Four takeaways from Boomers' latest Asia Cup qualifiers

There was plenty to like this trip, as the Australian Boomers sealed their spot at next year's FIBA Asia Cup with a pair of road wins.

The Australian Boomers locked in their spot at next year’s FIBA Asia Cup a fortnight ago with a pair of commanding wins, taking down Thailand and South Korea on the road to book their ticket to Saudi Arabia. Those results moved them to a perfect 4-0 in qualifying, continuing their dominance since joining the region and setting them up for a tilt at a third straight Asian title.

That record and two comfortable winning margins might suggest a walk in the park, but the Boomers didn’t have it all their own way. They fell behind early in both games, trailing at quarter time against Thailand and again late in the first against South Korea, with the latter throwing some haymakers in the third to give them another big scare. Faced with those hardships and two raucous crowds on the road, they were able to steady, execute, and leave no doubt by the final buzzer.

There’s often not much to take away from these kinds of games – after all, the competition level isn’t always the highest, and the players involved are rarely those that take part in the major tournaments. Still, with a mix of emerging young talent and veterans continuing to impress, all led by a first-time head coach, there was plenty to enjoy and unpack from these latest Boomers fixtures.