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Australia men's national basketball team

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 203.209.174.161 (talk) at 23:21, 1 August 2011 (→‎2011 Stanković Cup Team). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

"The Boomers" redirects here. For other uses, see Boomer.

Australia Australia
File:Boomers.jpg
FIBA ranking9th
Joined FIBA1947
FIBA zoneFIBA Oceania
National federationBasketball Australia
CoachBrett Brown
Nickname(s)Boomers
Olympic Games
Appearances12
MedalsNone
FIBA World Cup
Appearances10
MedalsNone
Oceania Championship
Appearances18
Medals Gold: 1971, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, 2003, 2005, 2007
Silver: 2001, 2009

The Australian national basketball team is the men's basketball side that represents Australia in international competitions. The team is known in Australia as the Boomers, an Australian slang term for Kangaroo. Australia is ranked 9th in the world and finished 7th at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

Australia is a regional power in all forms of basketball. Placed in the relatively weak FIBA Oceania region, the sides qualification for Olympic Games and World Championships is often a three match competition against the other regional power, the New Zealand Tall Blacks.

Traditionally, the Boomers have been selected from the teams making up the Australasian National Basketball League. This has changed in recent years, with many Australian players heading to the stronger[citation needed] Euroleague to play. The Boomers now have four players in the National Basketball Association in the United States. Further, several players who make up the squad are student athletes in the US College system. Overall, close to half of the squad plays outside of Australia. The development of the Australian Institute of Sport has helped the establishment of Australia on the international stage.

The Boomers qualified for the 2010 Basketball World Championships in Turkey and placed 10th overall.

History

Australia debuted on the international stage at the 1956 Olympic Games held in Melbourne. Australia did not fare well in the competition, defeating only two sides (Singapore and Thailand) and finishing 12th, the seeds were sown for Australia to become a regular team in international events.[1]

After not qualifying for the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome, Italy, Australia returned to compete at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. The Australians improved on their position in Melbourne to be ranked ninth at the completion of the games.[1]

After failing in their bid to qualify for the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, the Australians were left in international isolation. They would not play again in a major international tournament until 1970, when the team qualified for the FIBA World Championships for the first time. The team finished in 12th place, with their sole victory coming over the United Arab Republic.[1]

The 1972 Munich Olympics was a changing of the guard for the Australians. Lindsay Gaze made his coaching debut, after playing at the 1964 Olympics.[2] Australia again finished ninth, but close defeats to Czechoslovakia and Spain left the team close to advancing to the second round. Eddie Palubinskas was the holder the second highest scoring average of the tournament.[1]

Although the 1976 Montreal Olympics represented a huge step forward for the Boomers. Eddie Palubinskas finished as the top overall scorer, and set three Olympic scoring records, including the most points scored in a single Olympics to that time with 269 points. The Boomers defeated Mexico 120-117 in an overtime game, and defeated Japan 117-79 as they moved to the second round of the tournament for the first time on their way to an eighth place finish.[1]

In 1978, the Boomers headed to the Philippines for the World Championships. Australia played their most successful tournament to that time, defeating Czechoslovakia, the Dominican Republic, the Philippines (twice), and playing eventual gold medallist Yugoslavia tough, losing a close game 105-101. The Boomers advanced to the semi-final round and placed seventh.[1]

In the 1980 Moscow Olympics, the Boomers played their best Olympic tournament to that date, equalling their 1976 finish of eighth place. The Boomers defeated eventual silver medallist Italy 84-77 in the preliminary round, but due to a three way tie with Italy and Cuba, the team failed to advance to the final round despite a strong 5 win 2 loss record.

In 1982, the FIBA World Championships were held in Colombia. The Australians finished in fifth place.

The Boomers were captained at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics by Phil Smyth, and introduced coach, Lindsay Gaze’s, 19 year old son, Andrew, to the world stage. Australia advanced to the second round following victories over Brazil and West Germany. A loss to Italy, and a 16 point win over Egypt, left the Boomers in a must win situation against Spain to advance to the medal round. Spain went up big early in the first half, but the Boomers fought back hard, ultimately losing by a close score of 101-93, ending their medal hopes with an Olympic best seventh place finish.

The 1986 World Championships were a bit disappointing for Australia. Losses to Uruguay, Angola and the Soviet Union during group play kept the Boomers from advancing, and the team finished 17th.

Motivated by the 1986 World Championships, Australia showed up to the 1988 Seoul Olympics with quite possibly its most talented roster to that date. Captained by Phil Smyth, the team included Andrew Gaze, Damian Keogh, and future Chicago Bulls star Luc Longley. The Boomers breezed through the first round, losing only to gold medallist Soviet Union and silver medallist Yugoslavia. Finishing third place in their group, Australia advanced to the quarter finals where they defeated Spain in a closely fought game 77-74, sending the Boomers to their first ever semi-finals. There they met the United States, who ended Australia’s dream run with a 78-55 victory. Despite the disappointing loss, the Boomers’ fourth place finish solidified their status as a rising team.

Two years later, in 1990, Australia flew off to Buenos Aires for the World Championships. Led by Andrew Gaze’s 24.3 points per game, fourth most in the tournament, the team defeated China, Brazil and Argentina (twice) on their way to a respectable seventh place finish.

At the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, the Boomers looked to prove their fourth place run at Seoul was no fluke. In the first Games since the Soviet Union’s dissolution, and the first that FIBA allowed professional basketballers to play in, Australia played to a respectable 4-4 record and sixth place.

At the 1994 World Championships at Toronto, Andrew Gaze took the Boomers on his back, leading the tournament with an outstanding average of 23.9 points per game. In victories over Puerto Rico, South Korea, and Cuba, Gaze scored 34, 31 and 30 points, respectively. Australia finished with a 5-3 record, good for fifth place in Phil Smyth’s last appearance as a player.

The 1996 Atlanta Olympics were another outstanding showing for Australia. Led by Andrew Gaze, and featuring Shane Heal, the team rolled through the early competition, losing only to silver medallist Yugoslavia, and scoring over 100 points in every other preliminary game. In the quarterfinals, the Boomers played a hard fought game against Croatia. The game came down to the wire, as forward Tony Ronaldson hit an unforgettable 3-pointer to win the game and advance Australia to the semi-finals. There they met the United States, who were powered by a stacked roster of professional NBA players, and the Boomers were dispatched 101-73. Lithuania would defeat Australia in the bronze medal game, but the Boomers equalled their 1988 fourth place finish.

Following their exciting run at Atlanta, the Boomers showed up in Greece for the 1998 World Championships with high hopes. Shane Heal and Andrew Gaze both finished among the top five scorers, with averages of 17.0 and 16.9 points per game, respectively; but a loss to the United States knocked Australia out of medal contention. The Boomers finished the tournament respectably with wins over Canada and Brazil, and walked away with ninth place.

The 2000 Olympics projected to be an extremely exciting affair for the Boomers, as they would be playing host in Sydney. Despite losses in both of their first two games, Australia recovered nicely, and won their next four games over Russia, Angola, and Spain to propel them into the quarter finals, where they defeated Italy. But Australia’s first basketball medal was not to be, as France won the semi final match, and Lithuania captured the bronze medal game. Although their goal of medalling was not achieved, the Boomers gave the home crowd plenty to cheer about on their way to a fourth place finish.

After failing to qualify for the 2002 World Championships, the Boomers came into the 2004 Athens Olympics hungry for victory. Captained by Shane Heal, and featuring Andrew Bogut in his international debut, Australia fought hard on their way to a ninth place finish.

At the 2006 World Championships in Japan, Australia was led in scoring by Andrew Bogut, CJ Bruton, and Jason Smith. Despite their efforts, the Boomers failed to qualify for the playoff rounds, and finished tied for ninth place.

The Boomers entered the 2008 Beijing Olympics with one of their more talented rosters to date, which included Andrew Bogut, CJ Bruton, Captain Matthew Nielsen, and Patrick Mills in his international debut. Despite his youth, Mills had a hot hand, scoring over 20 points on several occasions, and leading the team with an average of 14.2 points per game. Australia made the quarter finals, but gold medallist United States put the Boomers away late in the game, ending their run with a seventh place finish.

2011 Stanković Cup Team

Australia National Basketball Team roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Age – Date of birth Height Club Ctr.
SG 4 Hugh Greenwood 19 – (1992-03-06)March 6, 1992 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) University of New Mexico United States
PG 5 Nate Tomlinson 22 – (1989-07-24)July 24, 1989 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) University of Colorado at Boulder United States
PG 6 Adam Gibson 24 – (1986-10-30)October 30, 1986 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) Gold Coast Blaze Australia
SG 7 Matthew Dellavedova 20 – (1990-09-08)September 8, 1990 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) Saint Mary's College of California United States
SF 8 Stephen Weigh 24 – (1987-02-28)February 28, 1987 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) Adelaide 36ers Australia
SF 10 Peter Crawford 31 – (1979-11-06)November 6, 1979 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) Townsville Crocodiles Australia
PF 11 Mark Worthington 28 – (1983-06-08)June 8, 1983 2.02 m (6 ft 8 in) Gold Coast Blaze Australia
PF 12 Jesse Wagstaff 25 – (1986-04-30)April 30, 1986 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) Perth Wildcats Australia
C 14 Luke Nevill 25 – (1986-02-19)February 19, 1986 2.18 m (7 ft 2 in) BC Triumph Lyubertsy Russia
C 15 Luke Schenscher 28 – (1982-12-31)December 31, 1982 2.16 m (7 ft 1 in) Townsville Crocodiles Australia
SG - Anthony Drmic 19 – (1992-02-25)February 25, 1992 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) Boise State University United States
PF - Cameron Tragardh 27 – (1983-09-29)September 29, 1983 2.09 m (6 ft 10 in) Melbourne Tigers Australia
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Technical assistant
  • Australia Mo Dakhil
Strength & conditioning coach
  • Australia Bohdan Babijczuk
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • Club field describes current pro club

Depth Chart

Pos. Starter Bench Bench Inactive
C Luke Schenscher Luke Nevill
PF Mark Worthington Jesse Wagstaff Cameron Tragardh
SF Peter Crawford Stephen Weigh
SG Matthew Dellavedova Hugh Greenwood Anthony Drmic
PG Adam Gibson Nate Tomlinson

Notable players

Achievements

Performance at Summer Olympics

Year Position Tournament Host
1948 - Basketball at the 1948 Summer Olympics London, Great Britain
1952 - Basketball at the 1952 Summer Olympics Helsinki, Finland
1956 12 Basketball at the 1956 Summer Olympics Melbourne, Australia
1960 - Basketball at the 1960 Summer Olympics Rome, Italy
1964 9 Basketball at the 1964 Summer Olympics Tokyo, Japan
1968 - Basketball at the 1968 Summer Olympics Mexico City, Mexico
1972 9 Basketball at the 1972 Summer Olympics Munich, Germany
1976 8 Basketball at the 1976 Summer Olympics Montreal, Canada
1980 8 Basketball at the 1980 Summer Olympics Moscow, Soviet Union
1984 7 Basketball at the 1984 Summer Olympics Los Angeles, USA
1988 4 Basketball at the 1988 Summer Olympics Seoul, South Korea
1992 6 Basketball at the 1992 Summer Olympics Barcelona, Spain
1996 4 Basketball at the 1996 Summer Olympics Atlanta, USA
2000 4 Basketball at the 2000 Summer Olympics Sydney, Australia
2004 9 Basketball at the 2004 Summer Olympics Athens, Greece
2008 7 Basketball at the 2008 Summer Olympics Beijing, China

Performance at FIBA World Championships

Year Position Tournament Host
1950 - 1954 FIBA World Championship Buenos Aires, Argentina
1954 - 1954 FIBA World Championship Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
1959 - 1959 FIBA World Championship Chile
1963 - 1963 FIBA World Championship Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
1967 - 1970 FIBA World Championship Uruguay
1970 12 1970 FIBA World Championship Yugoslavia
1974 12 1974 FIBA World Championship Puerto Rico
1978 7 1978 FIBA World Championship Philippines
1982 5 1982 FIBA World Championship Colombia
1986 17 1986 FIBA World Championship Spain
1990 7 1990 FIBA World Championship Argentina
1994 5 1994 FIBA World Championship Canada
1998 9 1998 FIBA World Championship Athens, Greece
2002 - 2002 FIBA World Championship Indianapolis, United States
2006 13 2006 FIBA World Championship Japan
2010 10 2010 FIBA World Championship Turkey

Performance at FIBA Oceania Championship

Year(s) Position
1971-1997 1st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)
1999 -
2001 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
2003-2007 1st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)
2009 2nd place, silver medalist(s)

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f http://www.basketball.net.au/index.php?id=313
  2. ^ http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ga/lindsay-gaze-1.html
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