Isaac
Years ago
The Vertical: Future is bright for Boomers
Andrew Bogut has been on Australian national teams that treated games against the United States as the best opportunity to meet NBA players, get a pair of autographed shoes and pose for photographs to document that they actually shared the floor. Bogut is no longer on a team like that, no longer surrounded by teammates who would've looked at what they accomplished on Wednesday - losing by just 10 points against vaunted Team USA – as cause for celebration.
"Everybody gets birthday cake like it’s the best day ever," Bogut joked about the previous mindset after Australia lost 98-88 at Carioca Arena 1. “We’re disappointed. We lost. We’re not going to take small, moral victories.”
“The first-ranked team, or the 50th-ranked team, we’re going to play them the same way,” said Joe Ingles, a Utah Jazz forward. “We’re not intimidated, we’re not scared of anyone and we hope we get another crack at them. We’re a really good group of guys. We’ve played together. We’ve got a helluva roster and we can match up with any team here. We’re going to play the same way, no matter what, we’re going to do what we do.”
“The future looks very bright,” Australian national team coach Andrej Lemanis told The Vertical. “The Australian development system, it’s been coordinated and organized. That work is all starting to show itself in the quality of player that is coming through. It’s exciting. And, the other thing with Australia’s cultural mix as well, the athlete that is starting to come through as well, is changing the landscape a little bit.”The article obviously makes mention of Simmons, Maker and Exum coming through next.
Why 'the future is bright' for Australia basketball – maybe even in these Olympics
