My picks, starters first.

Macdonald / Foxwell / Hickey
Henshall / Smith
McVeigh / Glover / Galloway
White / Cooks
Magnay / Bannan

Cooks and Bannan can play small ball centre but if they opt for size, either Hickey or Galloway to go for Wessels. Think it might be good to have some size at the C. McVeigh can also move to PF and Glover to SG. The two Jacks interchangeable in the starting forward spots. Wonder if NBA contract discussions will impact their availability - Yang Hansen already sitting out for China.

Looking forward to seeing how Reyne Smith fares.

I'm intrigued about this Boomers team and the Asia Cup in general after we just got over the line against Lebanon in the final last time. No Thon Maker for us this time either.

Daniels looks like one likely omission but even though he's a bit of a plodder I think Wessels might be retained for his size. He's comfortably the biggest guy in that squad which could be useful insurance wise. Not sure if Haddadi is still playing for Iran but he's a big unit too.

Reyne Smith I don't know much about other than he played for Denver at SL in Las Vegas and when they finished their games Washington asked him to play in their last game too. That suggests there must be something there if two NBA teams were keen to bring him in at SL.

I must admit I'm not big on Henshall I don't really get how much the NBL hypes him up and he pulled out of the NBA draft for a reason. If he goes the college route that's a bit weak IMO, a pro going down to play with ammo kids. What I've seen of him in the NBL I don't think that much of.

Glover's got some genuine spark about him I've always appreciated his skill set so Dash Daniels and one of Henshall or Smith I would leave out and for me I don't think we would miss Henshall.

The Boomers play a warm up game against Colorado on the Gold Coast on Thursday July 31. Will the game be televised?

Dash Daniels is gonna play in the NBL and looks like the next big thing, so I reckon he probably gets picked. Feels kinda like when Dyson made the 2023 squad — could def see Dash being the 12th guy.

Haddadi retired from the national team in 2023.

Maker is a big loss imo.
Would have blooded Condon over Wessels.


No hansen for China but still a good squad.
No kawamura for japan but still a good squad.
Korea and Phillipines could move up from 22'
Nz ok but not great. New blood.
Lebanon possibly to the final?

Wael Arakji's out injured — huge loss for Lebanon tbh.
But they brought in Dedric Lawson, so not all bad.
They smashed Iran and Jordan in recent warm-ups, looked pretty solid.

"the next big thing" based upon what? Never had a dominate Australian junior championships. hasnt averaged more than 12ppg at u18/20s, outside shooting is bog average. assist numbers are average. only ranked 11th in steals at the last Nationals. Poor at the WC.

So the next big thing based upon what?

Henshall surplus to needs, big picture he is unlikely to overtake any of our current athletic wings for major events. Wessels not required. Took Proctor to Asia Cup in '22, likely will do the same with Daniels. Smith deserves an opportunity.

MacDonald / Foxwell / Hickey
Glover / Smith / Daniels
McVeigh / Galloway
White / Bannan
Magnay / Cooks

Good enough for Gold in Asia once again.

Yeah, I get he's not killing it right now — I’ve been disappointed watching him too.
Tbh, he might be a bit overrated.
But scouts are into his potential, and I still think he’s got a shot at being a really good player like his brother.
If they’re picking the team based on the top guys at camp, Daniels probably doesn’t make it yet.
But for that 12th man spot? He’s got a decent shot.

Yeah, I get he's not killing it right now — I’ve been disappointed watching him too.
Tbh, he might be a bit overrated.
But scouts are into his potential, and I still think he’s got a shot at being a really good player like his brother.
If they’re picking the team based on the top guys at camp, Daniels probably doesn’t make it yet.
But for that 12th man spot? He’s got a decent shot.

Ben Henshall's FIBA Asia Cup 2025 qualifiers stats (4 games):
11.5 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 3.3 APG, 1.5 SPG, 2 TO, 1.3 PF per game, shooting 55.2% FG (73.3% 2P, 35.7% 3P) and 81.8% FT.

Henshall was one of the most efficient players in the Asia Cup qualifiers, actually outplaying DJV, so I reckon he’s got a solid shot at making the Asia Cup team too.

DJV's FIBA Asia Cup 2025 qualifiers stats (4 games):
12.3 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 4.3 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.3 BPG, 0.5 TO, 1.3 PF per game, shooting 24.6% FG (28.6% 2P, 22.5% 3P) and 100% FT.

Would be happy with


PG
Macdonald
Foxwell

SG
Smith
Any 2 of Henshall, Hickey or Glover

SF
Galloway

CF
Mcveigh
White

PF/C
Cooks
Bannan

C
Magnay
Wessels



Still think

Condon > Wessels
Maybe given WMW a chance and another vet with lots of experience in these tournaments like Goulding or Creek etc

I am surprised Delly isnt pushing his ongoing claim for a Boomers spot with this team. I mean while we all know he isnt a future, he's a steadier option than MacDonald and Foxwell, neither of which really have a shot at any major tournament anyway. Also no Goulding, who is still arguably a better player than any SG we have on the team. I get that we dont want to keep rehashing the past, but our player development should be tempered with which options legitimately have a Boomers future and what would give us a better shot at winning today. But it should matter, our forwards and centres are leaps and bounds ahead of what you're going to get from Asia and it will be a bit embarassing if we dont comfortably sweep the gold. Still, I am intrigued enough to renew my Kayo and watch. I havent minded the Asia cup in the past. It's like a very small taste tester to what I consider 'the real stuff' to come in 27/28. It also pays to remember that solid Boomers role players have cut their teeth at these things and it helps to show coaching staff what up and coming players may provide in an international context, albeit watered down.

There are so few realistic opportunities to win a Gold Medal for your country.

Surprised a few others havent put their hands up.

Delly is 34, and if his sights are set on the WC and Olympics, there's really no need for him to play in the Asia Cup. Kay didn’t play in the 2022 Asia Cup either. And Goulding is already 36. Back in the 2022 Asia Cup, the oldest player on the team was Steindl, who was 33 at the time.

If I were Delly I wouldn't be putting my hand up for this either he would be on a hiding to nothing. Plays well who cares but plays poorly and might get a line ruled through his name for good.

Our 2022 team last time was:

Thon Maker, Will McDowell-White, Mitch McCarron, Tyrese Proctor, Sam Froling, Rhys Vague, Wani Swaka Lo Buluk, Sam McDaniel, Alex Ducas, Keanu Pinder, David Okwera, Clint Steindl.

We only beat Lebanon in the final by 2 points, we nearly paid the price for putting out such an ordinary team so glad BA have learnt their lesson and put together a much stronger team this time.

Strong enough though?, cannot deny other teams have improved and will continue to do so.

There's probably a parallel with the rest of the world catching up to the USA in international competitions, so that the USA was forced to send quality teams (starting with the Dream Team).

I wonder how long it will be before the rest of Asia catches up to us and forces us to send our best to tournaments like these.

From photos > Couple of other guys at TC

Josh Giddey
Dyson Daniels
Alex Ducas
Some other guy, cant tell who it is...


+
Dash Daniels
Foxwell
Smith
Hickey
Glover
Henshall
Galloway
Mcveigh
White
Cooks
Bannan
Magnay
Wessels

Couldn't see macdonald but probably there.

Ok MacDonald is present, Delly too and 1 other guy.

Has the camp kicked off today?

Yup

@EthanJohnson613 on X:

@OlgunUluc @michaelhoub @MickRandallHS
looks like RJ Greer scored an invite to the scrimmage group alongside Dash, Bannon and Foxwell. Good to see him getting some time in a boomers camp. At Davidson next year, but was a prospect to watch in aussie hoops not too long ago.

Confirmation the Boomers vs Colorado game is being broadcast on Kayo, if on Kayo Freebies or ESPN not sure though.

"The Boomers will face the University of Colorado on Thursday, 31st of July at the Gold Coast Sports and Leisure Centre, with the game being broadcast live via Kayo at 6:30pm AEST."

https://nbl.com.au/news/boomers-leaning-on-experience-as-camp-begins

Johnny Furphy also at TC.

Lebanon's Wael Arakji is back and playing in Asia Cup 2025. They’ve got Wael and Dedric Lawson, and they’re definitely stronger than at Asia Cup 2022. It’s gonna be a tough game for sure.

The final team has been named:

Cooks, Daniels, Foxwell, Galloway, Henshall, Hickey, Magnay, Macdonald, McVeigh, Smith, Wessels, White.

Bannan + glover cut.

Glover was not cut, he got injured (shoulder) at camp.

Possible depth chart

MacDonald / Hickey / Foxwell / Daniels
Henshall / Smith
McVeigh/ Galloway
Cooks / White
Magnay / Wessels

Any particular reason Bannan was cut from the final 12?

Beatable team although still favourites to win.

Bannan must have been injured or opted out, it's the only plausible explanation. Taking 3 bigs that can't space the floor is certainly a choice by the coaching staff.

Who does Bannon replace in that team ? Is he better than Cooks or White, certainly not at this stage imo. Overall on probably who is available it's not a bad squad, and yes we could probably put at least one if not two better teams out there if all were available.

2022
Mccarron / Mcdowell-White
Proctor / Buluk
McDaniel / Ducas / Steindl
Vague / Pinder / Okwera
Maker / Froling

2017
Cadee / Norton
Mccarron / Gliddon
Creek / Newley / Blanchfield
Kickert / Kay
Brandt / Hodgson / Anderson(dnp)

I'd rate Bannan as better than Wessels, but there are others similar to him. Wessels will match up better physically with the really big boys.

Unless Wessels has displayed significant improvement and added further dimensions to his game over the past few months, Bannan is clearly ahead of him in the pecking order imo.

It's not about pecking order Wessels is just much bigger than Bannan. Given the various skill sets of all the bigs personally I probably would've picked Bannan ahead of Jack White.

Cooks & Magnay pick themselves, Wessels as insurance against the guys too big for Magnay to handle, people forget Magnay is really a PF but can get away with playing centre in the NBL. Although I think Bannan gets hyped a bit too much he offers more range than White, there's not much outside shooting there with those four bigs but realistically there probably doesn't need to be for us to win the gold.

btw it's now been confirmed tomorrow night's warm up game will be live on Fox Sports, it's also on Kayo Freebies.

Interesting that it's not on ESPN who have had the contract for all Boomers games outside of the major tournaments.

Josh Bannan's FIBA Asia Cup 2025 qualifiers stats (3 games):
11.7 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 1.7 APG, 0.3 TO, 1.7 PF per game, shooting 70% FG (76.5% 2P, 33.3% 3P) and 60% FT.

Bannan was one of the most efficient players in the Asia Cup qualifiers.

Condon made more sense than Wessels.
A vet like Delly, Goulding or creek probably would have helped, white I guess will be captain who has significantly less experience in fiba.
No real slasher either, maybe only Galloway.
Just 2 proven outside shooters at international level in smith and mcveigh.
Daniels lucky, Siulepa was the better u19 player.

a little unbalanced but still an exciting young squad.

Zodiac, I'm not sure how you can say there doesn't need to be much outside shooting to win gold? If you think we are scoring that easily on the inside, then there's no real need for Wessels, is there? An extra 5cm over a more well rounded player isn't the difference in stopping a 220cm Chinese giant or a naturalized 205cm/110kg bully baller such as Dedric Lawson at the rim. Also, Magnay played Olympic minutes at the 5, so it's a rather disrespectful reference to say that he "can get away with playing Centre in the NBL" like he can't do it at the highest level.

Wessels is 7'1", Bannan is only 6'9"/6'10". So that's more like 8-10cm height difference plus Wessels is a big lump of a lad. I don't rate him highly probably will be a back up 5 in the NBL but Cooks, White & Magnay are around 6'9" and under. There needs to be someone who won't get potentially monstered inside by 7 footers.

"Also, Magnay played Olympic minutes at the 5, so it's a rather disrespectful reference to say that he "can get away with playing Centre in the NBL" like he can't do it at the highest level."

I can't remember if Magnay played at the 5 or not but one thing that stood out at the Olympics was how small Magnay is compared to other legit 5 men. He was seriously undersized even Landale who isn't a big 5 himself towered over him.

When he played for the Bullets he was a PF and listed as 6'9" it was only after post-NBA return with the increased physique that the NBL started listing him as 6'10" and be became a maskeshift centre.

If Daniels hadn't been selected, both Bannan and Wessels could have made the team.
But BA wanted to develop another NBA player, so they needed the hype — and chose Daniels.

He hasn't been playing that well in NBL1 South so might struggle in the NBL this season but given how much the NBL are trying to hype him I'm not surprised they picked him. Plus Glover got injured at camp so Dash kind of had to make the team then.

Daniels wasn't Glover's replacement — that was probably Smith.

I'm saying with Glover's injury G/F it meant Dash was making the team. Bannan wasn't a chance to be picked as a PG.

Pity Tyler Harvey's citizenship did not get sorted earlier this year.

Whether Glover was there or not, the roster already had enough G/Fs, so there wasn't really any gap to fill.

Magnay may be a 4 on paper, but he sure looks and plays like a 5.
Call him a PF if you want, but he's fooling no one — that’s a center.
Still, he definitely looked a bit small compared to the other centers at the Olympics.

The best Asian cup team we've ever fielded. No one comes close in talent tbh.

Second best team probably China and NZ but they’re a level below this team.

Recent Tuneups:
Qatar 82 - KSA 78
Russia 67 - Iran 70
NZL 90 - Guangdong 66
Macau BB 98 - Philippines 103

Tier List:

Tier 1:
Australia

Tier 2:
NZ
Lebanon
China

Tier 3:
Japan
Philippines
Jordan
South Korea

Tier 4:
Chinese Taipei
KSA
Qatar

Think Japan scrape into tier 2

Togashi / Harper / Toews
Tominaga / Nishida
Baba / Kanechika
Yoshii / Jacobs
Hawkinson / Kawamata / Kano

Will be a quick team.

Korea also got a few players back from when we played the earlier this year.

Japan lost their practice game to South Korea.

speaking of South Korea, HJ Lee just signed in Japan, ending his time with Illawarra. Shame to see him go, a real fun player to watch in the NBL, such a clean sharp shooter. Hopefully his 2 excellent seasons here have encouraged other teams to go down the SRP route for signings

NBL has to expand SRP to West Asian Teams as well (Lebanon, Jordan, etc) but either way there's too much money to offer in East Asian Leagues (Japan, China, etc)

If we are serious about winning Asia Cup, Henshall won't be a starter by the time we arrive in Jeddah

True, henshall off the bench.

We got no legit scorers, Goulding or dj needed.

The Boomers are going with small ball, but the offense has been rough and the perimeter D isn't looking great either.

Caporn got em rollin...

Hickey, McDonald and Foxwell haven't really shown much as ball-handlers — hard to see them matching up well against someone like Arakji.

If they were always going to play small-ball, leaving Bannan out of the final roster just doesn’t make sense. He could’ve made a real impact.

Hickey has been abysmal, so too white.

Magnay way too slow with the hand off.

Offense based around playmaking and not much player movement. Pity we don't have any playmakers.

Don't forget Caporn is who Goorjian deferred to in the last World Cup and Olympic cycle to run the offence.

Dumb given up the tech, use ya noggins

Can you imagine if Kunek and Peter Hooley ever called the same game. They'd break the space time continuum with how much words they’d both say. Just so much unnecessary fluff to hit the word limit.

Kunek getting paid by the word so it seems. Speicial comments or prattling?

My goodness we look shite early.

Macdonald may not make it... down 3 times.

Delly will be ready for a late call up, he was listening in intently to everytime out.

Yes the team struggled to have any identity at either end. Looked outsized for much of the night.

Delly called up? if he wanted to play, he'd be there. Probably got something else on?

Surely Caporn does not think he can just cruise to gold... the fact we have just 1 warmup game and the other teams have playing and training for a month is crazy.

Credit to Colorado, didn't expect that to be a great game but they really made it one.

Fun bit of Thursday night viewing

Agreed, Weedy - seems either very arrogant or very budget-conscious. Not impressed.

Not sure I like the fact that a college team can hang with our Boomers - even if it is our D team. Its not even like its a high end college team either.

It's a practice game straight out of camp. The only things meaningful that come out of these are video edits and game fitness.

College teams spend a lot more time together to build cohesiveness, this Boomers team has been together since Monday and that was the first game they've played together.

Sure I was hoping we flogged them especially after they started getting a bit dismissive of us but in reality there is more to be taken out of a close game than a flogging and I'm sure our guys weren't going all out either. A couple of our starters only played limited minutes, assuming they're even in the mix to start when the real games start on Wednesday.

It was cool seeing former NBA all-star Danny Manning on Colorado's bench!

@basketballaus
Sean MacDonald sustained a left knee injury last night during the Boomers exhibition match vs the University of Colorado.

Scans this morning have confirmed an ACL injury, and as a result Sean will not be available for the Boomers Asia Cup campaign.

#WeAreBasketball #AsiaCup

Oh, shit! Bummer for the Boomers and the JJs.

Maybe Delly might make it after all LOL

Delly's been there with them in camp so hopefully he steps into the breach.

Sucks for the JJ's they can't turn a trick with all the injuries they get.

Disagree with Mightmouse.

Really no excuses if they lose, 1 warmup game 5 days out(which includes travel time) and 3 half day training sessions is pathetic. Now starting pg is out injured and they have 1 day to replace him because the pool was only 14 deep (and 1 of those was glover who is also injured)

Japan, China, Korea, Lebanon etc have been playing together since late June or early July and have had 4-7 games each.

Which shows you how seriously we take the Asia Cup. That complacency almost bit us in the bum last time with the ordinary team we sent. This time we've assembled a better team and think that will be enough to win the gold again. Time will tell if our half-assed prep work needed to be better.

David Barlow getting a call?

Bannan called up, just sheer stupidity from the boomers coaches.

Foxwell + Daniels running the point now and sometimes Hickey.
Bannan another pf/c we did not need.

and apparently a few guards wanted to fill in...

Fingers crossed that what seems like stupidity is actually a smart move. I would even have accepted Delly. SMH

Honestly what are BA doing? Even if Delly said no just grab another PG it's too much responsibility for Foxwell & Daniels.

Probably go with...

Foxwell / Daniels
Galloway / Smith / Hickey
Mcveigh / Henshall
Cooks / White
Magnay / Bannan / Wessels


Although henshall or smith will likely start and push Galloway to backup SF.

Daniels won't play over Hickey.

It’s obviously been a short interrupted prep but you guys are seriously overrating the competition. It’s a tournament anything can happen but no one will beat them.

Daniels won't play over Hickey.

It’s obviously been a short interrupted prep but you guys are seriously overrating the competition. It’s a tournament anything can happen but no one will beat them.

Exactly, should win easily.

That's what everyone said last time too but then we only beat Lebanon by 2 points in the final.

Recent Tuneups

Boomers vs University of Colorado - 93-87
Japan vs KSA - 85-78
Gilas vs Jordan - 75-61

The Boomers have done this before - lost a player due to injury then replaced them with a player that cant possibly replace them. You could pull a point guard from the NBL1 if you wanted or even drag Mitch McCarron out of retirement and at least it's a point guard of some sort. But theyve replaced him with Josh Bannan and we're running point from one guy - Owen Foxwell - who I dont think is good enough to run the team.

I dont know what ramifications this tournament has on world cup placings but we cant be playing around like this. Even if they took Delly, let him ride out and learn the system until the crossovers, that would be safer than bringing another forward for no reason.

Basketball Australia will Basketball Australia though

If it was BA's decision, that is. FIBA rules might have forced them to use someone from their original squad, ie Bannan.

But I think it’s more likely that Caporn decided it would take too long for someone new to learn the system and they just had to gamble on sticking with the inexperienced Foxwell and Daniels, with help from the rest.

Fwiw, I would have grabbed McCarron too - at least he’s experienced at this level.

They needed to prepare for this contingency though. I mean what position were we always weakest at in this group? Point guard. What happens if you lose a point guard? We become exposed. There should have been another point guard or two in the squad, even if you are digging down to the Mitch Nortons or McCarrons or whoever else.

And here's the other question - what position will Asia be strongest in? Almost definitely guard. Theyre small, mobile teams. Expect to see a lot of ball pressure on Foxwell and Daniels. As far as these teams not being that good, they dont have to be. They just need to be able to exploit a weakness well enough to beat you.

Foxwell will do the job, so underrated, this is Asia, not the world. Mccaron hasn't played well in seasons, lol.

Yeah it's Asia and we should still be favourites but you dont want to underestimate anyone. If there are no world cup ramifications then who cares. If there are, this is very important.

(Visa) -You could take anyone that travelled and played in the qualifiers 24/25, that's a pg list of Mccarron, Norton, Armstrong, White, Savage or Dent
Or chosen a sg from Goulding, Vasiljevic, Pepper or Fennell.

Pepper would have come in handy.
Think alot of guys from nbl1 could have done a backup job, Wigness for eg.

Don't forget Henshall was the starting point guard for the Wildcats most of last season.

The NZ game is showing on ESPN tonight at 6pm, the Australia game at 6pm tomorrow (Melbourne time).

I expect both teams to make the final 8, and probably the final 4 depending on who they play against.

NZ gonna struggle to beat Iraq let alone make finals if they keep biffing up threes and not willing to keep the inside D honest

I'm just watching NZ versus Iraq. The amount of threes? I realise this is modern basketball but it is horrible....it turns every game into a lottery. This is my fear with the Boomers, it looks like Caporn is wedded to the three. This takes away our physical interior advantage over typical Asian teams.

We should have comfortably beaten the University of Colorado.....that it was close could be down to the fact that we took 33 three pointers and only 24 twos. Some of the threes were wild, off the dribble, almost looked like 'heat checks'. I heard that Caporn has given a green light...'if your open from three, shoot it', some players idea of open is questionable. It is a throw of the dice with the three, sometimes you make them sometimes you don't....whereas we are consistently big inside....that never changes.

I know it is only a trial but my, anecdotal, experience is when we play poorly in the lead up to a tournament we usually struggle. I hope I'm wrong, but I feel our playing style, constantly kicking the ball out for three, could handicap our advantage in size, strength and athleticism.

Well said dcs84.

New Zealand made tough work of it against Iraq before finally running away at the end. The 3 ball was very much the leveler there.

Also who was the colour commentator for this one? truly the least interesting voice and comments ever.

It was Pero Cameron. Was a pity they kept him awake

Pero much more suited to coaching haha that was a tough listen.

Tall Blacks play style left a bit to be desired early, game shifted once Flavell downsized allowing them to push at speed and have defenders on the floor who could contain. A lot to be said for playing your best players for longer rather than conforming to traditional position structures in these tournaments.

Ben Gold and jack andrew both really struggled to cope with the defensive pressure and physicality. The upcoming east Asian teams probably won't be so physical though

And icymi Australia overcame Korea comfortably, helped by woeful Korean long-range shooting and rebounding.

Didn't watch but checking the scoreline now and it was 97-61. LOL, what a Mickey Mouse cup.

Shout out to the first class commentating of Andrew Gaze: "He cops a kick to the ahh Testicals".

Gotta love Gazey, calling it like he sees it.

I did manage to watch the game,
Bringing in Josh Bannon for a guard now makes sense as it has accommodated Jack McVeigh to play small forward permanently
and Reyne Smith's ball handling is far better than advertised.
Disappointing was the Aussie turnovers,
Henshall and others love back spins which the Koreans just double teamed from the blind side.

I just watched the condensed version. McVeigh still great when he's ready to shoot and gives lots of energy and hustle but still struggles when he tries to do anything other than shoot or move the ball straight away.

Other than the guys who've been in the main team (White, Cooks, Magnay, McVeigh) I hadn't really seen many of those others much at all before so was good to see them, albeit against pretty average competition. Liked the look of Galloway

Cram, I agree that it was good to see the lesser-known players play significant minutes.

Same for the previous night's NZ game. I was glad to see Taine Murray, a new recruit for the Bullets, play. Should be handy as a bench contributor behind Javon Freedom-Liberty (just "Javon", from now on).

Jack White signed in Turkey.

I'm amazed by how little commentary there is in this thread about the Asia Cup games to date, whether discussing Australia or Nz or the Philippines or whatever.

Is there just no interest at all, or no interest until the finals stage, or ???

I’m keen to hear your thoughts, because low interest may see coverage of future events canned and I’d hate to see that happen.

We could pick five different sides and still win this competition, it could change in years down the track but at present it's not very exciting.

I dare say aside from being a third-tier level tournament, behind the Olympics and WC, when most hear about it they probably feel a bit awkward about us playing in an Asian tournament with the expectation we should dominate.

Bannan overated?

just watched Game 2 v Lebanon,
I don't regard Bannan as overrated, Boomers just playing a sprint game which only couple of them are not suited to and he is one of those. He will thrive at the Jackies in their [shoot first six or last six seconds Euro Ball] system.

Lebanon had a great scout, using a zone at opportune times, forcing max pressure on our 3point line and putting Cooks on the foul line every chance they got.

Boomers subbing was on point,
they addressed Game 2 turnover issues by using more point forward activity with Cooks and White, [A.Gaze calling it a positionless basketball approach]
Galloway winning the game player award as he continues to get more efficient in his execution. In Game 1 he struggled off he dribble but he addressed that by just slowing down and making better decisions on his penetration.

Asia Cup just shows you that there is levels to this shit. The forwards on this team are decent for us, but this is easily our weakest possible guard rotation and we look like the dream team against Asia. Yet if we took this team to the European Championships theyd get eaten alive. It goes to show we have a high level, professional league here and our depth is good and the rest of Asia is still a long way away from catching up - as you'd expect. There's not much to learn from these series - we already know we're better than Asia and that we are good. At most it gets some runs into the coach and into some fringe guys who may one day play in something meaningful

I haven't seen last night’s game.

I was surprised by how much Korea sagged off our inexperienced guards instead of using their speed and agility to pressure them. Apart from some occasional moments, there were times when I felt like Korea wasn’t going all-out to win - they passed up many easy shots for the speculative 3s (which just weren’t dropping), and didn’t blitz us with their speed, for example.

I expect a much harder battle, esp in the guards, when we play the powerhouses China and Japan.

There’s a clear gap between Australia, NZ, China, Japan and the rest, and I can’t see any other team stopping those 4 playing the semis.

Iran and Lebanon will be in the mix.

Asia Cup just shows you that there is levels to this shit.

I watched the first half of the Lebanon game and it looked like men playing against boys. We were up by 20 at H/T and when I last checked the score we were up by 28 in the 3rd. How we then only won by 13 probably warrants an investigation ;)

I never understood the hype with Galloway but I'm certainly starting to understand now. Great 3pt shooter, good defence and going to the hole with serious authority.

The Lebanon game for Australia was a little concerning. As mentioned we were up by 28 in the third and ended up winning by 13. We jacked up a ton of threes, that was our offense as Lebanon mounted a challenge. I felt if the game had gone on longer we would have handed the entire lead back to Lebanon.....our offense was that clunky. My problem with Caporn's edict of shoot when you're open, it becomes too many players with too many green lights. Many of the threes looked rushed, with feet not set, a little unbalanced. We took three point shots at a fairly pedestrian 28 percent success rate. If we are going to lose this tournament, and we really shouldn't, it will be because of three point overuse. I have a feeling New Zealand will have our number if and when we meet them.

Having said that Cooks, Galloway, White (apart from 0-7 from three), Wessels, Smith (apart from taking too many threes) and Bannon have looked a cut above with Galloway and Cooks excelling.

I dont think NZ will have our number. I dont have an issue with giving players the license to shoot but my problem is if there is nothing else actually coming from the offense. This Asia Cup team had one game leading into the tournament, and it's a bit of a slap together affair, running with only one true point guard. I wouldn't be judging the team or Caporn off of this... yet.

Hickey wtf are you doing

Hickey is a hothead, get this fool away from the boomers.

It appears we underestimated the greatness of Qatar!

4 steps no worries

I was thinking their PG Brandon Goodwin looks quite good. Looked him up he played 4 years in the NBA and doesn't even play in Qatar, he plays in China & Puerto Rico.

I hate that stuff with FIBA where small nations essentially buy a talent they like and their org/country just waive through citizenship for a tournament or whatever. He's never even played in Qatar, FFS.

It's total bullshit.

Qatar vs Aus - so many head knocks, tech fouls...
The commentators have even commentated that some of these tech fouls have been a bit…interesting.

I've been impressed by the refs':low tolerance of chirping from the sidelines.
Hopefully the NBL can become a bit stricter in that regard, as incessant in-game barking at the refs from the coaches is a very ugly look for the game, and it runs off at the junior level.

I'm loving the commentary if Jeff Taylor and Drewy - nothing superfluous, yet still a nice balance of humour, game strategy and analysis, while calling the game

I believe quarter final - Boomers v winner of Philippines/Saudia Arabia

Semi - against winner Iran v Jordan/Chinese Taipei.


Other half of the comp will have NZ and China as 1 seeds, and Lebanon/Japan/Korea/Guam as crossovers.

Agreed I've always appreciated that FIBA refs don't tolerate any sort of nonsense. Player or coach warrants a tech? Bang they get it.

yeah another interesting game to watch.
Refs did a good job, although may have overcalled it a little.
also impressed by the Boomers coaching team, setting standards and goals for each game and sticking to what they want to work on.
This game it was tailoring the D, and a bit of a shuffle offence. yeah interesting.
Be interesting to see what the Kings do with Galloway now that it is so clear to all that he is suck a talent. So far he has just seemed so wasted in a Kings shirt in Goorjians system.

So sometimes these tournaments unearth someone - it happened for Nick Kay. But does Jaylin Galloway have Boomers A team potential?

If the selectors can set aside their bias in favour of NBA players, he would have to be in the squad based on his current form.

I know that we already have a few 3-men up against him, but he's looked better than some of our NBA benchies and can guard from 2 to 4 comfortably.

I’d want him in the A team!

Galloway certainly at the level required for major competitions. There's gonna be a log jam in the wing spots by 2027.

Giddey / Exum / Armstrong / McDowell-White
Dyson / Proctor / Green / Dash / Smith
Thybulle / Furphy / Galloway / Toohey / Travers / Ducas
McVeigh / Magnay / Cooks / Olbrich / White
Landale / Reath / Condon / Froling / Zikarsky

Obviously some vets could still be in contention - Delly, Mills, Kay etc and the possibility of Simmons remains.

Still 2 years of development ahead but at this point it appears we may lack an international level scorer and 7ft 260lbs guy to protect the paint.

Other countries seem to be bringing in players to fill their international needs who were never born there and may not even have played there - is that an option for us? (LOL)

Gold Vibes Only, your depth chart features 25 names. Then you added 4 more "vets", let's call it 5 more vets. Total 30.

Since when do we have such a fabulous choice of deserving players?

1/4s

Australia vs Phillipines
Iran vs Chinese Taipei

China vs South Korea
NZ vs Lebanon

Wow, Japan thumped by Lebanon. I didn't see that coming.

Australia should have an easy Qf, NZ a tough one.

(Thon) boot on the throat.

McTrey's happening.

Up 17 at QT I'll take that.

Haha. Cop that. Will never forget 2018.
Is there any country more delusional about their basketball team than Philippines?

Nope.

(Not even China.)

Where's Kai Sotto?

You mean Sotto's not in the NBA?? Shocking!!

Haha. So many posts on socials by locals thinking their players are being discriminated because they don't make the NBA.

Sotto in particular.

Wish he was playing here because that will be the excuse.

Boomers fk around alot, playing at a snails pace. Still up by 19 with a 1/4 to go.

I keep hoping we get a camera shot panning over to reveal Daniel Kickert sitting courtside

Hickey's passing has been super impressive

Kai Soto has done his ACL.

Thanks Ballin fan.

They're definitely missing his size in this game

Very unfortunate for Sotto, but lucky for the Boomers. We're probably down 20 right now if his eliteness had been in this contest.

Well that was a satisfying win

Maker, Kickert, Sobey and CG43 all smiling somewhere right now

Iran our opponent for the semi

Reasonable attendance, nice of the Saudis to allow their Filo slaves the afternoon off. Broadcasting this competition on kayo freebies would be a ripoff what a snorefest.

Not an overwhelmingly good win by Australia

Started 7/8 from 3 within the first 5 minutes, had 22 points on the board, and finished 11/30 with 84 points. Struggled to score for 3.5 quarters against a midget Filo team missing Kai Sotto....

Our defense was the special sauce- aggressive, double teaming, "in and up". Gilas couldn't handle it.

But we'll actually need to play at a reasonable level across 4 quarters to beat China, who have a number of quality players from the Chinese domestic league including last season's MVP

Is there a time on Saturday for the Iran game?

Asia Cup Semi Final
Australia V Iran
Sat 16th Aug 8:30pm ACST.

Thank you.

Sucks it clashes with the NBL1 Central GF but I doubt FIBA took that into consideration. Hopefully that won't hurt the crowd at the AEC.

NZ beat Lebanon to advance to Semi Finals.
Carlin Davidson with a couple of big dunks.

Same with the North GF, Zodiac, game 2 of 3 for Caps v Spartans.

New Zealand staged the biggest comeback of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 so far, erasing a 22-point deficit to shock Lebanon 90-86 in Thursday's Quarter-Finals. Down 13-35 early in the 2nd quarter, they rallied to take the lead with 3 minutes to go and hold on for the win.

(As a reward, they play China LOL)

That was BS the actual time of Boomers vs Iran is 2am AEST Sunday 17th August.

yes correct Zodiac, apologies for that.

Kayo have now updated that telecast time to 1:30am Sunday morning.

That's cool.

I'm watching the replay of NZ vs Lebanon only in the 2nd atm I can't believe NZ came back and won this the Lebs are shooting the lights out.

Watching the 3rd Qtr loving the defence from NZ. A couple of monster blocks from Darling & TSM and the chase down block and score at the other end from Cameron might be one of the plays of the tournament and has me salivating as a Sixers fan.

A bit of a late run from Lebanon shall make the 4th tasty viewing.

Carlin Davison happened, my lord what a dunk that was.

Carlin Davison is an NBA level athlete that's for sure.

He looks like one of those guys that picked up the game in his teens. Makes a lot of mistakes and the feel for the game isn’t the best but what an athlete.

I am seeing 8:20pm tonight and 1:20am tomorrow morning, could the morning one just be a replay?

That's looking at Disney+

They've labelled both games as Australia but the first one is NZ vs China, the one at 1:30am is the Boomers game.

China clearly better than NZ.

Hopefully when we play them in the final, the refs will pay more attention to the Chinese shirt-pulling, moving screens and exaggerating contact.

China only up by two while flopping on one end and grabbing shirts on the other. NZ also missed several good looks from outside. King being in dubious foul trouble is a good example. China needs to put this away with their size quickly otherwise when NZ's shooting improves it'll be an ANZAC final.

China only up by two while flopping on one end and grabbing shirts on the other. NZ also missed several good looks from outside. King being in dubious foul trouble is a good example. China needs to put this away with their size quickly otherwise when NZ's shooting improves it'll be an ANZAC final.

China only up by two while flopping on one end and grabbing shirts on the other. NZ also missed several good looks from outside. King being in dubious foul trouble is a good example. China needs to put this away with their size quickly otherwise when NZ's shooting improves it'll be an ANZAC final.

China only up by two while flopping on one end and grabbing shirts on the other. NZ also missed several good looks from outside. King being in dubious foul trouble is a good example. China needs to put this away with their size quickly otherwise when NZ's shooting improves it'll be an ANZAC final.

Obviously FIBA would love China to win for the financial windfall it would receive.

Big flop results in a USF - go figure

Goodnight NZ

Good effort by NZ. China's 3-point shooting was pure class; NZ needed to hit more of theirs.

I'm only in the 2nd quarter...

But is this game rigged to tap into the Chinese basketball market?

Loads of fouls on NZ

A 7 foot 5 (or whatever) Chinese dude just took Max Darlings head off, and foul called on Darling

Next possession Britt had his singlet grabbed while he drove to the hoop. You'll rarely see anything one so obvious.

No call....

And Britt just got his singlet grabbed AGAIN ON THE NEXT PLAY while he played defense.

No call....

What is going on!!!??

Hats off to China with their shotmaking in the fourth. On the other hand, NZ, especially TSM, shot poorly. And Ngatai defended poorly. But the calls were definitely one-sided!

So now the refs are a problem when China beats NZ?

They weren't a problem when NZ shot 19 more freethrows than Lebanon.

Get a grip, China the better team tonight.

Yip china the better team but you can't watch that game and say that the calls didn't go the Chinese way.

At times it was bizarre

But NZ played into their hands and shot poorly so deserved to get beaten

Yeah China hit big shots down the stretch, and their outside shooting was the main difference in the game. They've got some weapons and could beat Australia on their night

No doubt though, King and Darling in particular got screwed with dodgy calls,

And Britt had his singlet grabbed 3 times that I noticed. Which means there was probably 20 I didn't see. It's not something you see that obviously very often, makes me wonder if there's certain Chinese players who do it often. Caporn and Vickerman should make the refs aware of it before the final

And yeah as commented above, moving screens is another one

#21 was doing it, took a while for them to finally call one

Aus v China final

Yip china the better team but you can't watch that game and say that the calls didn't go the Chinese way.

At times it was bizarre

But NZ played into their hands and shot poorly so deserved to get beaten

I'm glad it wasn’t just me who thought the game was reffed a bit 'unevenly’

Nice warm up for the Boomers. Davo Hickey took the game over and they went from there

Looking at the results it's pretty obvious Iran benefited from being placed in an easy group.

I think everyone expected these two to meet in the final.

I'd back Australia for the win for their relentless defence - that China gave up so many points to NZ must be encouraging for the Boomers.

"Galloway certainly at the level required for major competitions. There's gonna be a log jam in the wing spots by 2027.

Giddey / Exum / Armstrong / McDowell-White
Dyson / Proctor / Green / Dash / Smith
Thybulle / Furphy / Galloway / Toohey / Travers / Ducas
McVeigh / Magnay / Cooks / Olbrich / White
Landale / Reath / Condon / Froling / Zikarsky

Obviously some vets could still be in contention - Delly, Mills, Kay etc and the possibility of Simmons remains."

I would add Hickey as well as Wessels, very mobile big man.

Agree with that comment.

Hickey ahead of Dash and Smith.
Wessels wayyyy ahead of Zikarsky, and probably ahead of Condon. (Froling won't be fully fit in time, will he?)

For now!


Delly and Kay won’t be there. Patty might sneak in as 12th man.

While we have to speculate about possible A-teams, over in Europe teams like Serbia are already playing their stars like Jokic and Bogdanovic in *preparation* games.

While our stars continue to sit out these kinds of lower-level competitions, the Boomers continue to put themselves at a disadvantage. The only way we have ever been truly competitive is when our players -- and coaches -- have a lot of experience together. If that experience is only going to come from major tournaments and a handful of preparation games before them, it's going to be a challenge for the Boomers to be truly competitive under the current FIBA system.

It's not going to happen in 2027 with a new group together. 2028 might be a chance to build some more momentum, but that's not enough to create a cohesive unit. Then they have to wait until 2031. Look how long it took stable Lemanis teams to gel. You can't just rely on the A-team playing a handful of preparation games before major tournaments.

Will BA ever wake up to this?

Comparing countries like Serbia trying to qualify through Eurobasket to Australia qualifying through Asia Cup is absolutely ridiculous

If we were running our A team against Asia it would be an absolute embarrassment to the entire region and it would be far in excess of requirements. I dont think you could aptly call smashing Iran by 70-80 points "preparation" for anything meaningful and I wouldnt expect Josh Giddey to forgo his summer in pursuit of that. If nothing else maybe exhibition games against European teams on off-years (lets say, 2026) could be of some benefit.

As far as this current team, we're blowing out Asia. But if we were in a situation where we had to qualify through Europe with this team, our best guys would have to pull their finger out. This team would get absolutely walloped by anyone serious in Europe.

In another random thought, it surprises me that Iran has a national basketball team, given what the country is like and what goes on there, and that basketball is a very Americanized sport. It just seems strange that they have a team. And while theyre not 'great' at it, theyre certainly better than Id imagine Iran being at it.

Iran actually pays very money if you're willing to risk being there, they get lower level US imports. Basketball is a global game, has been for ever, surprised why you think that they would not play.

"In another random thought, it surprises me that Iran has a national basketball team, given what the country is like and what goes on there, and that basketball is a very Americanized sport. It just seems strange that they have a team. And while theyre not 'great' at it, theyre certainly better than Id imagine Iran being at it."

Is this serious? It's a big world out there basketball is played everywhere and Iran have had a national basketball team for decades, in fact I saw them play here in Adelaide in 2008. They had a giant guy that was around 7'5" even towered over their 7'2" star Haddadi.

Australia 97
(Mills 17, Bruton 15, Saville 14)

Iran 53
(Ehadadi 18, Nikkah 14, Tadjik 8)

https://www.austadiums.com/sport/event/7985

The Bronze medal game NZ vs Iran is on tonight at 9pm EST and the Gold medal game Australia vs China is on at 1:30am EST.

I am not surprised they play on some level, its more that there is a level of professionalism to it such that they could play against a C grade Boomers and look like theyre playing the same sport lol. Sounds harsh but yes that surprises me

"Is this serious? It's a big world out there basketball is played everywhere and Iran have had a national basketball team for decades, in fact I saw them play here in Adelaide in 2008. They had a giant guy that was around 7'5" even towered over their 7'2" star Haddadi.'


I was there. Yes I did know they have a team I was being a bit facetious. Its still surprising to me in a way though

I'm not sure there's a country on earth basketball isn't played?

Fun fact, there's actually more member nations of FIBA than there are of FIFA- 212 vs 211

I'm not sure what membership entails. But both sports are basically played in every corner of the globe

Agree, this month demonstrates why Australia is at a disadvantage. Going 3 years without the main guys playing together obviously isn't ideal, compared to Euro countries gearing up for Eurobasket right now

About to watch NZ play Iran for the third place playoff.

It was impressive how NZ managed to stay in the game as China were both lighting it up from 3, finding easy driving lanes and having two bigs who could chase offensive rebounds. Smith-Milner looked very outmatched (to the point where backup Jack Andrew looked like a better foil), and both Darling/King in foul trouble reduced our driving lanes. We relied on Taylor Britt to clear zone presses and playmake - and the fact Flynn Cameron couldn't do either said a lot.

Different contest tonight, before the inevitable Australia win for gold.

Six minutes in the first quarter gone, and NZ have scored 14 points (12 of them from 3), already in the penalty and given up multiple open looks under the basket. This is a repeat of last night.

Yeah, Tohi seems to be a bit too slow these days. Strong body, unselfish, streaky shooter, so still useful in bursts, but ...time to give the youngsters more time

It would appear Flavell has learnt very little regarding his best combinations. Continuing to play Smith-Milner, Darling and Britt together for heavy minutes has not worked and continues to be exploited with a medal on the line.

Flavell is not a high level coach if it's not clear enough.

How is King not on an NBL roster. Clearly NZs best player and every team can use a knockdown wing.

And they continue to bomb from 3 like they're trying to shoot themselves into form. Britt hasn’t realised that he needs to play a different type of role this game cos what worked before isn’t working much in this game. Whereas Darling and Davidson have the athleticism to attack the basket, but ...

And the refs reward simulation. Sheesh, this is hard to watch.

NZ are playing (& coaching) dumb and tired.

Taking Smith-Milner, Ben Gold and Jack Andrew as the 5's in this tournament was a big mistake. While I understand a number of 5's were unavailable (Adams, Wetzell, Fotu, Mennenga, Harrison, Waardenburg) - is this the way we wanted to exit the tournament? With a Lebanese comeback and what look to be two losses with porous defense?

Heck, Luca Yates would've provided greater value at the 5 than Jordan Hunt has been at the 4 (where Davison, Darling and Gold had the spot covered).

Britt is not an NBL level player. Can't shoot the 3, turnover prone. He’s a point guard that likes to get to the basket or take low percentage middys, he won’t be able to do that against bigger better competition he’ll face in the NBL.

"Comparing countries like Serbia trying to qualify through Eurobasket to Australia qualifying through Asia Cup is absolutely ridiculous"

The point is that we will always be at a disadvantage in the major tournaments due to a lack of experience playing together, resulting in a lack of chemistry. The trade-off of being in Asia is that qualification becomes easy, at the expense of quality competition. But does that mean we shouldn't bother getting the A-team more regularly together to develop some chemistry in preparation for major tournaments?

"Comparing countries like Serbia trying to qualify through Eurobasket to Australia qualifying through Asia Cup is absolutely ridiculous"

The point is that we will always be at a disadvantage in the major tournaments due to a lack of experience playing together, resulting in a lack of chemistry. The trade-off of being in Asia is that qualification becomes easy, at the expense of quality competition. But does that mean we shouldn't bother getting the A-team more regularly together to develop some chemistry in preparation for major tournaments?

Iran get sooo many easy 3s - conservative defence isn't going to get NZ back in the game

Ngatai and Tohi are moving in sand. Flavell is absolutely clueless.

If NZ can't hit their 3s, they could at least try to take advantage of Iran’s foul trouble, attack, and catch up from the foul line.

Iran flops even more than China (& also gets away with it). I must have missed the memo about the rule change.

Disappointing tournament for NZ if we're being objective.

No way they should’ve lost to Iran - who were even missing their best player Amini.

I know their budget isn’t big but the last 2 games shows the importance of a good coach.

When New Zealand switched to zone it was painful watching Iran swish two consecutive wide open threes

And that was the final margin.

When New Zealand switched to zone it was painful watching Iran swish two consecutive wide open threes

And that was the final margin.

Why does Capone suddenly decide to start playing Henshall over Reyne in the grand final. Mind boggling.

Certainly the worst asia cup 'team' we have put up.
Lots of individual dudes that can score or defend or drive but the worst team I’ve seen moving the ball around.

The downfall of Cooks is honestly impressive

Caporn getting exposed in the 1st half, panicking early making weird subs.

Cooks carrying us in the 2nd.

Alright yep Cooks shut me up.

On another note whoever has been in Henshalls ear about being an NBA player needs therapy.

Worrying 1st half, hopefully they can get it together.

Mcveigh doesn't make A team boomers again imo.

Everytime McVeigh is guarding, they score.
Cooks rebounds saving us and his free throw shooting is killing us.
Gave up on smith it seems...

Tight 3rd. Down a few with 1/4 to go.


Cmon boomers.

Very close with 5 mins to go.

Oh yeah!, boomers 1 pt win in another fked up final.

Well done to Cooks, finally hit some free throws in the end. Galloway good late.

Why they got to make it so hard? Should be smokin teams this tournament...

Galloway maybe team A, the rest B/C/D.

How about that unsportsmanlike call at the end of the game?

Galloway wins mvp of tournament.

Magnay, McVeigh are coming off an A-team appearance. Cooks has been on the cusp of the A-team. Galloway making a strong claim for A-team consideration.

If there is anything we can really get out of this tournament, it's the rise of Galloway.

We got too many young dudes infront of these guys now imo.

better shooting, creativity and on D (proctor + Furphy.)

Centre you got Landale + Reath and Condon will overtake Magnay. More hustle, runs the floor, better rebounder, better passer.

"Comparing countries like Serbia trying to qualify through Eurobasket to Australia qualifying through Asia Cup is absolutely ridiculous"

Just to get back to this comment. These regional tournaments are standalone tournaments. They don't lead to any qualification for any other tournaments. So European teams who send their bast players are doing so because there is prestige in winning Eurobasket, and possibly, as I argued, to help the development of their national team for the major world tournaments. The only other way these tournaments impact the major international tournaments is improving a team's world ranking to get placed in a higher ranked pot.

Maybe go look up automatic qualification

World Cup Qualifiers are separate - there is no automatic qualification for the World Cup via Asia Cup. That stopped in like 2015

LOL @ China for losing to our spud team.

Jack White -22 by far the worst, Magnay, plus 18 by far the best.

"Maybe go look up automatic qualification"

LOL. If you actually look it up, here's what you'll find.

The hosts of the World Cup receive an automatic berth. Unlike in previous editions results from the prior Summer Olympics and continental championships are not taken into account. Until 2014, the winners of the Summer Olympics and continental championships also received an automatic berth, but starting from the 2019 World Cup this is no longer the case.

How to qualify for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027: https://www.fiba.basketball/en/events/fiba-basketball-world-cup-2027/how-to-qualify

Magnay, Cooks, White, McVeigh have represented Australia at major tournaments before and should be in consideration for 2027.

Galloway, Wessels, Hickey and even Dash Daniels could potentially be in the mix in 2 years time

Bannan, Smith, Foxwell and Henshall I'd put in the "exceedingly unlikely" category but, you never know. 24 months is a long time in basketball

Not really a "spud team" in other words.

In fact put Henshall into the middle group. He's only 21 and will be 23, 24 in 2027/28.

But as I said above, of course it would benefit the Boomers chances in future, if guys like Landale, Reath, Dyson Daniels, Green played this tournament

LV
No Cooks for next round unless he can improve his FT % drastically. 4/11 is shocking.

Henshall stays in the third group. Smith could easily overtake him this year.

Cooks carried the team in this final and was MVP of the game with an EFF of 28, despite missing 7 free-throws.

As for the talent Australia went with in this Asia Cup, I'd say it was better than 2022, and not far off 2017. I think the 2017 team had better balance, depth and coaching, though. It might be time to take Asia Cup more seriously if we want maintain this winning streak.

So much for winning the tournament comfortably!

We did not send a great team and replacing Macdonald with Bannan was a bone headed decision that almost cost us. Cooks saved our arse and by extension total humiliation for Basketball Australia.

Jinqiu killed us inside way too good and big for Magnay to handle. Magnay tries but is too undersized at the 5 internationally, too slow and too poor offensively to play for the Boomers again. The shine has come off McVeigh in a big way, if they're not dropping he's useless so will be interesting to see how he goes being "the man" in Cairns. Not sure why Smith didn't get on the court, odd.

The rise of Galloway was the big thing to take out of this and should be in strong contention for our A grade team probably at the expense of McVeigh. Cooks showed what a mistake it was leaving him out of the Olympic team. Wessels showed something in the game against Iran too, with a bit more seasoning he could be right in the mix come 2027. Henshall's not even close to up to it.

Awesome game. Exciting to see China with multiple genuine shotmakers. Boomers got jumped big time, responded well, and then found a way to win despite not being at their best.

Magnay just awesome, his all-around defensive ability is enormous. Boomers outscored by 17 in his 14 minutes on the bench. We don't have another defensive big quite like him.

McVeigh and Galloway just clutch, both shoot without a conscience no matter the game situation and that will have them both in strong consideration.

Wish Jack would stop helping off strong-side shooters though! It's been an issue for some time for him but he hasn't been able to fix it.

Cooks needs to be in every Boomers team, even if it's just to use as a sparkplug when things aren't going well. His performance tonight was someone who just didn't want his country to lose. Great to see. Even greater if he can improve the FT side of things.

That was the best standard Asia Cup final I've seen by a long way. Hopefully more teams can play to the level of China and challenge us as the years go on.

I didnt see anything from Dash Daniels to suggest hes 'the guy' hes been talked up as. Very early sure, but he was a non factor in the tournament.

Both the Boomers + Opals current Asian Champs.

Odd they have the men's tournament aimed at every 4 years and the women’s every 2 years.

2029 is the next men’s asia cup. 2027 the next women’s.



Age in 2029

BOOMERS
Foxwell 2003 -26
Daniels 2007 -22
Hickey 1999 -30
Smith 2002 -27
Henshall 2004 -25
Galloway 2002 -27
Mcveigh 1996 -33
White 1997 -32
Cooks 1995 -34
Bannan 2001 -28
Magnay 1998 -31
Wessels 2002 -27

(Could all potentially play again)
Team A will be hard to crack in 2027(WC) and 2028(Olympics)


Age in 2027/2029

OPALS
Reid 1996 -31+33
Ellis 2001 -26+28
Sowah 2000 -27+29
Borlase 2004 -23+25
Wilson 1994 -33+35
Woods 1997 -30+32
Bibby 1998 -29+31
Fowler 2001 -26+28
Blicavs 1993 -34+36
Bourne 2001 -26+28
Aokuso 1998 -29+31
George 1989 -38+40

(No chance for George, slim chance we see Blicavs and Wilson)
Probably all make extended opals list with just 2-4 making the WC side in 26.

Things can change quickly in the Daniels family, if Dyson's performances in the Boomers team in 2023 vs 2024 is anything to go by.

Dash will get drafted, even if it's just in the hope that he turns out as good as his brother.

I don't read too much into Asia Cup.

It's a small sample size of mostly relatively low standard games, compared to NBL.

Dash Daniels is 17, it's easy to forget how young that is.

For me it's way too early to tell whether he's the next Dyson or mostly hype, but everyone who knows says he's comparable to Dyson at that age.

Also, Dash's NBL1 stats:

Played 8 games

15.1ppg, 1.9apg, 3.5rpg, 2.0spg, 1.5 topg, hitting 2.3 threes per game at 55% (18/33 over 8 games) in 22 minutes per game

When you factor he was only playing 22 minutes, those are encouraging stats, especially the outside shooting numbers

Anyone been following AfroBasket results?

Shows how far African basketball has come.

South Sudan fielded a strong team and couldn't even make quarter finals