Boomers chance to shine like an Opal
By Elliot Williams
AUSTRALIA WINS! First victory in opening game of @Olympics since 1996!
Box score: https://t.co/9GTLIUSAmI pic.twitter.com/pftu8BwdDS
— Basketball Australia (@BasketballAus) August 6, 2016
Australian Basketball has been represented admirably on the global stage for decades now by our women, the Opals.
In seven Olympic appearances the Opals have won five medals, three silver and two bronze.
Yet despite their performances, the Aussie men or Boomers have generally received most of the attention.
This suggests serious problems in the coverage of women’s sport on the whole, but that’s a conversation for another day.
It is time, however, for the Boomers to finally step up and match the Opals by securing an Olympic medal. And Rio presents them with the perfect opportunity.
The Boomers have six current NBA players on their Olympic roster, the most of any country in Rio other than the USA.
Two of those players, Matthew Dellavedova and Andrew Bogut, recently competed in the NBA finals, while Patty Mills and Aron Baynes participated in the play-offs.
Combine this with the wealth of knowledge from European and home-grown stars like David Andersen and Ryan Broekhoff, and the Boomers have no shortage of experience on the big stage.
Australia is ranked 11th in the world (the Opals are second) but this might belie the danger they pose to the rest of the competition.
Aside from the USA, the traditional basketball powerhouses from Europe are no longer the only other contenders.
Spain is missing injured NBA All-Star Marc Gasol and its ageing roster was exposed in a shock loss to a young Croatian side on day 2 of competition.
The Boomers themselves have started the tournament in good form, defeating sixth-ranked France 87-66.
The French had NBA stars Tony Parker and Nicolas Batum in their squad and were favourites against the Australians.
The result was particularly crucial for the Boomers, who ideally need to finish the group stages in either second or fourth position to prolong a potential clash with the USA until the gold medal match.
The USA, by turning up, have essentially secured the gold medal. But there are still two more on offer.
The Boomers could hardly find themselves in better position to earn their first Olympic medal and need to capitalise.
If they don’t, the calls to give the majority of funding to the high-achieving Opals will only grow louder.
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