terrible team for a friendly, should be blooding alot more young prospects.

Opals

Reid/Rocci/Ellis
Borlase/Sowah
Woods/Puoch
Blicavs/Sharp/Fowler
Scherf/Froling


Should be adding more young prospects too.
No real backup c or pfs.

Don't understand this should be blooding younger players.
Why?
The world champs, Olympic spots are now or will be made up of NBA/WNBA or Euro based players.
What have any of the younger players done to date that matches the dedication and hours that some of these vet NBL players have put in. Does age disqualify them from finally getting to represent your country?

Cooks back in vogue already! Talk about getting flogged with a lettuce leaf.

"Nothing to see here"...

I take my hat off to Blachfield & his longevity but i'd have a younger gun in this. Great to see Foxy get rewarded for all his hard work!!

I think you should either want to showcase the best possible Boomers team available, or you should aim for development. This team doesnt achieve much of either. Of course I dont expect NBA guys involved but there are a whole range of players who could be on this team and arent. So with that in mind they should've skewed younger. Promising to see a few guys like Austin Rapp, Jacob Furphy and Harry Wessels on the team. But this is another throw away, Australia F squad.

Your 100% right know all. But I don't see how anyone can justify Leaupepe or Pepper. They’ve played for two minutes and been here overnight. Still, I don’t know who has made themselves unavailable.

With all due respect this feels utterly pointless.

ME (he/kangaroo) put it perfectly.

I also believe strongly that if you play under the Boomers' name, there ought to be some relevance. ATM, the only relevance is accidental.

Good to see so much support (on here) on this subject/thread.

Cooks should be sitting out if they did the right thing by suspending for his drug matter but no lets look after him.

I agree with you both, RobT and retired. Even just fielding a team of 'juniors' plus a maximum of two experienced players should be enough to win consistently.

By all means rehabilitate Cooks and all that, but make sure he’s given a significant punishment period first

Pretty bad form allowing Cooks to play unless Hungry Jacks stepped in and thought they'd try a new campaign, instead of cheeseburgers, fans get a free Coke if opposition miss free throws.
And Leaupepe is a decent selection, had a good rookie season, if he gains a consistent 3 point shot can see him at least making some Boomers camps even though making the proper team would be slim. Great rebounder for his height and hustles after everything. Provides a different set of skills than most that get a go.

A possible Boomers depth chart -

Leaupepe / Wessels / Bowen
Cooks / Rapp
Glover / Blanchfield
Vasiljevic / Pepper / Furphy
Foxwell / Norton

Compared to the possible Tall Blacks roster:

Smith-Milner / TBC (Timmins?) / Halafionua
TBC (Harris?) / TBC (Davison?)
Te Rangi / Darling / Brown
Cameron / TBC (Le'afa?)
Ili / Britt

Talent swings the Boomers' direction, but we've always said that in these matchups.

Good thinking, but I'd only want Leaupepe and Bowen to play at the 4 (where there are already 3 names).

Sorry, should have said first that I don't see Blanchfield as quick enough to play as a 3 internationally, so he’d have to be a 4

Game 1 from Adelaide Opals vs Tall Ferns is on at 6pm EST followed by Boomers vs Tall Blacks at 8pm EST tomorrow night both games live on 9Go.

Whilst it's really a meaningless game really, it could have been a great opportunity to get a bit of publicity and try and suit up the best players available.
At this stage NBA players would be out, but Giddey just playing a social game with his mates will attract more publicity than a Boomers/Tall Blacks game.
Could have put a few bigger names as token starters and pumped it up a bit. Most games in other sports between the two countries have a bit of spice added, basketball just has an nbl1 all star vibe. Another opportunity to build the game wasted.

Hard to build it up much when it's not annual. I'd like to see them play a series every year or maybe even a tri series and invite a different country every year

I'm going but agree, wholeheartedly with the calls above for games that have some relevance to a national team event instead of this meaningless tripe.

Let's face it, from now on our senior Boomers will all be from the NBA. Top Aussies playing locally won't get a look in (who wouldn't use their NBA talent?). Unfortunately, they don't get to play the lesser games either as we keep selecting 3rd and 4th rate players 'cos that's usually enough to win these games. We just don't see our 2nd string players at all. Magnay, Frolong, Pinder, Cooks, Bannon, Delly, Humphries, DJV, Norton, Jack White, Goulding, etc, etc. Exceptional youngsters should also be included. There would actually be enough good-enough players to have tryouts for these spots. They could be genuine insurance for every position and the fans would at least get to see the best available players in exhibitions, friendlies and quals. As it stands now, you can be (just) too good for these 2nd rated contests but not (quite) good enough for the top rated stuff. Go figure!

Sorry girls. Prob same on your side but I know nothing of that!

Thanks to the players who are in the teams, we (I) will enjoy whatever you give us.

Opals not doing that well against a bunch of teens and inexperienced internationals.
Credit to the young tall ferns, Robati has been awesome.

Sowah easily the best player tonight for the opals.

Hope our resident Sowah critic enjoyed that one

Cooks looking terrible out there

Cooks trying to bully inside but NZ too big. DJ hitting his shots ATM and Leaupepe setting some nice, physical screens to open guys up.

Cooks looks so down on confidence looked the same with the Kings last season. He used to be a weapon going inside but these days doubts himself always stopping looking for bail outs.

Thankfully for NZ DJ has gone into chuck mode! Otherwise they'd be in trouble

DJ chucking, but no one else looks like they're capable of scoring either.

Te Rangi always plays like he's a star for the Tall Blacks.

Hopefully we don't see Norton, blanch, Leupepe or Bowen for much longer. None of these guys are required for asia, worlds or Olympics.

Legit boomers and/or blooding potential boomers only.

Yeah agree, Cooks and leupepe look very hesitant from inside. Should be dominating the paint against pretty much the sole kiwi big, smith Milner

Darling always looks good cutting and going at the hoop. Likewise davison when he keeps it simple

Should be an interesting H2 considering i thought it'd be over by now

Kiwi's always play above themselves when they play for NZ, no matter who they trot out they always play hard and well drilled. Boomers not so much.

I thought we might drop this opening game and then get serious and win the last two games, we'll see how we go.

Picture quality is horrible

Think DJ has put in my defensive effort this game than all last year with the 36ers.

Walter Brown is so far out of his depth at this level, even on D. Can't work out why he's getting minutes

8447 a decent crowd for a Wednes night.

dial-up quality streaming.

Why were the Ch9 commentators repeatedly saying 8,447 is a sell out crowd when the 36ers often get 9,500+?

Sell out if you don't count the upper corner parts of the stadium that were tarped off I guess.

I fell asleep midway through the game, which I guess speaks to the importance I give it. My criteria for giving a Boomers series credibility are as follows:

Are there -

All NBL level players?
Future Boomers?
Boomers who have played or are likely to play in a major tournament?
Players who at least have the potential to do so.

And for most of those this series is a No, No, No, No.

So what is the point? Xavier Cooks is the only guy who almost fits that criteria and I'd be surprised if he makes another major team.

I get there are only 20 or so guys who fit that criteria in the country, and I get we've got an Asia Cup, but out of this team who even makes THAT squad?

I just feel like they slap the name "Boomers" on anything and do the whole concept of what a Boomer is meant to be a disservice and then guys like Liam Santamaria can crow about how Owen Foxwell is a Boomer.

Turned it on for the last quarter or so of the women's game and the first thing I did was take my glasses off and cleaned them. Nope, no difference just poor-quality streaming.

Then it was on to Google to find out who the players were for the "Opals". A few familiar names there but not a lot. Still, I learnt a bit about who was playing.

Men's game began with a good start - just about all the Australian players and coaches sang the National Anthem. After that - meh. A few good bits but just what was the purpose of the game?

If it had been an under 23 squad or something similar, at least it would have made a bit of sense, but it looked like a holiday pickup game with whoever was available. Don't know if I will bother watching the other games. Better quality play in the Frankston game on Monday night.

Ah yes, we all know the most important thing in any sporting contest is whether the players sing the anthem

The modern game and competitions are changing. The days of Countries only having one team are over. There will be as in club or state teams, multiple levels of participation. I liken the current series, to a boomers third Div playing kiwi second Div.
At state levels , clubs, even domestic there are some clubs that are just straight better than others.
Do we stop playing lower clubs and only play a selected few that can play?
Or do we participate and field appropriate level teams to allow other nations to play and grow the game globally?

The full national team representation shouldn't have divisions since it is supposed to be the pinnacle.

I think people understand and accept that at state and district level there are different divisions of teams because the point of those competition is development and the love of the game. The national team isn't 'really' about development and in so much as it does have a development component, that development should be to the ends of giving us the best chances in meaningful competition. This current team doesn't achieve that.

But in the end it's not up to me to decide that the Boomers team can and cant be, I just know I feel a sense of great cringe when certain players wear the uniform and then we have to hear their names overhyped because of it - ie, Liam Santamaria insisting Jason Cadee is a Boomer and is therefore somehow to be especially revered for it.

It also creates cringe when I see a Boomers team that isnt even as good as an NBL team, which is the case also for this one. So really it's personal taste. Just opinions. I know that these tournaments dont 'hurt' the Boomers in any meaningful way but they just dont really pass the eye test.

Agree with ME and a few others above. This Boomers F team really cheapens the brand and the culture.

I'm alright with it. It's a different landscape now with all those FIBA qualifying window games. NBA guys are either in-season or won't risk injury for series like this, so be it. No need to play guys like Giddey and Dyson against this NZ team. Would've looked a much different NZ side if Cameron and C. Webster didn't pull out a few days beforehand.

I used to love the annual series against NZ so I'm just glad it's come back and hopefully it sticks around. Glad the Adelaide game got a big crowd and the game tomorrow night is sold out too.

Shouldn't really call teams like this the Boomers, why not like other sports call them Australia A, or the Australian select team. Reserve the Boomers brand for the true national team.
Else, try and get the timing better to avoid the NBA conflict. Wait a few weeks then get McVeigh, Landale, Mills etc to play some token minutes then let prospects play the majority. It's not like those NBA guys had a huge playoff load.

Maybe it would have been a good chance for Ben Simmons in this series?

Like the idea of Australian A, select or other creative names.

Looking a bit ominous for the Kiwi's now.

Finn Delany, WTF?

He wasn't in the squad and didn't play in the first game, what he just rocked up on the day and they've decided to play him?

Pick-up game

Yeah pretty much zodiac, NZ randomely announced today he was playing, lol

Just when you think it couldn't get any worse.

NZ cooking on their home court in game 3

The Kiwis get the job done 106-97

That's embarrassing.

New era after Brian off to a good start.
Still strongly believe the Boomers name should only be used for proper tournaments, when America trot out their d grade team for qualifiers they don't get the fancy take on dream team nickname.
To wear the boomers singlet there should be an official presentation like the baggy green to represent the significance. Instead we get end of bench NBL players able to say they played for the boomers.
Even my mate Reuben going by the box score in the first half could make an all NBL team with his performance.
Struggling to understand what the whole point of it was.

Mickey mouse USA teams still get to call themselves the USA and rightly so. There hasn't been a "Dream Team" for decades and never will again, the gap has closed so much since those 92 and 96 teams.

Boomers vs NZ, why? NZ are stuck in Oceania which FIBA has turned into a developmental group now, with no immediate entry into a WC/Olympics anymore and thus no decent competition for them. Aside from us playing for national and thus regional pride I think we have a responsibility to NZ to "help" them get improve by playing against stiffer competition.

On top of all that Aus/NZ have always had great sporting rivalries and it was said when that ended in basketball with the demise of the annual Aus vs NZ series, so I'm glad to see it back. I don't care to watch a C-grade Boomers team against any other nation but against NZ I'll always be interested. The Kiwi's always play hard and give a good account of themselves even when there is a bit of a talent discrepancy. Hopefully there is another Trans-Tasman series next year.

Well said Zodiac

Just looked at the box score Taylor Britt 23p, 9r, 8a. I thought he looked quite decent this series but wow, the Taylor Britt experience is coming to the NBL. Makes a lot more sense now why the Breakers moved McCarron on.

Australia and NZ are in the Asia pool now, Oceania has no entry or relevance in the world group anymore

Australia and NZ are in the Asia pool now, Oceania has no entry or relevance in the world group anymore

Okay I misrembered why NZ aren't really able to qualify anymore.

The case for Aust V NZ games does have some relevance if you consider that Aust will no longer be able to trot out our best teams as the best play in the NBA and are never available. So Aust NBL v NZ NBL (not NZNBL) should be a fairly even contest as proven in game 3. Series score 2 to 1, which is prob the right result.

Congrats to all involved. Entertaining, even if nothing else.

Struggling to understand what the whole point of it was.

Crowds seemed OK. Created some media attention, in NZ at least, so if it's NBL v NBL annually and competitive what’s the harm?

I'm referring to team USA starting with dream team, dream team 2, redeem team, redeem team 2.0 and last one was the Avengers. What's the next one going to be called, Team More Powerful Than Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, and the Incredible Hulk Put Together?
And I'm all for a trans Tasman series, just have some rationale for the construction of the team. Nba players won't suit up for it but why not make it 25 and under for Australia to showcase future national players, college is over, put a few more in there rather than a Blanchfield or Norton for example. Or top 3 local players in clubs MVP. Why not even let fans vote on the team. Just how did this current team get selected? Already been mentioned that Delaney just walked into NZ team.

Before Dotman says it, answer to name of next USA team is "Team Phantom".

The draw for the WC qualifiers will be held tomorrow night.

Australia to draw 3 other teams, and then need to finish top 3 in the pool of 4.

POOL 1 Australia plus NZ or China, Phi or Korea, Taipei or Guam
POOL 2 Japana plus NZ or China, Phi or Korea, Taipei or Guam

Results carry through to the 2nd stage.

2nd stage - 3 teams from Pool 1 combine with 3 teams from Central/West Asia, and 3 teams from Pool 2 combine with 3 teams from Central/West Asia.

likely Iran or Lebanon, Jordan or Saudia Arabia, Qatar or India

Then you get into scenaries like would the Boomers travel to Iran or Lebanon, or even India to play.