Three big questions for the Australian Boomers, ahead of the 2023 FIBA World Cup

The Boomers will enter the 2023 World Cup chasing their first ever tournament medal.

Credit: FIBA

The Australian Boomers overcame a hoodoo spanning several decades when they secured a historic bronze medal at the Tokyo 2021 Olympics. With several fourth place finishes at major tournaments, going back as far as the Seoul 1988 Olympics, the team appeared to be cursed by a string of unfortunate events. Most recently, Australia suffered an agonising double overtime loss at the hands of Spain, in the semi-finals of the 2019 FIBA World Cup. Spain went on to claim the gold while the Boomers fell short in the bronze medal game, as they lost to a talented French team stacked with NBA names.

The Boomers’ talent pool has undergone a metamorphosis over the past ten years. Historically the team was primarily comprised of NBL talent, whereas in the present day, Australia has eleven active NBA players - excluding Kyrie Irving. Head coach Brian Goorjian has a enviable headache ahead of him in assembling the best possible World Cup roster, as he must consider team chemistry and positional depth, while finding room for a long list of big name exports. Here are some questions the Boomers face, ahead of the flight to Asia ahead of the quadrennial tournament.

1. Is Matthew Dellavedova’s time in the green and gold almost up?