Greg Hire still blacklisted by BA?

Not too much of a surprise that Landale would spruik for his former Melb United teammate. If Jack White makes the team and that's a big if I highly doubt he would start.

Looks like Nick Kay has been injured and replaced by Harry Wessels?

That's a loss- Kay was big in 2019 and 2021

If so, White definitely in the running for a starting spot

Actually seems Kay opted out due to upcoming birth of first child?

Well if it's true Kay is out of the WC that might be different.

No one's seen Jack White play for a year but he can’t start ??

Kay said he'll join camp after the birth of the child and I'm sure the boomers would give him the time he needs

Greg Hire still blacklisted by BA?

Oh OK, I was wondering that

I think Dyson will get the call up from the various murmurs and podcasts/opinions and the summer league stuff.

Originally I thought surplus to requirement with a focus on having a third big but with no bulky third big like Baynes, I think that puts Daniels into the picture big time.

C Landale/Reath
F Kay
F Ingles/Thybulle
G Mills/Green/Goulding
G Giddey/Exum/Daniels

With the idea that Daniels maybe plays more 1/2 and Green plays a bit more 3 and Thybulle perhaps a bit of 4.

I suspect the question then is Cooks or White. Genuine 50/50 surely? Cooks if you want the flexibility of an undersized 5 option.

Goulding is a must have for shooting and track record of knowing how to do that specific role.

Sorry Delly...

KET's lineup looking likely.

White will get the nod- he's got a rep for being an ultimate culture guy. Proven fit alongside Landale. Won't need the ball in his hands, but will do everything else and complements the group.

Apart from the lack of a Baynes or Bogut legit big, it's a serious roster with everything covered and a nice balance.

I thought Reath would be selected, but I'm starting to think Maker might be.

https://youtu.be/6yxPSRXipLU

I still hope Reath is selected.

Yeah, we are missing that big body. Keep in mind that Landale has been a number 4 in those past Boomer teams with Bogut and Baynes around. He's now filling that 5 spot in the NBA so that is all good.

My vote is for Cooks for that additional big though White will do the position justice. Pity Simmons isn't on board to at least be available to fit that 4 spot for rebounds and defence when needed. Wouldn't need his scoring.

Am seriously loving the looks of this team back court though.....

I thought it was odd to have Thon maker doing media tbh

I've watched a lot of Reath and Maker's matches in the CBA and WASL, and they've played head-to-head many times.
Of course, I know that leagues and international are different, but I think that the Reath dominated Maker many times. Their influence on the team was different. Reath is a more stable scorer than Maker.
Maker is taller than Reath, but has less power. On defense, Reath was also better than Maker.

Height matters in basketball, after all, so the Boomers coaching staff might find him more appealing.

In that media session @ 2:16 Goorj said they've got a warm up game against....it sounds like "Houston"?

Yes the ncaa team

University of Houston Game Schedule

Aug. 7 - Houston vs East All Stars

Aug. 9 - Houston vs Australian National Team

Aug. 12 - Frankston Blues

Aug. 13 - Australia Select Team

(Our current plans call for all but the game against the Australian National Team to be streamed.)

Detailed schedule

https://uhcougars.com/news/2023/7/27/mens-basketball-heading-down-under.aspx

Frankston?

Sorry, Uni of Houston are playing Frankston...got it.

Bit of a mismatch.

Suppose it's too early in the off-season to scrimmage vs NBL teams.

I agreet with Ket's team, the choice between Cooks and White is an incredibly hard decision. I would go White purely because of his 3 point shot and he is a better free throw shooter.

How fortuante we are to have the sheer talent levels now and versatility?. From when I first started watching the Boomers in 1986 until now, the difference is extraordinary. Boom times! Going to be some very unlucky players miss out.

I'd take both Cooks and White, Cooks can play five as well as Kay behind Landale and leave Reath out. Smallish, yes but fast and athletic.

Trevor Gleeson on ESPN's "Ball and the real world" spoke as if Goulding was a necessity. Seems like Goulding might have a spot secure provided his shooting form is good and there remains a relative weakness in the perimeter shooting in the rest of the team.

I dont get the Goulding love, when hes done poorly against the bigger teams and its going to be hard enough to find guard minutes for Green and Daniels so why take an extra inferior guard

I think the final 12 should come from these 13

Landale/Reath/Maker
Kay/White/Cooks
Ingles/Thybulle
Mills/Exum/Green
Giddey/Daniels

I think it comes down to who you want better out of Cooks or Maker, I personally go Maker as it will be a end of bench role and I like having his extra size to throw at a Gobert type, but not hugely upset either way

If Goulding gets picked ahead of these guys, its stupid, just as picking Sobey ahead of Giddey was last time. The team has enough equivalent/better shooters without him in Landale, Kay, Ingles, Mills, Exum, Green anyway and one of those nba guards is basically going to struggle to get minutes anyway, so Goulding is obselete in my eyes. Plus hes 34 with no upside and already a lesser player than any of the 13 above.

The same poeple who supported Sobey over Giddey, we always have 1 stupid selection, will make reasons and excuses to pick Goulding, but i think its madness.

Chris Goulding

2019 WC

Average - 17.8 Min / 7.3PTS (FG 36.7% , 3PTS 32.4% , FT 90.9%) / 1.1REB / 0.6AST / +/- (0)

Semi-Finals vs Spain
14Min / 5PTS (FG 1/7 14.3% , 3PTS 16.7% , FT 100%) / 1AST / 2PF / 1TO / +- (1)

3rd Place Game vs France
17Min / 0PTS (FG 0/3 3PTS 0%) / 3REB / 2PF / 2TO / 1ST / +- (-9)


2021 Olympics

Average - 11.9 Min / 3.8PTS (FG 29.2% , 3PTS 35% , FT 66.7%) / 1.5REB / 0.7AST / +/- (-1)

Semi-Finals vs USA
19Min / 8PTS (FG 2/7 28.6% , 3PTS 33.3% , FT 66.7%) / 4REB / 3AST / 1ST / +- (-10)

3rd Place Game vs Slovenia
21Min / 6PTS (FG 2/6 33.3% , 3PTS 40%) / 2REB / 2PF / +- (-12)

Think if you go daniels then it's white over cooks with his shot.

"If Goulding gets picked ahead of these guys, its stupid, just as picking Sobey ahead of Giddey was last time. The team has enough equivalent/better shooters without him in Landale, Kay, Ingles, Mills, Exum, Green anyway and one of those nba guards is basically going to struggle to get minutes anyway, so Goulding is obselete in my eyes."

I fully agreed with the Giddey > Sobey sentiment in Tokyo, but Goulding has a few factors going for him that makes this selection quite different to Sobey stealing a spot:
1) Goulding has 4 majors experience and a fearless mentality, proven.
2) Goulding getting hot can basically win a game
3) We lack pure scorers and 3 point shooters who are legit/automatic. Goulding's role is a microwave (he was top 3 in 3PAs in Tokyo). If Mills goes down, we don't have many scorers to put points on the board. Goulding is always given a green light to launch.
4) Goulding has the capacity to create; how many on this team do you think can generate their own shot late shot-clock or when the offense is stuttering? He is another card the team can pull out when the offense isn't working.
5) Goulding will demand defensive attention on the perimeter. Every team will know why he is there.

The core is basically selected already, with most of Tokyo locked plus Giddey. The team will be picked based on roles, being able to compliment the core or act as insurance. I can see why Goulding would have a decent chance to make the team.

1-3
Giddey, Mills, Exum, Green, Thybulle, Ingles
We have Six players who should play 20+ minutes each.
If you add Daniels or Delly to that, it's Seven.
I don't know if White can even play 4, but he plays 3 in international.
Honestly, if Goulding comes in, I don't know how much playing time he will get.
If anything, we might prefer a Big to a Shooter because we don't have a 5 player like Bogut or Baynes.

Giddey/Exum/Daniels
Mills/Green/Goulding
Ingles/Thybulle
Kay/White
Landale/Reath

Would even consider starting Thybulle over Kay

It would be better court balance for Ingles to play as a sixth man and close out the fourth quarter like Ginobili did in Spurs.

I have sat here for 20 minutes and cant figure out a way we can give our guard depth enough of a run without playing small ball.

I think Ingles and maybe even Mills will see less minutes this time round to allow Daniels/Green/Thybulle have more of a run, especially in the first few games.

Think we may see Daniels at the small forward a bit

People sleeping on Josh Green!

Giddey/Exum
Mills/Daniels
Green/Ingles
Kay/Thybulle/White
Landale/Reath

The last spot is tough and Cooks probably deserves it but just not sure what he adds to the above rotation...

Another legit big to combat all the monsters would be nice but who?? Maker or Baynes ?

To be honest, I don't know why so many people favor small ball.
It's not a league.
There's a reason the USA struggles in international.
Did the USA struggle because of a lack of scorers? No. It was the height at the 4-5.
The Olympics and the World Cup are different, too. The World Cup sees more Euro teams.

2021 Olympics
Italy, Germany, Slovenia

2023 World Cup
Germany, Finland, Slovenia, Spain, Serbia, France
Do France and Spain, who consistently perform well in the WC, play small ball? No, they don't.

How fortuante we are to have the sheer talent levels now and versatility?. From when I first started watching the Boomers in 1986 until now, the difference is extraordinary. Boom times! Going to be some very unlucky players miss out.

"There's a reason the USA struggles in international."

They don't! They had a period in the 2000s where they didn't win gold for three straight champs (02-06) but then they changed to more of a small ball set-up with NBA 3-men at the 4-spot, went quicker and have won 6 of 7 gold since from memory.

Did I mention the USA didn't win a gold medal? I said they were struggling.
The United States finished seventh at the 2019 World Cup.
They had a better roster at the 2021 Olympics and won the gold medal with the help of Durant, but it wasn't as easy as in previous Olympics. The importance of the 4-5 in international competition hasn't changed.

USA plays small cos they have no bigs...

The poor 2019 campaign was due to a coaching change after a long period under coach K and the unavailability of many of the key players from previous tournaments. Take that out of it and the USA are 47-1 since 2006. That's not struggling.

Their resurgence post-2006 (which actually started at the 06 tournament) was on the back of continuity on and off the court, and going smaller and playing faster to accentuate their athletic advantage. Small ball has worked very well for the USA.

Australia won their first medal in 2021 on the back of mostly a Landale-Kay-Thybulle rotation through the 4-5 spots. It's all about playing to what your strengths are, not picking big 4s and 5s for the sake of it.

Why did the USA play small ball? Their 4-5 has continued to be weak.
Even in the NBA, not internationally, there are more and more foreign big.
Why did the US continue to want Embiid and let Banchero play for the USA, despite his spectacular depth?
They too are trying to fill their weakness at the 4-5.

We won our first medal at the 2021 Olympics and I don't mean to criticize that. To be fair, the teams we played against at the 2021 Olympics were not at all threatening in the center position.

At the 2023 World Cup, we will be facing teams that are stronger in the 4-5. Here's the bracket. Spain, France, Serbia (without Jokic).
What we can do in small ball needs a little more validation.
If we can perform well with small ball at the 2023 World Cup, I will be rooting for it and supporting it.

"Why did the USA play small ball?"

Because other teams can't keep up. Coach K knew what their strengths were and ran with it. Not every country can do it, but it is certainly in the USA's best interests to do so.

"At the 2023 World Cup, we will be facing teams that are stronger in the 4-5. Here's the bracket. Spain, France, Serbia (without Jokic)."

France have three players over 6'8 in their squad.

Spain's best big man is probably going to be Willy Hernangomez.

Serbia... couple of decent Euroleague bigs?

Just saying that Euro teams will be strong up front doesn't actually mean that they will be.

Very interesting times ahead, I think that we might in for a surprise or two. 13.5 doesn't go into 12.

Like many, I instinctively felt that we would go with the Tokyo group - Delly, Sobey and Baynes + Giddey, Daniels and one of Cooks/White

Also, like many others, it has seemed like Jack White was edging ahead of Cooks because of his jumpshot (an area in which we are lacking), his intangibles (although this arguably a feature of Cooks' games as well), and honestly, just the general vibes/murmurs

I wonder if Cooks ability to provide a different look as a small-ball 5 (in a break glass in case of an emergency situation) may give him an advantage over Jack White in the final analysis. Recalling that he was initially picked in the 12 for the 2019 World Champs before missing with injury - with his ability to 'rebound and go' being cited as a reason for his selection. Something to think about if nothing else. I don't think any of White, Kay, Ingles or Thybulle offer his ability to do this, so it is a standout quality if that is something the coaching staff value.

Goorjian could also potentially look at the perimeter players and see some duplication of skillsets. Namely -

Giddey: playmaking, dribble penetration, rebounding, size for his position
Daniels: defence, size for his position, slash/penetrate, solid enough playmaker
Exum: slash/penetrate, secondary ballhandler/playmaker
Green: defence, athlete, solid enough cutter/shooter
Thybulle: defence, athletic, cutter/finisher

Thybulle is locked in, along with Giddey as the standout playmaker and NBA performance. Could Daniels, Exum or Green potentially drop out given the overlap in their skillsets? While it would be brutal, Daniels and Exum could similar enough that Goorjian could potentially look at including White AND Cooks at one of their expense?

Given Goorjian's recent track record, I'm comfortable that he will make the right calls around the composition of the team. But I'm not as sure as I was 48 hours ago!

Just to add to what I said above, I think that you could take any of the three likely groups:

A) The 'obvious' 11 including White
B) including Cooks
C) including White and Cooks, with a surprise omission

There is enough quality to get the job done. I'd be fascinated to know what scenarios the coaches expect might unfold that would determine what is needed from the 11th and 12th spots

The below, assuming healthy and nominating, would the the non-negotiable:

C Landale
F Kay
F Ingles
G Mills/Green
G Giddey

Exum and Thybulle make up the highly likelys ("don't mess with a good thing")

Reath, Daniels, Goulding are the likelys (the “makes the most sense”)

Cooks, White are the 50/50s (the “better smash it at camp”)

Delly, Thonmaker are the unlikelys (the “almost head scratchers”)

WMW is the highly unlikely (the “came from left field”)

Froling, Pinder are no chance (the “needs a lotto win” group)

Anyone else missed are the less than no chance group (“the forgettables”)

Definitely scratching my head

Froling, maker and Pinder cut

If correct, good decisions being made.

It will be interesting to watch this team's pick and roll defense and their Bigs ability to guard the perimeter if there are needs to switch.
There will be a need to keep another athletic player like Daniels in order to negate the lack of defensive athleticism in the front court.

Nothing overly controversial with the cuts

Thought they would have cut wmw by now.

Giddey / Exum / Delly or WMW
Mills / Green / Goulding
Thybulle / Ingles
Kay / White or Cooks
Landale / Reath

I thought Maker would be on the 15-man roster even if he didn't make the final cut. I prefer Daniels, but the Boomers coaching staff might include one of Delly and WMW.

Olympic selection next year will be even tougher I reckon.

I personally would have kept another big (Maker or Pinder) over WMW or Delly but fair enough.

We can now say Duop Reath is pretty much a lock for the team as the backup Centre

Keanu still have that niggling injury? Not surprised with Felling or Thon really, but thought he looked in decent shape this time around...

The next three cuts will be tough...

Agree that the hard locks would be:

Giddey / Mills / Ingles / Kay / Landale

Starting/bench will haves:

Thybulle & Reath


So that leaves 2? from:

Green / Exum / Dyson

&

White or Cooks


I think Goulding makes it, depends on how WMW has trained but I can't see him making it over either of the other options above...

I love Delly, but I don't think he should make this one, we need to blood the next gen...

Both of the latter groups have players that all deserve to go... I really think Dyson providing that locked down D is vital and could give him an edge... If Bubbles gets picked, is Greens chances lessened? I'd pick Dante over him if that was the final choice...

Cooks vs White is tough as well and I honestly can't split them, maybe 51-49 to Cooks?

Does ingles still start though?

Yeah toss a coin for White or Cooks.

Cooks made the last Olympic team, more versatile defensively than White.

White is a better shooter which Australia very much needs.

I'm not entirely convinced Jack White is big enough to play the 4 at international level. Especially against teams like Germany with a very frontcourt heavy roster.

Agreed, Reath is a lock now.

Obviously they've decided to not go with a third C.

Looking alike they go two extra guards, unless they don’t go Daniels or Goulding and go both Cooks and White.

Either way, the team will be on the smaller end of things

Think ingles will spend a bit of time at the point

G : Giddey, Exum, Mills, Green,
F : Thybulle, Ingles, Kay
C : Landale, Reath


1. Daniels & White & Cooks

2. Daniels & Goulding & White or Cooks

3. Goulding & White & Cooks

4. Delly or WMW & Goulding & White or Cooks

5. Delly or WMW & White & Cooks

I'm guessing...

6’0 Mills 2 - 1
6’4 Goulding 2
6’5 Green 2 - 3
6’5 Thybulle 3 - 4
6’6 Exum 1 - 3 - 2
6’7 Daniels 2 - 3 - 1
6’8 Giddey 1 - 3 - 2
6’8 Ingles 3 - 1 - 2
6’8 Cooks 4 - 3 - 5
6’9 Kay 4 - 5
6’11 Landale 5 - 4
6’11 Reath 5 - 4


Least versatile
6’3 Dellevedova 1
6’5 Mcdowell-White 1 only, not really a 2 in fiba
6’7 White 4 only, not really a 3 in fiba

I had Ingles as an honorary starter out of respect, but it really does come down to matchups... Spread the floor, another target for Giddey to hit, m,aybe take some pressure off Patty and also facilitator option, I really don't know how many minutes he'll be getting coming off hardly any actual game time... Melbourne (again with the Melby games. Sydney would like a couple please!) games will be a great test for him...

Does Cooks' ability to play the 5 under some circumstances give him the edge over White?

I know Green probably has the statistical advantage over Dyson, but so much Dyson does that doesn't translate to his stats is just so good...

All good problems to have though...

Who are we likely to match up against? I see Germany is a given since we are in the same pool. Then the following round Slovenia? Group E and F face off I thought. I can't remember how it works after that but I think it’s random.

It used to be only the US I was worried about facing but now I have nightmares about Canada.

1st Round
Aus vs Germany, Finland, Japan

2nd Round
Aus vs Slovenia, Venezuela

-----------------------------------

1st place in round 2

Quarter Finals
Aus vs Spain or Canada or France

Semi Finals
Aus vs Serbia or Lithuania

Finals
Aus vs USA or Canada or France

------------------------------------

2nd place in round 2

Quarter Finals
Aus vs Spain or Canada or France

Semi Finals
Aus vs USA

Finals
Aus vs Spain or Canada or France

Tokyo Olympics Final Roster

Delly / Exum / Sobey
Mills / Goulding / Green
Ingles / Thybulle
Landale / Kay
Baynes / Reath

Build a team like the Olympics

Giddey / Exum / Daniels or Delly or WMW
Mills / Green / Goulding
Thybulle / Ingles
Kay / Cooks or White
Landale / Reath

Thanks. Nice username btw.

Cooks over White every day and twice on Sundays.
Cooks can bring the ball up the floor under pressure, whereas White does not have a handle at all.
Plus....
Cooks is a much better passer than White.
Cooks is a better defender than White.
Cooks is a better rebounder than White.
Cooks is a better offensive player than White.
Cooks is a smarter player than White.
Cooks is a better leader than White.

Me thinks White and Cook go, with Goulding, WMW and Delly to miss the cut.

I hope so Knowall

My 12 is

Landale/Reath
Kay/Cooks/White
Ingles/Thybulle
Mills/Exum/Green
Giddey/Daniels

I personally think picking the other 3 over any of these guys is crazy.

The counter argument for those line-ups, to play Devil's advocate, is the duplication of skills between Giddey, Daniels, Green, Exum, Thybulle (could even throw White in there).

Do we need all athletic, slasher, defender types on the perimeter? One of those guys will likely be on the outside of the rotation. Why wouldn't you have a lights out shooter to diversify the skillset?

I think bring in Goulding and move out White, not saying Goulding is better than White, but he provides more of a need to the roster in regards to floor spacing and creating his own shot.

Yeah I agree, I would take Goulding. And bring Cooks over White.

Everything that White provides, we already have in Nick Kay and Cooks. There's no need for him aside from just injury insurance.

Goulding on the other hand, is more unique. Even if all he does is attract the defence, that opens up the floor for all our athletic wings to operate.

No matter what happens good players will be left out.

This could go in multiple directions but my best guess is Delly, WMW and Cooks will miss out.

Definitely seems to be between Cooks and White where the biggest argument is... I'd vote for Cooks with more of a slight edge... If we're relying on him or White to make 3s consistently, we're in worse shape than that concern... That defensive edge Cooks is great with I think will get him over the line...

Goulding knows his role and that his minutes will highly depend on him making his shots.

The potential of tormenting teams with both Dyson and Matisse at one end if the need ever arises is exciting, I have to say...

Here's why I think Cooks will make the final roster.
We left Maker off the 15-man roster.
We now have only three players in 4-5 on our 15-man roster.
Kay, Landale and Reath.
Injury risk is always present.
Kay can play Small-ball 5, but what if one of Landale or Reath gets injured?
That leaves Cooks as the only player on the 15-man roster who can play small-ball 5.
In the end, our 4-5 lineup is likely to be Kay, Cooks, Landale, and Reath.

I definitely would have kept Maker or Pinder over WMW. Good to keep options around and I don't want a repeat of 2019 where we ended up having to throw in Barlow at the last minute because of late withdrawal after the obvious replacement was sent home earlier.

There's definitely going to be a couple of really deserving guys not going and that honestly is how it should be.

I can really relate to that.
I love Delly and WMW, but unless one of them makes the final roster, it honestly doesn't make sense because we have so many players at the Guard.

Correct Cram, its better to have deserving guys not making the cut as opposed to guys making the team due to a small talent pool.

Think Pinder offers more than white currently, white still trying to transition from a 4 to a 3.
Guessing Pinder still underdone, still not fully fit. A smoky for Olympics next year if Kay or Cooks do not perform. Simmons likely in the mix too...
Although Kay was awesome in Tokyo, looking at who he faced last time and then looking ahead, his lack of athleticism may be an issue going forward. Should dominate v japan and Finland, Germany though.. and then the next round.

Kay has played USA, Canada, France, Spain, Lithuania, Slovenia, Germany, Italy, Czech, Argentina, Dominican Republic, Senegal and Nigeria in major tournaments. There aren't many surprises left for him in international basketball.

You'd expect White to be the main beneficiary of the likely Ingles retirement post-Olympics. That would free up the perimeter log jam somewhat, and open the door for someone with an athletic profile and skillset like White

Disagree, Green and Daniels can slide into the 3 position on top of Thybulle and Exum opening up another guard spot for maybe proctor?

How did Nick Kay fare against USA, Canada, France, Spain, Lithuania, Slovenia, Germany, Italy, Czech, and Argentina and Nigeria. What were his stats? What was his rating defensively. I think this team has offensive depth and decent perimeter defense but I feel defensively there isa struggle at the Big position. Cutting Maker took away that emergency Big w size and athleticism for different defensive schemes imo.

Think Galloway is another one to look out for on the wing post Olympics.

"How did Nick Kay fare"

If you missed out on watching the Boomers play at the past two major tournaments, I highly recommend digging out replays. It's the best the Boomers have ever played and Kay's performance was a template of how a role player can make a big impact at both ends of the floor by just doing the basics well.

Weedy - why slide those guys up a position when you can keep them in place, maintain size advantages at those positions, and bring in the next best alternative. Granted, if Proctor proves himself at the next level, I reserve the right to change my mind :D

I love how there are Kay haters before each selection.

There's a reason Kay was elevated to the starting lineup and played big minutes at the Olympics. He can handle both ends of the court and has elite basketball IQ. He also does the little things that make the team better.

"That athleticism side of it, around him, is really helpful, but also we need guys like (Chris) Goulding, who can shoot the ball," Goorjian said.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Goulding's chances of joining the final roster have increased

Giddey / Exum
Mills / Green / Goulding
Thybulle / Ingles
Kay /
Landale / Reath

Daniels or Delly or WMW

Cooks or White

99-65 win v Houston today?

Yes, it's a 99-65 win for the Boomers. No streams and no personal stats.

I'm going with

Giddey / Exum
Mills / Green / Goulding
Thybulle / Ingles
Kay /
Landale / Reath

Daniels and one of the below or no Daniels and both below.

Cooks or White

Delly
MW
White
All missing out imo


Giddey(1/3) / Exum(1/3/2)
Mills(2/1) / Green(2/3) / Goulding(2)
Thybulle(3/4) / Ingles(3/1/2) / Daniels(3/2/4/1)
Kay(4/5) / Cooks(4/5/3)
Landale(5/4) / Reath(5/4)


Ingles and Goulding last or second last tournament for sure

Here is an article posted from a Houston magazine about how today's scrimmage went -

"UH basketball falls to Australian national team in exhibition

LJ Cryer had 23 points for the University of Houston in a 99-65 loss to the Australian national team early Wednesday in Cairns, Australia.

Cryer, a transfer from Baylor, was 9-of-16 shooting, including 4-of-8 from 3-point range. Temple transfer Damian Dunn was the only other UH player in double figures with 11 points. Mylik Wilson added nine points and six rebounds.

No individual stats were kept for the Australian national team, whose roster includes 10 NBA players, including first-round picks Josh Giddey (Thunder), Dyson Daniels (Pelicans), Matisse Thybulle (Trail Blazers) and Josh Green (Mavericks). Australia won the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics and is considered a medal contender for the upcoming FIBA World Cup.

The Boomers, the national team's nickname, shot 56.4 percent for the game and held a 36-20 advantage in the paint.

UH, which is on a four-game exhibition tour, started off slow and trailed by 11 after the first quarter and by 19 at halftime. The Cougars were held without a field goal for the final six-plus minutes of the fourth quarter.


UH kept the rebound margin close (41-37) and forced 14 turnovers.

UH will close out the trip with games against the Frankston Blues from the NBL1 South on Saturday (4 a.m. CDT) and Sunday against the Australia Select Team (3 a.m. CDT) in Melbourne"

---

Sounds to me like it was a pretty casual domination, with the team perhaps instructed to put the clamps down in the last quarter leading to 6 scoreless minutes for the Houston college team. Encouraging signs.

---

As for the Chris Goulding situation you can probably count him in now. Goorjian has brought him up incessantly throughout the lead up to these games. The man is definitely a believer and a fan, and it seems part of the game plan is based around him. I don't 'hate' the selection. Certainly there are "better players" in the mix that Chris; but I think he's being used as a "break in case of emergency" type option who may get hot out of nowhere and win you a game. He may not have done that for the Boomers yet but his potential to do so is probably what has booked his ticket.

---

I can't believe we're still having to debate Nick Kay. He's been nothing short of reliable and dependable since 2019. Sure, when he was first picked, he was a bit of a head scratcher. But Nick Kay is one of those guys who grows an extra arm and leg in the green and gold. He's played his position perfectly and also brings bit of added shooting. Nick Kay is a lock. All other opinions are invalid.