Olympians Andersen and Newley to lead Boomers at Asia Cup
MELBOURNE (FIBA Asia Cup 2017) - Australia have finalized the twelve players who will represent them at the FIBA Asia Cup 2017, and leading the way are two seasoned Olympians.
After a grueling training camp on the Gold Coast, the Boomers have made known their final 12-man roster, which will feature David Andersen, who played at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, and Brad Newley, who saw action at the London 2012 Olympic Games. They will spearhead a team composed of some of the Australian NBL's most elite talent.
All of the NBL teams will have representation on this squad, with the Sydney Kings having the biggest cohort of 3 players.
"It is a great opportunity for the first-timers to get that international experience with the Boomers which will serve us well as we progress through the qualification process," said Boomers head coach Andrej Lemanis. "I’ve been so impressed and humbled with the attitude that everyone came into camp with."
| Australia 12-man Roster for FIBA Asia Cup 2017 | |||
| David Andersen | Todd Blanchfield | Angus Brandt | Jason Cadee |
| Mitchell Creek | Cameron Gliddon | Matthew Hodgson | Nicholas Kay |
| Daniel Kickert | Mitchell McCarron | Brad Newley | Mitchell Norton |
"I know how much it means to them to be in a Boomers environment and every time you are around them, it reminds you just how lucky we are to be involved in a wonderful program with wonderful people."Andrej Lemanisr
A number of the players Lemanis has chosen will be suiting up for the senior team for the first time, but the coach doesn't see this as a handicap at all. All these players have had significant international experience at the youth level prior to their selection here.
"I’ve coached most of these guys before and where we were on the first day of camp in terms of offensive and defensive understanding was very advanced for a team just coming together," Lemanis explained. "That’s a reflection of the time we have invested in our strategy over the past four years or so, and we are certainly reaping the rewards now."
Australia's training camp will end on 27 July before they fly out to Beirut, Lebanon on 2 August for the tournament that will be held from 8-20 August.
The Boomers are drawn with Japan, Hong Kong and Chinese Taipei in Group D and are heavy favorites to finish on the podium.
FIBA
