The 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup was the 18th tournament of the FIBA Basketball World Cup for men’s national basketball teams. The tournament was hosted in China and was rescheduled from 2018 to 2019, becoming the first since 1967 that it did not occur in the same year as the FIFA World Cup (which was held the previous year). The group stage was expanded from 24 to 32 teams.
The tournament also acted as qualification for the 2020 Summer Olympics, which took the top two teams from each of the Americas and Europe, and the top team from each of Africa, Asia and Oceania, alongside the tournament’s host China. Czech Republic and Montenegro made their first appearance as an independent nations after previously being part of Czechoslovakia and Serbia and Montenegro, while Poland made its return to the FIBA Basketball World Cup for the first time since 1967.
In a lead-up to the tournament, Team USA played two exhibition matches against Australia, in Melbourne, the weekend before the World Cup began
MELBOURNE (Australia) [23-25 August] – Australia fell short in round one of their preparation games series against Team USA, but they made up for it in their second encounter, with prolific guard Patty Mills basking in the spotlight. Mills dropped 30 points on Team USA as the Boomers prevailed, 98-94, today at the Marvel Stadium in Melbourne in front of more than 52,000 fans. It was a terrific bounce-back win for the home team, which lost to the Americans in their first meeting, 102-86.
The World Cup is a week away, and the United States is no lock for gold. Australia delivered that message to the world on Saturday. How prophetic that would be!! For the first time in nearly 13 years, a U.S. roster of NBA players played an international game – and lost. Patty Mills scored 30 points, and Australia rallied from a 10-point deficit in the second half to stun the Americans 98-94 and snap a 78-game U.S. winning streak that started with the bronze-medal game at the 2006 world championships. “They wanted it more than us tonight,” U.S. guard Kemba Walker said. “Lesson learned for us.”
It was the first loss for the U.S. in a major international tournament or exhibition since the 2006 world championship semifinals against Greece. The Americans won the bronze there, then were unbeaten through the cycles for the 2007 FIBA Americas, 2008 Olympics, 2010 World Cup, 2012 Olympics, 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics. Add all that up, along with wins over Spain and Australia with this team, and it was a 78-game winning streak for the U.S. – the longest in program history……………………And it’s now over. “It was awesome,” Mills said.
The competing teams for the World Cup separated into 8 first round groups
GROUP A: Cote d’Ivoire; Poland; Venezuela, China;
GROUP B: Russia; Argentina; Korea; Nigeria;
GROUP C: Spain; Iran; Puerto Rico; Tunisia;
GROUP D: Angola; Philippines; Italy; Serbia;
GROUP E: Turkey; Czech Republic; USA; Japan;
GROUP F: Greece; New Zealand; Brazil; Montenegro;
GROUP G: Dominican Republic; France; Germany; Jordan;
GROUP H: Canada; Senegal; Lithuania; Australia;
Comments and reports which follow are generally taken from the FIBA Basketball World Cup web site reports, unless otherwise indicated..
FIRST ROUND 31/8 -5/9/2019
Saturday, 31st August
Serbia defeated Angola 105-59;
Poland defeated Venezuela 80-69
Russia defeated Nigeria 82-77
Iran vs Puerto Rico defeated Iran 83-81;
Italy defeated Philippines 108-62;
China defeated Cote d’Ivoire 70-55;
Argentina defeated Korea 95-69;
Spain defeated Tunisia 101-62;
Sunday, 1st September
Australia defeated Canada 108-92;
Brazil defeated New Zealand 102-94;
Turkey defeated Japan 86-67;
Dominican Republic defeated Jordan 80-76;
Lithuania defeated Senegal 101-47;
Greece defeated Montenegro 85-60;
Czech Republic vs USA defeated Czech Republic 88-67;
France defeated Germany 78-74;
Monday, 2nd September
Italy defeated Angola 92-61
Venezuela defeated Cote d’Ivoire 87-71;
Argentina defeated Nigeria 94-81;
Tunisia defeated Iran 79-67;
Serbia defeated Philippines 126-67
Poland defeated China 79-76
Russia defeated Korea 87-73
Spain defeated Puerto Rico 73-63
Tuesday 3rd September
Australia defeated Senegal 81-68
New Zealand defeated Montenegro 93-83
Czech Republic defeated Japan 89-76
Dominican Republic defeated Germany 69-67
Lithuania defeated Canada 92-69
Brazil defeated Greece 79-78
USA defeated Turkey 93-92
France defeated Jordan 103-64
DONGGUAN, China — That didn’t go as planned. It wasn’t pretty, but the Boomers picked up their second win of the tournament, edging Senegal 81-68. Joe Ingles was at his playmaking best, falling one assist shy of a triple-double with 17 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, while Patty Mills took over the second half, scoring 17 of his 22 points after the main break. The outcome for the Australian Boomers was what they and the basketball community expected, but the way they got it was surprising, to say the least.
Senegal was coming off a 54-point loss to Lithuania, but the Boomers were only able to defeat them 81-68, in a game that would’ve had Australian fans worried during several portions of it. Patty Mills led the way for Australia with 20 points, while Joe Ingles had a near triple-double; 17 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists. The win puts Australia at the top of Group H, if only temporarily, because Lithuania is facing Canada later in the evening. If Lithuania wins, then they’ll join the Boomers as the two teams through to the next phase. The top-two teams from Group H will move on to Group L, where they’ll form a new foursome that includes the best pair of teams from Group G. The likelihood is that those two teams will be France and Germany, with both points and points differential carrying over from the first group phase, into the second one. Youssoupha Ndoye finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds for Senegal, who remain winless in the 2019 FIBA World Cup.
Wednesday, 4th September
Angola defeated Philippines 84-81
Poland defeated Cote d’Ivoire 80-63
Nigeria defeated Korea 108-66
Puerto Rico defeated Tunisia 67-64
Serbia defeated Italy 92-77
Venezuela defeated China 72-59
Argentina defeated Russia 69-61
Spain defeated Iran 73-65
Thursday, 5th September
Canada defeated Senegal 82-60
Brazil defeated Montenegro 84-73
Czech Republic defeated Turkey 91-76
Germany defeated Jordan 96-62
Australia defeated Lithuania 87-82
Greece defeated New Zealand 103-97
USA defeated Japan 98-45
France defeated Dominican Republic 90-56
DONGGUAN (China) – Australia confirmed the top honors in Group H with a solid all-around performance against Lithuania and a Patty Mills dagger late in the game. It finished 87-82, with both teams moving on to Group L for the Second Round.
Australia enjoyed a double digit lead for most of the game, but an 11-0 run to start the fourth quarter saw Lithuania get in front. The Boomers scored their first field goal of the fourth quarter with just 3:30 left on the game clock, and that allowed them to stop the rot and stay attached.
In the closing minutes, it was all about the one-two punch of Patty Mills and Aron Baynes. Mills hit the biggest shot of the game, while Baynes played his best game for the national team in the World Cup, with 21 points and 13 rebounds. He turned into a shooter, too – Baynes was only 1-of-3 from the three-point range in his previous 25 games at the World Cup and the Olympics, but scored 3-of-5 against Lithuania on Thursday.
Australia are a 3-0 team ahead of their Round Two duels with France and the Dominican Republic, meaning they are an inch away from the Quarter-Finals. For Lithuania, they now know that they will most probably have to go 2-0 in the Second Round to reach elite eight status.
SECOND ROUND 6/9 -9/9/2019
Friday 6th Sept
Poland defeated Russia 79-74
Nigeria defeated Cote d’Ivoire 83-66
Iran defeated Angola 71-62
Serbia defeated Puerto Rico 90-47
Argentina defeated Venezuela 87-67
China defeated Korea 77-73
Tunisia defeated Philippines 86-67
Spain defeated Italy 67-60
Saturday 7th Sept
New Zealand defeated Japan 111-81
Australia defeated Dominican Republic 82-76
Canada defeated Jordan 126-71
Brazil vs Czech Republic defeated Brazil 93-71
Turkey defeated Montenegro 79-74
France defeated Lithuania 78-75
Germany defeated Senegal 89-78
USA defeated Greece 69-53
BEIJING (China) – Two more teams advanced to the Quarter-Finals of the FIBA Basketball World Cup with Australia and France confirming their entries and joining Poland, Argentina, Spain and Serbia in the Final Round of the competition.
Australia eked out a close 82-76 decision over the Dominican Republic to remain unbeaten in four games while France survived a thrilling 78-75 victory over Lithuania that came down to the wire.
After leading for most of the game, France had to stave off a furious rally from their European rivals which even saw Lithuania taking a 72-70 lead with 3:10 left. Nando De Colo delivered the finishing touch for France with a clutch game-winning basket. Australia and France will face each other to dispute the top spot in Group L for a better placing in the Quarter-Finals bracket.
The only remaining group with tickets up for grabs is Group K, with Czech Republic opening it up for everyone with a massive 93-71 victory against the previously unbeaten Brazil to tie their fallen foes in the standings with an identical 3-1 win-loss cards.
Meanwhile, the much-anticipated matchup between defending champions USA and the Giannis Antetekounmpo-led Greece provided an entertaining affair with the defending World Cup champions taking a 69-53 victory.
In the Classification Round 17-32, New Zealand dominated a Rui Hachimura-less Japan to the tune of a 111-81 win and get their second win of the tournament, while Turkey bounced back from a mediocre start to beat Montenegro, 79-74.
Both the Tall Blacks and 12 Giant Men sport 2-2 records and will play it out among themselves for the top spot of Group O.
In Group P action, Canada overpowered a hapless Jordan side with a 126-71 victory and tied Serbia for most assists in a game with 37, the highest total since the 1994 World Cup while Germany outclassed Senegal 89-78, setting up a battle for top honors win the group with Canada.
These Australian Boomers just can’t seem to put their proverbial foot on the throat of those less-talented teams. We saw it against Senegal in the first phase of the 2019 FIBA World Cup, and it reared its head again against the Dominican Republic. Australia managed to walk away with an 82-76 win, but it wasn’t as easy as perhaps it should have been. “Obviously 4-0 is the key,” Joe Ingles said after the win. “You wanna win games; that’s the end goal. There’s patches of games we need to get better at. End of the game there, we could stop those free throws; little things like that can cost you a game. A little bit of those things that we can look at, watch some film, and get better at. But, overall, we obviously wanna keep winning, and we’ve been doing that.”
On the flip-side, we’ve seen time and time again when Andrej Lemanis’ team finds that second tier when they’re up against elite teams. It happened against Lithuania in Dongguan, and, naturally, Boomers fans will be the team’s Monday night game against France follows the same trend. “We obviously prepare for every team the same way,” Ingles said, on if Australia plays better against more talented opponents. “We don’t disrespect anyone; we go in and do the same thing.
It was Patty Mills who led the way for the now 4-0 Australians, posting 19 points and nine assists; while Chris Goulding came off the bench for 15 points. With the win, Australia knocked the Dominican Republic out of finals contention, and it was clear that they were playing with everything on the line. “They were playing for their World Cup survival tonight,” Lemanis said of the Dominicans. Eloy Vargas led the way for Nestor Garcia’s team with 16 points and seven rebounds, while Victor Liz finished with 14 points.
Matthew Dellavedova opened the game with a three, setting the tone for the Boomers, but the Dominicans wouldn’t back down. Liz and Vargas found easy scores to keep the game within arm’s reach, trailing just 24-19 at the end of the first quarter. As much as the Boomers tried to step on their opponent’s throat, with an eye toward jumping out to a significant lead, the Dominican Republic grinder their way into staying in the game.
Sunday 8th September
Russia defeated Venezuela 69-60
Korea defeated Cote d’Ivoire 80-71
Tunisia defeated Angola 86-84
Italy defeated Puerto Rico 94-89
Argentine defeated Poland 91-65
Nigeria defeated China 86-73
Iran defeated Philippines 95-75
Spain defeated Serbia 81-69
Monday 9th September
Montenegro defeated Japan 80-65
Lithuania defeated Dominican Republic 74-55
Jordan defeated Senegal 79-77
Greece defeated Czech Republic 84-77
New Zealand defeated Turkey 102-101
Australia defeated France 100-98
Germany defeated Canada 82-76
USA defeated Brazil 89-73
NANJING (China) – In a battle between two heavyweights of the basketball world, Australia outdueled France with a heart-stopping 100-98 victory to take the top spot in Group L heading into the Quarter-Finals of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019. In a thrilling back and forth game that featured 15 lead changes, 17 ties on scoreboard and no one giving an inch, Patty Mills rose to the occasion with a clutch steal to deliver the win to the Boomers. Down by one, 99-98 with 4.4 seconds left, France had a chance to win the game, but Mills’ phenomenal defensive play saved the day for Australia. The game displayed tremendous shooting from both sides with Australia and France delivering 58 percent and 57 percent respectively in a highly entertaining game
Turning Point: In a game as close as this one, there wasn’t a bigger play than Mills’ steal that sealed the win. Mills is used to making a living on the offensive side of the ball, but the sharpshooting guard showed his determination to tow the Boomers to the top of their Second Round group.
TCL Player of the Game: Aside from his defensive gem, Mills continued his offensive brilliance, exploding for a team-high 30 points. Mills has scored 19+ points in his last four games with Australia in the FIBA Basketball World Cup. He scored 19+ points in only one occasion in his first seven games in the competition.
Stats Don’t Lie: Both teams were hot from the outside but France could not keep up with Australia long-range barrage, hitting a scorching 13-of-27 shooting from the outside. It was a three-headed attack from the Boomers side with Mills, Aron Baynes and Joe Ingles combining for 74 points out of the 100 scored by Australia.
Bottom Line: Australia further solidified their status as one of the contenders of the Naismith trophy after a thrilling win over a tough France squad who was previously unbeaten in their first four games. The Boomers will face second-placer of Group K, Czech Republic, while France have a rendezvous with USA in the Quarter-Finals..
QUARTER-FINALS 10/9/2019
Argentina defeated Serbia 97-87
Spain defeated Poland 90-78
QUARTER-FINALS 11/9/2019
France defeated USA 89-79
Australia defeated Czech Republic 82-70
SHANGHAI (China) – Czech Republic kept things close for two quarters before Australia turned up the jets and ran away with an 82-70 Quarter-Finals win at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center. Behind the superb playmaking of Tomas Satoransky and the scoring of Patrik Auda, Czech Republic gave Australia all they could handle for about 25 minutes, but the Boomers just blew the game open, pulled away when coach Andrej Lemanis’ players shifted into high gear to keep their foes at bay. Patty Mills, Chris Goulding and Andrew Bogut carried Australia in this game, combining to score 43 points for Australia, who booked their sixth win in a row at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019. Czech Republic, meanwhile, drew 21 points from Patrik Auda and a sublime performance from Tomas Satoransky, who tallied 13 points, 12 assists and 9 rebounds, narrowly missing a rare triple-double.
Turning Point: Things continued to be tight in the third quarter with the game last tied at 43-all, but that’s when Australia began to roll, outscoring the Czechs, 25-5, for the remainder of the period to take a commanding 63-48 lead into the fourth. Czech Republic would not go down without a fight, cutting the lead to 8 points, but that was as close as it would get.
TCL Player of the Game: Mills was his usual brilliant self in this game, shooting 9-of-15 from the field en route to a game-high 24 points. He also added 6 assists and 4 rebounds while also landing six bombs from beyond the arc. With Mills shooting so well, Australia were just too good against the upstart Czechs.
Stats Don’t Lie: Czech Republic experimented with a small-ball combination in the second half, and it bit them hard as Australia dominated the glass. In total, the Boomers outrebounded their opponents, 41-34, and had more second chance points, 14-2. Australia also forced five more turnovers from the Czechs, scoring 25 points off these errors.
Bottom Line: Australia qualified World Cup Semi-Finals for the first time ever and have a great chance to add even more to their already historic campaign if they advance to the Final. To do that, however, they’ll have to topple mighty Spain in Beijing on September 13.
Czech Republic, meanwhile, had an inspired run here at the World Cup but saw it come to an end in Shanghai at the hands of a bigger and deeper Boomers quintet. Now they are assured of a spot in next year’s FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament and are going to shoot for as high a finish as possible in the Classification Round.
CLASSIFICATION GAMES 5-8: 12/9/2019
Serbia defeated USA 94-89
Czech Republic defeated Poland 94-84
SEMI FINALS: 13/9/2019
Spain defeated Australia 95-88
Argentina defeated France 80-66
I was a bit disappointed with the reaction of at least one Australian player, as reported below from ‘The Guardian’, Australia – the Boomers had numerous opportunities in the closing stages – they simply failed to score when they should have, and their turnovers just kept coming – on that performance, certainly towards the end of the match, Spain fully deserved their win.
Nevertheless, we copy the following report.
“Andrew Bogut will likely be investigated for a foul-mouthed post-game spray while Boomers assistant coach Luc Longley was also fuming after the Europeans beat Australia 95-88 in a double overtime World Cup semi-final heartbreaker. Spain trailed by 11 against the Boomers in Beijing but, just like in the Rio Olympic bronze medal game three years ago, rallied and went ahead courtesy of a dubious foul – on Bogut – in the final seconds.
Spain won that match by one but this time Patty Mills (34 points) had the chance to get one back for Australia when he went to line with four seconds on the clock down by one. But his second free-throw bobbled out and Ricky Rubio’s long heave just missed to force overtime. Matthew Dellavedova’s desperate floater on the buzzer clanged out to send teams into a second extra period, where Marc Gasol (33 points) and Rubio (19 points, seven rebounds, 12 assists) steered their si
A “furious” Boomers team surged through the media mixed zone post-game, Bogut yelling “Google where headquarters of f……g Fiba is … it’s a f……g disgrace”. On court Bogut had earlier flashed a money signal with his hands after the foul that helped put Spain ahead, and he is likely to face investigation and a fine ahead of Sunday’s bronze medal game against either France. His comments were curious, given Fiba headquarters are in Switzerland.
Sunday will be Longley’s fourth bronze medal game, having played in two and coached in one already, the most recent in eerily similar circumstances against the same opponent in Rio. “We’ve got to find an altar somewhere and burn a sacrifice to the basketball gods, because they’re not kissing us on the dick yet, like they do Spain,” he said. “I feel like Spain are kissed on the dick by the basketball gods every time we play them. “It’s gut-wrenching for the guys; they’ve been so fucking good, so consistent and played so hard and I felt like they deserved to win that and it doesn’t feel like that’s the right result.” Australia did have their moments though, with Mills’ free-throw somehow rimming out and 22 turnovers a constant olive branch to a Spain side that shot at just 31% in the second half. Dellavedova’s attempted match-winner looked good too, before it bounced out and he was forced out of the second overtime period with cramps. Nick Kay was enormous for Australia off the bench, scoring 16 points and grabbing 11 boards as the Boomers grabbed a staggering 20 offensive rebounds. “They’re furious, crushed. .. it’s very quiet in there and it stings in lots of ways, not least of which is that’s the team we lost to in Rio,” Longley said. “It’s not the time to start pointing fingers and spitting dummies; we’ve got to reload.”
CLASSIFICATION GAMES 5-8: 14/9/2019
For 7th -8th
USA defeated Poland 87-74
For 5th – 6th
Serbia defeated Czech Republic 90-81
BRONZE MEDAL FINAL
France defeated Australia 67-59
Another disappointment for the Boomers – their 12th World Cup appearance, previous best was 5th, today’s loss, means they finished 4th. Meanwhile, at the Olympic Games level, Australia’s best has been also 4th – four times.
BEIJING (China) – For the second straight World Cup, France finished third, and that just makes them hungrier to bring home more valuable silverware in the future. Les Bleus finished among the top three teams five years ago in Spain right behind champions USA and second-place Serbia, and they duplicated that feat here in China, beating Australia in their final game to bring bronze medals home once more. That’s all well and good, of course, but the French knew this was one of the best opportunities to take the next step, and they’ve resolved to take everything they’ve learned here to improve in the next big tournament.
Meanwhile, for the Boomers, it happened again. The Australian Boomers are still medal-less.
It was the same story, too, and in more ways than one. Their downfall was turnovers, something that had plagued them for the entire 2019 FIBA World Cup. The outcome: fourth place, a result that’s haunted this program since day dot. Just like their semi-final game against Spain, the Boomers abandoned a double-digit lead to France, suffering a 67-59 loss that’s become their unfortunate signature. Patty Mills capped off his impressive tournament with 15 points, while Joe Ingles’ 17 points perhaps came a day too late; the French leaving China with bronze medals. Apart from Mitch Creek’s appearance at the mandatory press conference, the Australian players went straight to the locker rooms and left the arena without talking with the media.
The Australians left with their hands empty, and that’s not just because of the 19 turnovers. “Some of it is, now, just ensuring that we’re really tight in offensive and defensive schemes when we get in those crunch situations; where we’re gonna go to,” Andrej Lemanis, the Boomers’ head coach, told the Australian media of where the team goes from here. “Particularly when we’re fatigued. I thought obviously earlier in the tournament, we were able to deliver in those situations. Back end of the tournament – day on, day off; four different cities in between – there’s a fatigue factor there you’ve gotta account for as well. “Perhaps just ensuring a couple of things where we can get to the point, and an offence that moves quite a bit, and involves player and ball movement, perhaps more stuff when we can get a bit more to the point, in those games when we’re looking a little tired.” Taking care of the ball had been an issue all tournament for the Boomers, and their inability to fix it came back to bite them, with Nando de Colo leading France’s second-half onslaught, posting 19 points off the bench. Evan Fournier finished with 16 points.
The fourth place finish is tied for the Boomers’ highest finish in a major international tournament, with the program placing in the same position in four other Olympics: 1988, 1996, 2000, and 2016.
“The sorrow comes from having the effort that the boys put in, and then them not being rewarded for the sacrifices, and the commitment to team, and playing the right way, and all those things they do,” Lemanis said. “They represent Australian basketball and, as I said, I’m really obviously proud of that, and being connected with this group. It’s an honour and it’s always humbling being around these guys. You want to see them rewarded. It’s tough to see them with just the hurt that they have at the moment.”
GOLD MEDAL FINAL: 15/9/2019
Spain defeated Argentine 95-75
From Fox Sports.
Spain has captured its second World Cup championship, defeating Argentina 95-75 on Sunday to give Marc Gasol a rare double-title year.
Tournament MVP Ricky Rubio scored 20 points and Sergio Llull added 15 for Spain (8-0), the ninth team to make it through a World Cup or world championship unbeaten. Gasol scored 14 for the winners, who never trailed. For Gasol, it was historic. The Toronto Raptors center becomes the second player to win an NBA title and a FIBA world gold medal in the same year, joining Lamar Odom – who did it for the Los Angeles Lakers and USA Basketball in 2010. Gasol is also the 19th to win either an NBA or WNBA crown along with a gold medal, either of the Olympic or World Cup variety, in the same year. And he’s the first to accomplish that feat while representing a nation other than the U.S. When Spain won its first title in 2006, it was Pau Gasol – Marc’s older brother – leading the way. This time, it was the not-so-little brother who led his nation to gold, hoisting the World Cup trophy three months after getting his hands on the NBA’s Larry O’Brien Trophy for the first time.
Gabriel Deck scored 24 points for Argentina (8-1), which got off to a slow start and played uphill the rest of the way. Luis Scola was held to eight points, shooting 1 for 10 from the floor.
Spain led 43-31 at the half, riding the strength of two big runs. Spain ran out to a quick 14-2 lead, only to have Argentina answer with an 11-0 spurt. But when that ended, Spain came back with a 17-1 run and took what was then its biggest lead at 31-14. Scola, even at 39 years old still Argentina’s best player throughout the tournament, didn’t get on the scoresheet until he made a pair of free throws with 2:57 left in the third. But they only cut the Spain lead to 19, and by then the Argentinian fans – who stood in the stands a few rows from their team’s bench, singing and chanting for much of the game – were relatively quiet. They probably had a good idea what was coming. There was one last gasp from Argentina, an 11-4 run to open the fourth quarter and cut Spain’s lead to 12 with 6:30 left. But Llull’s three-point play on the next Spain possession pushed the lead back to 15.
From NBA Sporting News, written by Gilbert McGregor [not necessarily the views of NBA] – ‘What’s next for the Boomers’?
After winning their first six games at the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup, the Australian Boomers again failed to medal in international play as they suffered heartbreaking losses to both Spain and France to close the tournament. Still, despite coming up short with a fourth-place finish in China, the summer of 2019 is a step in the right direction for the Boomers future With a spot secured in the 2020 Olympics, Australia could potentially roll out an even more talented roster next year meaning the unfortunate streak without medalling could come to an end sooner rather than later.
For more on what lies ahead, take a look at where Australia stands…
Australia finished fourth at the World Cup with a record of 6-2 with its two losses coming in the Semi-Final round and the third-place game after winning six straight to open the tournament.
First Round
108-92 Win vs. Canada…………….81-68 Win vs. Senegal………..87-82 Win vs. Lithuania
It was essentially smooth sailing for the Boomers in the First Round, with the biggest test coming in the third game against a staunch Lithuania squad. Patty Mills established his dominance from the get-go, averaging 20.0 points and 3.0 assists per game in the First Round, serving as the teams leading scorer in the second and third game.
Second Round
82-76 Win vs. Dominican Republic……………….100-98 Win vs. France
In the win over the Dominican Republic, the Boomers put on a ball movement clinic, assisting on all 30 of their made baskets in the six-point win to set up an undefeated showdown with the French National Team. It came down to the wire but a combined 74 points from Mills (30), Joe Ingles (23) and Aron Baynes (21) proved to be the difference for Australia as it earned a 100-98 win.
Quarter-Finals
82-70 Win vs. Czech Republic
Coming in first in both of its groups proved to be beneficial for Australia, as it faced the Czech Republic in the Quarter-Final round. It was another win and another big performance from Mills, as he led the way for Australia with 24 points and six assists while shooting 9-for-15 from the field and 6-for-9 from beyond the arc.
Semi-Finals
88-95 Loss vs. Spain
As one win stood between Australia and its first medal, heartbreak came in the form of a double overtime loss at the hands of eventual-champion Spain. Mills once again led the way with 34 points in 45 minutes of action but it was the Spanish National Team that made more plays in the end.
Third Place Game
59-67 Loss vs. France
With a bronze medal still in sight, Australia failed to truly get going offensively as it scored just 59 points while shooting 4-for-17 (23.5%) from beyond the arc in the eight-point loss to France. In a rematch of the thrilling Second Round meeting, the Boomers simply didn’t have enough as it appeared the rigours of the tournament had finally taken their toll.
Australia’s top performers
Scoring: Patty Mills, 22.8 points per game
Rebounds: Joe Ingles, 6.1 rebounds per game
Assists: Matthew Dellavedova, 6.3 assists per game
Other top performer: Aron Baynes – 11.4 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.8 apg, 56.5 FG%
Through its performance at the World Cup, Australia is one of the eight countries that has qualified for basketball at the 2020 Olympic Games. The Boomers join Spain, Argentina, France, Nigeria, Iran, the United States and host country Japan as eight of the 12 teams that will compete for Olympic gold. With Australia qualifying, it will not need to participate in one of the four Olympic Qualifying Tournaments in the summer of 2020. While the key pieces from the World Cup should be expected to reprise their roles in 2020, there are some other names that could be in the mix for the Olympics. An increase in depth can be major for the Boomers, who used their top three players more than any other team at the World Cup. Mills, who at times put the team on his back during the tournament, and Joe Ingles each averaged a team-high 33.9 minutes per game while Dellavedova wasn’t too far behind at 30.6 minutes per contest. Baynes, the only other current NBA player on the roster, logged over 21 minutes per contest and made his impact felt in his time on the floor.
It’s no coincidence that the four NBA players on the roster saw the most playing time and next year, with potentially more NBA talent joining the Boomers next summer, there could be a dispersal of playing time. Of course, all eyes shift to Philadelphia 76ers All-Star Ben Simmons, who did not participate this summer but has already stated that he is “committed and excited to compete in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.” Simmons, the only Aussie All-Star in NBA history, could lift this team to another level with his size, rebounding and playmaking ability should he stand firm on his commitment. At 17, Simmons made his first and only appearance with the Boomers to date at the 2013 FIBA Oceania Championship, where the team would go on to win gold. He stands to rejoin the senior team at 24 as he continues to establish himself as one of the best young players in the NBA.
In addition to Simmons, the Boomers have the option to include the likes of Deng Adel, Jonah Bolden, Ryan Broekhoff, Dante Exum and Thon Maker. Adel was one of the Boomers’ final cuts ahead of the World Cup while Bolden had full intentions of competing this summer before withdrawing due to outside circumstances. Broekhoff, Exum and Maker have each represented Australia at various competitions and, barring any hindrances, could be wearing the green and gold in Japan. Prep standout Josh Green, who is set to embark on his freshman year at the University of Arizona, is another name that could be placed in the mix to play for the Boomers in 2020. The 18-year-old was a consensus five-star recruit and could turn in a big season in the Pac-12. An invite for Green, who is a member of the long-term future of Aussie basketball, could be the experience he needs to lead the charge of the next generation of Australian hoops. Factor in 2005 No. 1 overall pick Andrew Bogut, who could again make an NBA return after the upcoming season with the Sydney Kings, and the crop of NBL talent that has suited up for Australia, and the Boomers could very well be bringing their most talented team ever to the 2020 Olympics……….The future is bright for the Boomers and next summer could be a benchmark year ushering in a new era of basketball for the nation. It all begins with using their unbelievable talent to capture their first medal in international competition.
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