Boomers debuts: A breakdown on Dejan Vasiljevic and Luke Travers

Already two of the NBL's brightest young stars, Dejan Vasiljevic and Luke Travers enjoyed strong debuts for the national team and showed the skillsets that could make them long-time Boomers.

All images, credit: FIBA

As qualification for the FIBA World Cup rolls on, the Australian Boomers just keep winning. A pair of games in quick succession late last month, first in Bahrain and then four days later against Iran in Bendigo, had the potential to be a tricky test. Instead, comprehensive wins in both fixtures saw the Boomers improve their record in qualifying to 8-0. Throw in July’s FIBA Asia Cup, where Australia won all six of their games enroute to the title, and the national program is in the midst of a serious hot streak.

Most impressively, all of that work has been done without their established stars. Of the 12-man roster that finished third at the Tokyo Olympics, only Nick Kay (five games) and Matthew Dellavedova (three games) have played in World Cup qualifiers. The Boomers have used 31 different players across eight games, with none playing in more than five.

While some might view that inconsistency as a curse, it has turned into a blessing. Alongside a regular veteran presence, Boomers fixtures have become a showcase for Australia’s brightest young prospects. Duke commit Tyrese Proctor starred at the Asia Cup, where fellow young guard Alex Ducas also played a key role, and a rotating cast of NBL development players and young guns have filled in the gaps during recent qualifying windows.

Speaking as part of the ESPN broadcast from Bendigo, Boomers veteran Chris Goulding spoke glowingly of Australia’s depth. “That’s what’s so great about this new FIBA process to qualify for the World Cup — we’re getting to see players put under international pressure that five, ten years ago, we wouldn’t have gotten to see.”

In these latest games, it was four Boomers debutants that were given their chance to shine. Two of them, Rory Hawke and Alex Toohey, are recent Centre of Excellence (CoE) graduates still in the infancy of their careers. Both are just 18, and neither looked out of place across both games. Toohey was particularly impressive, scoring 12 points in just 17 minutes of play, initiating some offence and showing plenty of poise in his decision making.

While both Toohey and Hawke grabbed their limited opportunities, their two fellow debutants were much more prominent. Both Dejan (DJ) Vasiljevic and Luke Travers are fast rising stars in the NBL — Vasiljevic was a key player in Sydney’s championship run last season, while Travers was drafted by the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers earlier this year after impressing with Perth.

It was no surprise, then, that both stepped into the Boomers squad and made an immediate impact.

Vasiljevic led scoring for the team in both games, and Travers showed the versatility and flashes of potential that have made him such a highly rated prospect. They played a key role in maintaining Australia’s undefeated record, and fit seamlessly with a new group of teammates.

Next year’s World Cup is fast approaching, and Australia suddenly has a huge pool of tried and tested talent to choose from. Looking further ahead, with much of the Boomers core nearing the ends of their careers, more opportunities should open up at major events. How could both Vasiljevic and Travers fit in a full strength Boomers side, both now and in the future?