Preview: Australia vs South Korea - FIBA Asia Qualifier

Australia’s 2025 FIBA Asia Cup qualifying journey starts on Thursday night, and with group clashes against South Korea, Indonesia and Thailand on the horizon – it’s expected the Boomers will once again not only qualify for the competition, but be among those chasing victory.

The clash with South Korea is the first game of the qualifying run to the tournament of which Australia is back-to-back reigning champions.

The Australian roster is absolutely stacked with NBL talent, and it offers an exciting look at the next generation of Boomers, due to the fact only half of the 12 players selected have represented their country at senior level before.

Olympic bronze medal winner Nick Kay and Boomers mainstay Mitch McCarron are set to lead a side filled with potential future stars of the national setup.

Brisbane’s Josh Bannan and Rocco Zikarsky are among the players set to debut for their country, while Cairns’ Taran Armstrong and Perth’s Ben Henshall have returned to the setup for the first time since turning professional.

“There is a lot of interest in the young talent coming through and this will be a great opportunity for them to play alongside some of our most experienced players,” head coach Brian Goorjian said upon the announcement of the squad.

Sydney’s Jordan Hunter will make his long-awaited Boomers bow after overcoming a string of injuries over recent years, while his former Kings teammate DJ Vasiljevic will be hoping to use the window as an Olympic audition after making so secrets about his international aspirations after signing on with Adelaide in 2023.

Opposition South Korea is one of the most traditionally successful international teams in Asia. Across the history of the FIBA Asia Cup they’ve collected a record 25 medals, however only two have those have been gold medals – which were won in 1969 and 1997.

Unlike the Boomers roster, the entirety of the South Korean squad participates in the nation’s domestic league.

Two players have been selected from current ladder-leaders Wonju DB Promy, in Jongkyu Kim and Sangjae Kang, while long-time star player Ra Gun-ah has also been included.

Gun-ah was born in the United States but has since been naturalized in South Korea. He’s plied his trade in the country since 2012 and his a four-time KBL champion, three-time KBL All-Star and three-time KBL Player of the Year.

He also led the 2019 FIBA World Cup in both points (23.0) and rebounds (12.8) per game ahead of Serbia’s Bogdan Bogdanovic and Iran’s Hamed Haddadi respectively.

Ra Gun-ah at the 2019 FIBA World Cup - via FIBA.

2021 KBL MVP Choi Jun-yong has also been selected in the squad, as has two-time champion and 2019 KBL MVP Lee Jung-Hyun.

The clash will tip off at 6:30pm AEDT tonight, and will be broadcast live on ESPN via Kayo.

Full Boomers squad
Taran Armstrong (Cairns Taipans)
Dejan Vasiljevic (Adelaide 36ers)
Ben Henshall (Perth Wildcats)
Nicholas Kay (Shimane Susanoo Magic - Japan)
Isaac Humphries (Adelaide 36ers)
Mitch McCarron (Adelaide 36ers)
Jordan Hunter (Sydney Kings)
Josh Bannan (Brisbane Bullets)
Nick Marshall (Adelaide 36ers)
Rocco Zikarsky (Brisbane Bullets)
Kye Savage (Centre of Excellence)
Josh Dent (Centre of Excellence)