Perth Wildcats captain Damian Martin is confident the Boomers can win a medal at this year's Rio Olympics, but he knows he faces a mighty fight to be part of the action.
Martin has been named in Australia's preliminary 17-man squad for Rio, with the roster to be trimmed to 12 by mid-July.
With fellow guards Patrick Mills and Matthew Dellavedova assured of making the final cut, Martin will battle it out with the likes of Adam Gibson, Kevin Lisch, and Dante Exum for the remaining few spots.
Martin missed out on a berth at the London Olympics after an ankle injury ruined his lead-up, but he's desperate to display his outstanding defensive skills when he goes into Boomers camp next month in a bid to earn a gig in Rio.
"Growing up, my biggest dream ever was to be an Olympian," Martin said.
"And to be honest, when I got cut from the London Olympic team, I thought I would be too old come Rio.
"Fortunately some things have gone my way, and I'm at least in contention.
"The amount of confidence Andrew Bogut has instilled in the group that they can beat anyone and win a medal - it's contagious.
"Whoever the 12 are, I'll back them to win a medal. And I'd love to be a part of it."
Martin secured his future at club level on Thursday when he signed a three-year contract extension with the Perth Wildcats.
The 31-year-old started his NBL career with the now-defunct West Sydney Razorbacks in 2007, before going on to win three championships with the Wildcats.
"Growing up, regardless of what sport I watched, I used to really respect the guys who were one-club players," Martin said.
"Obviously I can't claim that. I had two years over in Sydney.
"But the silver lining of that team folding is it brought me out to Perth. It's been seven wonderful years with a fair bit of success in there."
Martin, Jesse Wagstaff, Matt Knight, and Jarrod Kenny have all re-signed with the Cats, but the futures of Jermaine Beal, Casey Prather, Nate Jawai, Shawn Redhage, and Greg Hire remain up in the air.
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