The Boomers squad, including two NBA stars Matthew Dellavedova and Thon Maker assembled on Friday for an open practice at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre (MSAC) in preparation for the third window of the FIBA World Cup qualifiers against Japan and the Philippines.
The Milwaukee Bucks duo have expressed their excitement and anticipation to be part of the Boomers and to wear the uniform.
Dellavedova says, “It’s awesome, there’s nothing better than putting on the green and gold. These boys have done an awesome job so far, helping us qualify for the World Cup. I’m really excited to be a part of it and get into practice.”
Head coach Andrej Lemanis also shares how Maker, in particular, feels about his debut for the Boomers squad.
“[Thon has]always spoken about one he wants to play for Australia. It means something to him and there’s something special about seeing the joy in a person’s face when it becomes real and they get to play for their country. It’s a special moment and one of those things that comes with being involved in this environment,”Lemanis says.
On July 2, they will be facing Gilas Pilipinas and the new additions to the Boomers squad seem to anticipate how loud Filipino basketball fans are.
“They love basketball in the Philippines and they really get into that beat. I went there last year and it was a lot of fun. I think it’s either 50 or 55,000 seat stadium so I imagine they are going to have a pretty loud home-crowd and I’m looking forward to playing with them,” Dellavedova shares.
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