The 12-man Australian Boomers men’s national basketball team that will take on archrivals New Zealand in the Olympic qualification tournament starting tomorrow night in Melbourne has been named, and includes NBA superstar Patty Mills, as well as seven European-based players, three local National Basketball League heros and one young college athlete.
Mills, who recently signed to play for the NBL’s Melbourne Tigers while his Portland Trail Blazers NBA team is in lock-out, headlines a team that also has a wealth of international talent.
Boomers captain Matthew Nielsen joins fellow European-based Aussies Joe Ingles, Brad Newley, David Barlow, Aron Baynes, Aleks Maric and AJ Ogilvy in the team that will play the Tall Blacks for a ticket to the 2012 London Olympic Games.
Also named in the team were three NBL stars Mark Worthington and Adam Gibson of the Gold Coast Blaze and Damian Martin of the Perth Wildcats.
Rising star guard Matthew Dellavedova of St Mary’s college, who impressed during the Boomers recent successful European tour, was the sole college player named to the team.
Game One of the FIBA Oceania Championship series, which is to be played as a unique double-header with the Jayco Opals, will be held tomorrow night (Wednesday 7 September) in Melbourne at the State Netball Hockey Centre (AKA ‘The Cage’) and has already sold-out of all general admission tickets. Game Two will be at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre on 9 September and Game Three at the Sydney Entertainment Centre on 11 September.
Tickets for the Sydney game are on sale now through Ticketmaster, while tickets to the Brisbane game are now being sold through Ticketek.
Click here for more details on the Boomers and Opals double-header against New Zealand.
2011 Australian Boomers Team
David BARLOW, Murcia, Spain
Aron BAYNES, EWE Basket Oldenburg, Germany
Matthew DELLAVEDOVA, St Mary's College, USA
Adam GIBSON, Gold Coast Blaze
Joe INGLES, Regal FC Barcelona, Spain
Aleks MARIC, Panathinaikos, Greece
Damian MARTIN, Perth Wildcats
Patrick MILLS, Portland Trailblazers, USA
Brad NEWLEY, Lietuvos, Rytas, Lithuania
Matthew NIELSEN, BC Khimki, Russia
AJ OGILVY, Valencia, Spain
Mark WORTHINGTON, Gold Coast Blaze
2011 FIBA Oceania Championship for Men and Women
7 Sept 2011 FIBA Oceania Championship for Men (vs. NZ) – Game 1, Melbourne
9 Sept 2011 FIBA Oceania Championship for Men (vs. NZ) – Game 2, Brisbane
11 Sept 2011 FIBA Oceania Championship for Men (vs. NZ) – Game 3, Sydney
