Newley influence on Boomers culture

Thursday, August 17, 2023

Melbourne forward Brad Newley was one of a number of former Boomers honoured by the program last week.

With the young and emerging talent entering the Australian men’s basketball program, the Boomers look to be on the cusp of a brand-new golden generation of players. That, however, is not preventing the side from honouring those who came before them.

Melbourne forward Brad Newley won two Commonwealth Games gold medals representing Australia, and was a part of the teams that travelled to the 2010 and 2014 World Cups and the 2012 Olympics.

That major international medal eluded him though, but that drought has since been broken by the 2020 Tokyo Olympic team.

<iframe src="https://omny.fm/shows/nbl-podcasts/brad-newley-on-sen-august-15-2023/embed?style=artwork" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write" width="100%" height="180" frameborder="0" title="Brad Newley on SEN - August 15, 2023"></iframe>

Newley was one of a number of former Boomers honoured at the Players’ Association’s Akubra presentation ahead of Monday’s game against Venezuela.

“It took so many years for us to get that medal in the Australian men’s basketball program,” Newley told SEN.

"Every one of us have been in games where if we could have potentially done things a little bit better, we could have been in that.

“The guys know we helped them when they were younger to get to where they are now, and if you look at the team now, it’s just a super team.

“The fact NBA players are potentially not making the team is crazy – you wouldn’t have thought that 10 years ago.

“It’s great to see them where they are.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">“Having the opportunity to put the Green and Gold on, understand what it means to be a Boomer and have that pride every time you step out on the floor.”<br><br>Our very special Akubra presentation from current Boomer legends to past Boomer legends ?<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/StrongerTogether?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#StrongerTogether</a> <a href="https://t.co/1FPAsNu7ci">pic.twitter.com/1FPAsNu7ci</a></p>— ABPA (@AusBasketballPA) <a href="https://twitter.com/AusBasketballPA/status/1691377526655082497?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 15, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Basketball has returned to Rod Laver Arena for the ‘Boomers vs World campaign’, which has former players and coaches reminiscing of a time where the sport consistently graced the venue.

Newley’s Melbourne is set to start the NBL24 season with a bang when they play local rivals South East Melbourne in the opening game of the campaign just days before one of the biggest days in Melbourne’s sporting calendar – the AFL Grand Final.

He believes while there’s nothing set in stone, an NBL return to Rod Laver Arena – in some capacity – could prove possible.

“The great thing about playing here in Melbourne is that sporting precinct. You just can’t help but live and breathe sport in this town,” Newley said.

“You come into the city, you go into that sporting area, and you just want to play good basketball.

“[Monday’s] game might have given a few people some ideas around the place, you can squeeze an extra 5000 into that venue.

“I’m a big John Cain Arena fan – you have the stands up and close right next to the floor and it’s a pretty good experience … it’s a good venue to play sport at.

“Who knows – something could potentially pop up at Rod Laver in the future.”