Three western suburbs natives, Josh Giddey, Dante Exum and DJ Vasiljevic are still in the mix for the Australian Boomers team for the Olympics.
Basketball Australia announced a revised 17-player Boomers squad that will attend the training camp in preparation for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
A mix of familiar faces and an exciting wave of young talent will report to camp in late June and head coach Brian Goorjian is emphasising the importance of getting the vibe right.
“The standard of the tournament is going to be at an all-time high and we’re excited with the group that we’ve put together,” he said.
“It’s a special group and an exciting time for basketball and the country. We will get the guys together and get the energy right.”
Bronze medal heroes Patty Mills, Joe Ingles, Matthew Dellavedova, Nick Kay and Chris Goulding are in the revised squad and will have the opportunity to contribute to a new-look Boomers set.
Also named are the next wave, Oklahoma City Thunder star Josh Giddey and Dallas Mavericks’ Dante Exum and Josh Green.
Giddey grew up in Yarraville and Exum in Seabrook.
Vasiljevic, who grew up in Wyndham, is one of six National Basketball League players named in the squad.
“The level of talent that the country is producing is at a new level,” Goorjian said
“We’ve got guys competing against the best in leagues around the world and the NBL continues to advance as a world class level for Australian talent,” said Goorjian.
“We won’t over-complicate things here. We’ve got an exciting group of players that all present unique strengths and advantages. Our goal is to maximise that.”
The Boomers kick off their run with all players reporting to camp in late June before the first hit out in the against China from July 2-5.
From there, the final 12 will be selected and travel to Abu Dhabi for the USA Basketball Showcase with games against the USA on July 15 and Serbia on July 16.
