Emboldened Australia closes on another first at FIBA World Cup

SHANGHAI – With a historic win over the United States, then three victories in a row at the World Cup in China to top the "Group of Death" — Australian basketball is setting new landmarks for itself.

Now the Boomers are eyeing another first, having never gone beyond the quarterfinals in 11 previous World Cup appearances.

"We speak about it a lot: in international basketball, you need the size, you need the beef, there's big men playing this game," said coach Andrej Lemanis after his team beat European heavyweights Lithuania 87-82 in a gritty encounter in Dongguan.

The hard-earned victory on Thursday — the game was tied with just under two minutes left  made it three wins in a row to start their World Cup, a first for the Boomers.

Australia not only survived the "Group of Death" also including Canada and Senegal, they topped it.

Putting the gloss on the evening, defeat for neighbors New Zealand against a Giannis Antetokounmpo-inspired Greece propelled Australia into the Tokyo 2020 Olympics as the best team in Oceania.

Next, San Antonio Spurs guard Patty Mills and the rest of the Boomers play surprise-package the Dominican Republic on Saturday in the second round.

They will be favorites to triumph over the Dominicans, who have the joint-shortest roster at the 32-team World Cup and were well beaten 90-56 by France on Thursday.

On Monday, with the quarter-finals in sight, Australia will face their toughest task yet in the form of France, who finished third at the 2014 World Cup.

Going for gold

Australia, the Asian champions and 2016 Rio Olympic semi-finalists, have been building up to this.

They are missing a couple of big players in Philadelphia 76er Jonah Bolden and his teammate Ben Simmons.

But their roster still has a slew of NBA standouts and in the lead-up to the competition they ended the USA's run of 78 consecutive wins in major competitions and exhibition games.

The 98-94 victory in Melbourne was the Boomers' first victory against the world and Olympic champions.

But rather than being cowed by increasing expectations, the likes of Mills, the Utah Jazz's Joe Ingles and seasoned veteran Andrew Bogut have flourished.

Phoenix Suns center Aron Baynes roared to the fore against Lithuania with 21 points, 13 rebounds and two assists.

"Phenomenal, right?" Lemanis purred.

Veteran United States coach Gregg Popovich labeled Australia "top contenders" in China in the build-up.

Mills called it "Australia's best-ever team".

And in a refreshing change from coaches who trot out the usual banalities about "one game at a time", Lemanis refuses to talk down his team.

"Our goal — I think like every team here — is to win the gold," he said after the Lithuania victory.

"That's the goal that we set ourselves and as a group we have a great belief that that's something we can achieve.

"Our goal, absolutely, is to win the gold medal," Lemanis repeated for emphasis.

source: philstar.com

China's FIBA World Cup hopes rest on towering front court

SHANGHAI – They're ranked just 30th in the world, but China will have some promising new talent, a gentle group draw, and a billion-plus fans on their side as the hosts look to make some noise at the Basketball World Cup.

Although a perennial Asian power, China struggles against top-flight international teams and has failed to deliver on national hopes raised years ago when now-retired NBA Hall of Famer Yao Ming catapulted to global celebrity.

But expectations are slowly rising again, due once more to Yao, who has launched a campaign to revitalize Chinese basketball since being appointed its supremo two years ago.


For now, China's hopes rest largely on the shoulders of its towering front court of three seven-footers: Yi Jianlian, Zhou Qi and Wang Zhelin.

The seasoned Yi spent several years in the NBA and has played in four Olympics, while the 23-year-old Zhou turned out briefly for the Houston Rockets and combines a shot-blocker's 2.3-meter (7-foot-7) wingspan with the ability to knock down three-pointers.


The Chinese offense will be directed by slashing point guard Guo Ailun.

"Who wouldn't want to play in a FIBA World Cup at home, on your home soil and try to make your fellow compatriots proud?" Guo said in comments to FIBA last week.

"It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and we all want to have a great tournament."

China also has landed in a relatively kind group along with Poland, Venezuela, and 64th-ranked Ivory Coast.

The Yao effect

Yao took over as head of the Chinese Basketball Association in 2017 and has set about reforming an entrenched state development system that he says badly needs an overhaul.

He has taken steps to expand youth access to the game, and increase the visibility and earnings of China's professional league, among other initiatives.

In a commentary published by state media on Wednesday, he expressed optimism that the country's basketball achievements would someday rise along with its overall national power.

But he tamped down expectations of overnight success, saying the World Cup is a mere "sprint" compared to the marathon task faced in overhauling Chinese basketball.

"We should focus more on Chinese basketball's perseverance and staying power and its potential and future prospects," he said.

China failed to even qualify for the last World Cup in 2014, and has never finished higher than eighth place in the competition, which this year expands from 24 to 32 teams.

But China's basketballers tend to get a lift as hosts, like they did in 2008 in Beijing when Yao, Yi, and company rode rabid hometown support to the Olympic quarter-finals, the national team's best showing.

Either way, the World Cup will be a net gain for China, Guo told FIBA.

"Hosting a tournament like the FIBA Basketball World Cup is a booster for basketball in every country, and China's love for this sport is very good," he said.

"It's going to keep basketball growing in our country."

source: philstar.com