Tassie title star gunning for Boomers spot

Jack McVeigh is on the cusp of what he has labelled as “every boy’s dream”. He’s been named to the 17-man squad set to take on a pre-Olympic camp with the Boomers, and could cap an incredible rise with a place on the plane to Paris.

McVeigh’s celebrations of Tasmania’s title triumph have been short-lived as he narrows his focus onto the upcoming Olympic camp, where he will likely be competing with fellow forwards including former NBA talents Xavier Cooks and Jack White for a place on Brian Goorjian’s roster.

While it would be easy to focus on the calibre of players he’s coming up against, or all the possible roster permutations that may or may not include him, McVeigh says he’s locked in on doing the best he can to earn a spot on the plane.

“I’ve played for the Boomers a couple of times but never at this level for the Olympics or World Cup,” McVeigh told SEN.

“I’m kind of going in blind but there will be some live, competitive play and there are some players I can’t wait to play with and compete against, but I’m not entirely sure what the camp will look like.

“I trust the coaches are going to put together the best team possible to win a medal at the Olympics, so I’m trying to make sure when I show up, I’m in the best shape, best conditioned, and ready to go and show what I can do.

“It’s been an interesting one because every single boy’s dream is to play at the Olympics. It’s gone from celebrating for a very short amount of [time] into preparation and training camp very quickly. It’s been good, it’s been hard, and I’m very excited to get to that Boomers camp.”

Potential Olympic selection would be the latest step in McVeigh’s evolution from Adelaide role player to genuine Australian superstar. He earned an All-NBL Second Team nomination prior to Tassie’s title win and was named the Championship Series MVP for his performances against Melbourne United.

He’s set to enter the camp alongside JackJumpers teammate Will Magnay and NBL24 title rivals Matthew Dellavedova and Chris Goulding, and he says the championship win is likely something he will reflect more diligently on at the end of his career.

“I’ve talked to some former players who have had success and won championships, but the feedback has been the same in that ‘I think you’ll enjoy it when you’ll retire’,” he continued.

“Right now, my mind is locked into that and trying to prepare for that, my mind is on NBA dreams and going back-to-back with the JackJumpers.

“There’s a fine line between chasing what’s next and continually trying to improve and enjoying it. I just want to see what I’m capable of achieving in a very short basketball career. I do enjoy it but I’m always looking forward to the next.”