Boomers, NBL Influence in All-Star Five

Monday, July 25, 2022

Australian Boomers and NBL stars have headlined the FIBA Asia Cup All-Star Five.

The Boomers defeated Lebanon on Sunday evening, Australian time, to be crowned champions in Indonesia, with Mitch McCarron and Thon Maker leading from the front.

A key member of the Adelaide 36ers’ roster, McCarron averaged eight points, four rebounds and six assists throughout the tournament.

Maker knocked down almost 18 points a game, to go with nine rebounds.

25-year-old Maker is sure to attract interest from NBL clubs, after stints in the NBA, across three different teams, Israel, and most recently in the G-League.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Attention NBL clubs with roster spots available in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL23?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL23</a><br><br>Just saying.<br><br>via <a href="https://twitter.com/FIBAAsiaCup?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FIBAAsiaCup</a> <a href="https://t.co/hBWaQmFbyo">pic.twitter.com/hBWaQmFbyo</a></p>— The NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1551197875756969984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 24, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Tohi Smith-Milner, who lined up for South East Melbourne Phoenix in 2021/2022, was the match-winner in the Bronze Medal game for New Zealand, drilling three-pointers on three consecutive possessions in the final quarter.

His Phoenix teammate in 2021/2022, Zhou Qi averaged 15 points, 13 rebounds and close to two blocks a game to round out the All-Star Five, alongside Lebanon’s Wael Arakji.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="in" dir="ltr">FIBA Asia Cup Champs ??<a href="https://twitter.com/FIBAAsiaCup?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FIBAAsiaCup</a> <a href="https://t.co/e3dTrpOszw">pic.twitter.com/e3dTrpOszw</a></p>— The NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1551231005817974785?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 24, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>