Australia will hope their opening FIBA World Cup match goes somewhat higher than their sleep patterns forward of Friday’s crunch encounter in opposition to Finland.
The Boomers have been woken at 4am in Okinawa on Thursday, disturbed by a close-by missile launched from North Korea that triggered emergency evacuation alerts.
The missile, nevertheless, handed into the Pacific Ocean some quarter-hour later.
It wasn’t the best preparation forward of basketball’s showpiece occasion, the place the Boomers need to shore up their status as one of many world’s rising powerhouses with one other deep run in a serious match.
Following up a semi-final look on the 2019 World Cup with bronze on the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Brian Goorjian’s males are as soon as once more one of many main gamers in Japan.
They will first, nevertheless, must get out of a difficult pool that includes Germany and the host nation, together with Finland.
But coach Goorjian conceded that they had greater targets than simply surviving the group stage.
“We’re looking forward to the challenge ahead,” he mentioned.
“We’ve introduced some exciting new prospects into the group and developed a style of play both offensively and defensively that we’ll take into the tournament.
“It’s clearly a tricky match, however we’re assured in our blueprint on what we have to do to win gold.”
They enter their opening game against Finland as warm favourites, but will need to stop Utah Jazz gunner Lauri Markkanen if they’re to get the job done.
The NBA’s reigning Most Improved Player dropped a career-high 25.6 points per game for the Jazz in an All-Star campaign last season and is clearly his side’s great hope.
There’s a sense of intrigue around the line-ups Goorjian will produce with the Boomers forced to play some small ball after the late injury withdrawal of centre Jock Landale.
Without Landale, 211cm beast Duop Reath is the only traditional big on the roster with Goorjian suggesting 201cm Jack White might be one to pick up his minutes.
Melbourne United coach Dean Vickerman, who previously led the Boomers, suggested former charge White loomed as a long-term option for the side.
“Obviously with Landale taking that damage, so unhappy for him (given) how dominant I assumed he would have been at this World Cup,” he mentioned.
“But to have Jack because the man coming into the Boomers program and what he’ll do over not simply this championship, however over a number of years as a Boomer, is a good begin for him.”
Australia battle Finland at 6pm on Friday, before tackling Germany on Sunday and Japan on Tuesday.
Spain are the defending champions after beating Argentina within the last, with France defeating Australia within the third-place playoff.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
