Stars in the stands, stars on the rise

Josh Giddey and Dyson Daniels had front row seats to the Boomers' first game against New Zealand in the Trans-Tasman Throwdown on Wednesday night.

Both Boomers stars will be a staple of the national program for many years to come and watched some of the exciting talent coming through in Australian basketball.

"I think the future of Australian basketball is as good as it's ever been, and you see that here tonight," Giddey said while be interviewed during Game 1.

Boomers rally past Tall Blacks 80-68 in Trans-Tasman Throwdown opener, with Vasiljevic and Pepper draining 10 threes in a dominant second half 👀

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The Boomers pulled away late from the Tall Blacks to draw first blood in the series, led by Adelaide 36ers sharpshooter, DJ Vasiljevic, who had 23 points with five made threes.

Perth Wildcats’ second year scoring threat, Elijah Pepper had 16 points in 17 minutes, as he continues his hot form in recent weeks.

"With the guys in the NBA, the guys we’ve got coming out of the NBL, younger guys in the NBA Academy, the AIS, the program is in good hands," Giddey added.

"There’s a great, great core coming through, and hopefully we can keep this program in good stead for the next 10-15 years."

The Boomers will take on the Tall Blacks in Game 2 on Friday night at UniSC Arena at 5.40pm AEST, with the game available to watch on 9Now.