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Boomers confirm shock omissions in Basketball World Cup squad

6th August, 2019
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6th August, 2019
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Australian Boomers coach Andrej Lemanis has confirmed his 12-man squad for the FIBA Basketball World Cup next month in China, with Mitch Creek, Deng Adel and Brock Motum the big names left out of the team.

While it was thought the trio were all virtually locks for the squad, Lemanis swung some surprises by including five current NBL players in his side.

Guards Cameron Gliddon, Chris Goulding and Nathan Sobey – who have all been immense in the Boomers qualifying and 2017 Asian Cup campaign – have been included, while former NBA big man Andrew Bogut and the Perth Wildcats’ Nick Kay have both been included.

» Full Basketball World Cup fixtures

The rest of the squad is more or less as expected, with Aron Baynes, Jonah Bolden, Xavier Cooks, Matthew Dellavedova, Joe Ingles, Jock Landale and Patty Mills all making the cut.

Baynes, Dellavedova, Ingles and Mills have all made big names for themselves in the last couple of years at NBA level, with Ingles playing a prominent part at the Utah Jazz, and Baynes a persistent presence in the paint at Boston, although he is off to Phoenix for the new season.

Mills will provide a constant shooting presence for the Boomers from behind the arc, while Dellavedova brings hustle and aggression in defence.

All four were part of the Boomers 2016 Olympics campaign which finished painfully short of a medal, losing the third-place play-off to Spain, following a heartbreaking semi-final performance against Serbia.

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Bolden has played 54 NBA games at the Philadelphia 76ers as he attempts to launch his career, while big man Landale will provide extra size in the paint and Cooks has made a name for himself as a dangerous shooter at the three, with both currently playing in the Euro League.

The Boomers were already without Ben Simmons, Thon Maker, Ryan Broekhoff and Dante Exum, who had pulled out prior to the squad being named due to various reasons.

Australia will play four warm-up matches at home against Canada and the USA before departing to China, where they take on a severely weakened Canada, Senegal and Lithuania in the first round, with the Boomers standing a strong chance of topping their group.

Boomers 12-man squad for Basketball World Cup

Aron Baynes, Andrew Bogut, Jonah Bolden, Xavier Cooks, Matthew Dellavedova, Cameron Gliddon, Chris Goulding, Joe Ingles, Nicholas Kay, Jock Landale, Patty Mills, Nathan Sobey

Boomers World Cup warm-up fixtures

Friday August 16, 7:30pm: Australia vs Canada at RAC Arena, Perth
Saturday August 17, 7:30pm: Australia vs Canada at RAC Arena, Perth
Thursday August 22, 7:30pm: Australia vs USA at Marvel Stadium, Melbourne
Saturday August 24, 2pm: Australia vs USA at Marvel Stadium, Melbourne

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Boomers World Cup first-round fixtures

Sunday September 1, 5:30pm: Australia vs Canada
Tuesday September 3, 5:30pm: Australia vs Senegal
Thursday September 5, 9:30pm: Australia vs Lithuania

All times AEST.

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