Veteran NBA stars Patty Mills and Josh Ingles headlined the Australian men's basketball expansion team selected for the Paris Olympics on Thursday as the Boomers look to improve on their bronze medal in Tokyo.
Mills of the Miami Heat and Orlando Magic forward Ingles were among 10 of the 22 NBA players, but that number will be cut to 12 as the Olympics get closer, starting in July.
Coach Brian Gougian also added a number of young players to the team, led by wing Johnny Furphy, after an impressive college season at Kansas that saw him skyrocket up NBA draft boards.
Brooklyn Nets forward ben simmons It was a key absence after he was forced to leave due to a back injury.
Gaujan, who will be leading the team in his fourth Olympics, said he was confident he had the right mix of youth and experience.
“We are actively monitoring Australian players in international leagues in the US, Europe and Asia, as well as domestically in the NBL, and are confident in the potential compatibility of this list,” he said. Ta.
“The complexity of international competitions like the Olympics is that the training and preparation period is relatively short, so we need to identify and implement styles that work quickly and strengthen our collective skill set.”
Australia lost to the powerful United States in the semifinals of the Tokyo Olympics three years ago, but won against Slovenia in the third-place match.
Ten players remain from the team, including Mills, Ingles and fellow NBA stalwarts Dante Exum, Jock Landale and Duop Reese.
Australia will be placed in Group A in Paris, where they will face Canada and the two winners of the qualifying tournament, which includes powerhouses Spain and Slovenia.
Despite already being dubbed the „Group of Death,“ Gojian said that only adds to the motivation.
„The consensus is that the overall talent of the team and the power of international NBA stars will take the tournament to a level never seen before,“ he said.
„We emphasize and instill in the group that we are not aiming to match or duplicate other countries' game styles. Our goal is to beat them.“
Australia provisional Olympic team: Chris Golding, Joe Ingles, Nick Kaye, Dante Exum, Jonny Furphy, Patty Mills, DJ Vasiljevic, Sam Froling, Rocco Zykalski, Duop Rees. , Josh Guidy, Will Magnay, Dyson Daniels, Josh Green, Will McDowell-White, Jack McVay, Keanu Pinder, Xavier Cooks, Jack White, Matisse Thybulle, Jock Landale, Matthew Dellavedova