The Boomers are off to the Olympics once more, persevering with their proud report of getting competed in basketball’s marquee occasion in each Games since 1972.
Australia’s more and more highly effective males’s group had been delighted to e-book their place on the 2024 Paris Games with out having to throw a ball in anger on Wednesday.
Instead, they had been capable of have a good time changing into solely the second group to succeed in the 2024 males’s basketball match on the Games because of the misfortune of their trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand.
The ‘Tall Blacks’ had been the one different Oceanian group who might have challenged Australia’s bid to make it to a 14th consecutive Games – Mexico City in 1968 was the final time they did not qualify – however their 83-74 defeat by Greece in Manila meant they had been knocked out of the preliminary group levels of the World Cup.
With the Boomers having already booked their place in Japan to make the second qualifying spherical, it meant Brian Goorjian’s facet are actually assured the possibility to shoot for gold in Paris as the primary of the 12 taking part groups to ensure qualification past hosts France.
Of the opposite 10 locations, Europe and the Americas will every have two whereas Africa and Asia can have one every. The different 4 spots can be determined by means of FIBA Olympic qualifying tournaments.
New Zealand would nonetheless have been in direct competitors with Australia for the Oceanian spot if they’d overwhelmed Greece and so they will need to have fancied their probabilities when holding a 15-point lead within the first half and an 11-point lead at halftime earlier than ultimately succumbing down the stretch.
But the Kiwis can nonetheless make it to Paris, as they compete within the 17-32 Classification Round.
Over the final half-century, the Boomers have reached 5 semi-finals and one other six quarter-finals on the Games, with their bronze in Tokyo the primary time they’d stepped on the rostrum.
But with their formidable line-up now that includes Josh Giddey, Josh Green, Patty Mills and Joe Ingles, with the tantalising prospect of Ben Simmons additionally throwing his hat within the ring once more, hopes are excessive of them attending to the gold medal sport in 2024.
Before Paris, although, there’s a lot room for enchancment on their preliminary performances at this World Cup in Okinawa, Japan, as they now face Slovenia, led by NBA famous person Luka Doncic, and underdogs Georgia of their second spherical of group matches.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
