool and get that weaker crossover game that we haven’t been able to obtain in the past.
It is highly unlikely we will take the Spaniards down, but we can easily account for the likes of Great Britain and China.
We will have an almighty battle with the Brazilians, especially if they field the likes of Leandro Barbosa and Tiago Splitter. The big key is which qualifier we get in the group.
I think it could potentially be Greece.
We will get the weakest qualifier out of the three that make it. That’s what it looks like anyway.
I can’t see the Greeks beating Lithuania and Russia.
There is no reason we can’t beat this Greek team. It’s a much weaker team than in the past and we need to take some revenge out from the last time they beat us at the World Championships in 2006.
I don’t think Australian basketball fans will ever forget that game.
FIBA have given us some hope and we need to take care of business over in London.
This is Australia’s chance to make the semi finals and give us some hope for a medal.
It will be broadcast to millions of homes around the world.
We will potentially be playing against the USA on Friday 10 August. Bookmark it folks; it could the day that kick-starts basketball in Australia once again.
I’m not suggesting we will beat the Dream Team. But I think this is when the Australian population becomes fully aware of how good our sport is and how much talent we have in such a small country.
Recently I posted the squad I would have taken over to London to compete in the Olympics.
Once the camps are over and they are ready to announce the team it won’t be too far off.
The NBL website posted the squad yesterday. There is some serious talent to pick from, which is exactly what we need.
Most of the squad has had experience or are experiencing basketball in Europe.
After watching how the Boomers play defence you can see some serious similarities to the European game.
The Dream Team don’t like rough, physical play at all. This is why the Spaniards are starting to catch up to them.
I believe if Rubio didn’t injure himself during the NBA season they could have beaten the USA.
There are also some young guys out of college who have cracked the squad, which is always good to see. It will be good for their experience and will continue to make them better.
It is also great to see that nine players in the squad are currently playing in the NBL. Some of them will definitely make the team.
This is great for our league as it continues to grow into one of the best in the world.
I wish Andrew Bogut was playing in this team. There is no doubt we would have had a solid performance in the quarter finals and have been a big chance for a medal.
We will have to do without the big fella in London. I’m sure he will be there with the boys cheering them on. He will bring valuable knowledge and experience to the sidelines.
Here’s to hoping there are no slip ups on the way to the Games and that the final squad that gets picked does us proud.
Bring on August 10th!
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