2010 FIBA World Championships Sleepers: Part One- Australia
The Australian Boomers have enjoyed a quiet but successful preparation for the upcoming 2010 FIBA World Championships in Turkey, which begin on Saturday. The Aussies have gone 9-1 in their lead-up to the World Championships and look to take their momentum into the preliminary round games in a relatively weak Group A. The Australians face Angola, Argentina, Germany, Jordan, and Serbia in the group stage.
While the Australian Team’s medal chances took a major hit when centrepiece Andrew Bogut went down with a gruesome elbow injury at the end of last season, Australia isn’t the only undermanned side in Group A. Germany will be without focal point Dirk Nowitzki, Argentina will play without Manu Ginobili, and Serbia will be missing NBA talent with Darko Milicic, Sasha Pavlovic, Vladimir Radmanovic and Peja Stojakovic all unavailable.
As the lead-up to the competition has seen much of the media attention focus on Team USA and the withdrawal of its Beijing Olympic stars, the Australians have been slowly but surely building momentum.
Behind the scintillating play of NBA free-agent Patty Mills, the Boomers have swept Argentina 3-0, and have beaten Cote d’Ivoire, Iran, China, Slovenia, Brazil, and France. Australia's only defeat in their last ten games came at the hands of Slovenia during their rematch in the Stankovic Continental Cup Final.
The Australians are lead by the explosive Mills and boast a solid, if unspectacular, complimentary cast. Recently traded to the Toronto Raptors, David Andersen will be looking to have a strong campaign, with the hope of impressing his new NBA team and helping fill the void left by the (well-documented) departure of Chris Bosh.
Fellow NBA big man Nathan Jawai was forced to withdraw from the team for personal reasons, creating an opportunity for Aleks Maric, who played last season in Serbia with Partizan Belgrade and was named to the All-EuroLeague First Team. The 6’11” Maric averaged 14.6 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.2 steals while shooting 61.6 percent from the field on the season for Partizan.
The Australian wing positions are manned by experienced international players Joe Ingles and Brad Newley, who are both based in Europe and provide length, decent athleticism and streaky outside shooting.
While the Aussies have a deep, balanced roster, there is no denying that the lightning-quick Mills is the key to the Aussies’ success. He has stepped up during important games during the Boomers’ preparation, controlling the tempo of games with stifling on-ball defense and leading the scoring — including 15 points against Brazil, 18 points against France, and 32 points against Argentina. If he can replicate his impressive lead-up play in the tournament, the Aussies can hope to finish in the top two of Group A, and in the process, avoid playing the US in the round of 16.
