Boomers “weapon” is “no-brainer” selection

Friday, August 4, 2023

“His got no question on what his role is. It is to come in and give that scoring punch.”

While the Australian Boomers squad is stacked with NBA talent, an NBL mainstay is a “weapon” and a “no-brainer” selection for the 12-man team, according to former Perth Wildcats coach Trevor Gleeson.

Gleeson, who is fresh off a stint as an assistant coach with the Toronto Raptors, has outlined why Chris Goulding should make the cut and be a Boomer at this month’s FIBA World Cup.

Some pundits have suggested Australia lacks pure three-point shooters, a void that Goulding has filled comfortably during his international career.

“It’s a no-brainer for me to have Chris in the team as that specialised shooter and being a microwave off the bench,” Gleeson told ESPN.

“He's got no question on what his role is. It is to come in and give that scoring punch.”

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Gleeson added the rapid volume of games at a World Cup makes having an instant scorer even more important.

“This is not like you have a week to build up a game and you can cover it…you’re moving on so fast, it is every second day,” the five-time NBL champion coach said.

“Shooters shoot…they can come in, be hot one day and carry you across the line. You need that weapon.”

The 18-man Boomers squad is locked into an intense training camp in Cairns, ahead of warm-up games in Melbourne in mid-August.

The final 12-man team will be decided through those events, with coach Brian Goorjian facing an almighty challenge to cut down one of the most talented groups in Australian history.

With a record 10 players who suited up in the NBA last season in the squad, the battle for spots has never been more competitive.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The <a href="https://twitter.com/BasketballAus?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BasketballAus</a> Boomers officially got things underway today at their pre-<a href="https://twitter.com/FIBAWC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FIBAWC</a> camp in Cairns ?<br><br>Following this camp, the Boomers will face Brazil, Venezuela and South Sudan in Melbourne ? <a href="https://t.co/oPDaxt3udF">pic.twitter.com/oPDaxt3udF</a></p>— NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1686301338387546112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 1, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Gleeson envisions Patty Mills and Josh Giddey will provide plenty of offensive punch for the Boomers, but they need to be surrounded by shooters to become even more dangerous.

“Patty is going to get a lot of attention that he well and truly deserves,” he said.

“Giddey is going to create a lot of shots for Patty by getting in the lane and getting the pass out.

“If you got Josh making the reads down there and it’s a kick out three, you want to know that you’re hitting a Patty, you’re hitting Goulding, you’re hitting Joe (Ingles), or even a Nick (Kay) as a stretch four, who can knock that shot down.”

The Boomers’ World Cup campaign begins on August 25 against Finland.