Australia’s Boomers squad for the 2024 Paris Olympics is now set, sources told KeynoteUSA, with surprising omissions paving the way for some new faces.
The 12-man team will once again be led by its NBA talent, with Josh Giddey, Josh Green, Danté Exum, Jock Landale, Duop Reath, Dyson Daniels, Patty Mills and Joe Ingles included.
Dyson Daniels will be one of many new Boomers making their Olympic debut. Photo by Kelly Defina//Keynote USA/Getty Images
A pair of newcomers will join the squad, with Jack McVeigh and Will Magnay, both members of the NBL Championship-winning Tasmania JackJumpers, also named to the squad and set to play in their first Olympic Games.
Matthew Dellavedova and Nick Kay, who were members of the Boomers bronze medal-winning team at the Tokyo Olympics, round out the squad that will fly to Abu Dhabi next week for more exhibition games, before continuing on to Paris.
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The Boomers’ coaching staff, led by Brian Goorjian, informed players of its decisions late Thursday night, sources said, following the second of a pair of exhibition wins against China.
The most surprising absence from the final squad is Matisse Thybulle, the Portland Trail Blazers forward who was a standout in the Boomers’ last two major tournament cycles. Xavier Cooks, who will play under Goorjian with the Sydney Kings for the next three seasons and was a standout at last year’s World Cup, was also left off the team. Rounding out the final cuts were Chris Goulding, Jack White and Dejan Vasiljevic.
The final team is still to be ratified by the Australian Olympic Committee, with an official announcement expected on Sunday.
Of the final selections, Green, Exum, Landale, Reath, Mills, Ingles, Dellavedova and Kay all come from the team that won a bronze medal in Tokyo in 2021.
Mills and Ingles will be competing in their fifth Olympics, tying Andrew Gaze for the most appearances by men’s basketball players. This will be Dellavedova’s fourth Olympics.
These will be the first Olympic Games for Giddey, Daniels, McVeigh and Magnay.
Jack McVeigh is set to make his Olympic debut after shining for the Boomers against China. Photo by Graham Denholm//Keynote USA/Getty Images
The Boomers have been drawn into Group A for the Paris Olympics, along with Canada and two teams still in the midst of qualifying. Australia’s first match at the Olympics is scheduled for July 27.
The plan is for the Boomers to travel to Abu Dhabi on July 10 for a pair of exhibition games: one against Team USA on July 16 (AEST) and one against Serbia on July 17. After those games, they will fly to Paris for further preparations ahead of their first Olympic game.
Australian Boomers Team for Paris 2024 Olympics:
Josh Giddey
Dyson Daniels
Patty Mills
Josh Green
Danté Exum
Jock Landale
Duop Reath
Joe Ingles
Jack McVeigh
It will be Magnay
Mateo Dellavedova
Nick Kay
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