“Gold vibes only” is the Boomers’ motto heading into the World Cup, according to star forward Nick Kay, who has lauded the special nature of the national team’s culture in the current pre-tournament camp.
Former Perth Wildcat Kay – who last played for Japanese side Shimane Susanoo Magic – was a member of Australia’s Olympic bronze medal winning squad at the Tokyo Olympics and is a member of the extended 15 player squad that is set to take on the ‘Boomers vs World’ warm-up games.
Keanu Pinder, Sam Froling and Thon Maker were cut from the side’s 18-man squad ahead of the three-game series against Brazil, Venezuela and South Sudan.
“There are a lot of guys playing good basketball and deserve to be there, and you have to show you’ve done enough to be part of the group. Although I’ve been there a long time, it’s proving I deserve to be there again.
“It was special just walking in and seeing the guys. I haven’t seen them in a couple of years like that and it floods back to you and you roll straight in from the last one – it feels like we haven’t actually been away from each other for that long.
“That camaraderie where you do something special just carries on, and it’s a huge factor going from where we were to going even further this year.”
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The upcoming World Cup and Olympic campaigns could represent the beginning of a changing of the guard for the Boomers, due to a number of young stars pushing for added responsibility within the national team setup.
Mainstays Patty Mills, Joe Ingles and Chris Goulding are aged 34 or older, while Matthew Dellavedova, Kay himself are all north of 30.
NBA stars Josh Giddey and Dyson Daniels both 20, while Josh Green is only 22.
Kay has named Giddey as a potential key contributor to the program both on and off the court leading into the future.
“He’s a hell of a player,” Kay said of the former Adelaide 36er. “You just watch him at training and his ability to draw defence, make the right pass and create things for the other guys.
“He’s definitely a guy that can carry on that Boomers program and possibly even take it to another level as he continues to mature as a player.”
