DJ, CG Shooting For World Cup

Friday, January 6, 2023

One of the final spots in the Australia’s World Cup team will come down to two NBL superstars, according to former Boomer Adam Gibson.

With preparations for August’s World Cup set to narrow in the coming months, attention is turning to how Brian Goorjian’s team will take shape.

One of the key decisions will centre around the coveted shooter off the bench role, which has been filled by Melbourne United captain Chris Goulding for years.

Goulding has been a staple in the Boomers' team since the 2014 World Cup and was a member of the historic bronze medal winning team at the Tokyo Olympics.

However, a new offensive weapon is emerging as a contender for Australian representation in Sydney Kings star Dejan Vasiljevic, whose hype metre is bursting after his 42-point outburst on Wednesday night.

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Australian basketball legend Shane Heal has declared Vasiljevic must be considered for the World Cup team, a sentiment Gibson agrees with.

However, the two-time NBL champion says Vasiljevic will have to fight Goulding for his spot.

“He (Vasiljevic) has been on the radar and he has spent some time with the Boomers in recent times. He will be there (in the extended squad) for sure,” Gibson told NBL Today.

“It will be tough but every Boomers team always take a shooter. Chris Goulding has been that guy for years and he is so reliable and no doubt he will be right there as well.

“I feel like this is going to come down to, whenever the last selection camp is, who shoots better out of those two guys. do they both stay healthy, that’s going to be tough.

“He (Vasiljevic) is going to give himself a red hot shot, it will come down to camp, how well they’re playing, but Chris Goulding has done it for so many years, he has been so reliable, so I feel that is the spot he is going to have to take.”

The 2023 FIBA World Cup tips-off on August 25 and will take place across the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia.