Boomers back on local court

CATCH the Australian Boomers live in action when they come to Bendigo later this month for the fourth window of the FIBA World Cup qualifiers.

The national basketball team has had a busy couple of months preparing for the world cup, with an undefeated qualifying series in Melbourne and gold medal success at the FIBA Asia Cup in Jakarta last month.

Olympic bronze medallist Nick Kay and FIBA Asia Cup captain Mitch McCarron headline the squad, surrounded by the likes of Will McDowell White and Sam McDaniel.

McCarron said he can’t wait to take to the court at Red Energy Arena.

“We’re really looking forward to another opportunity to play in front of Bendigo fans later this month, we know they love their basketball and we’re expecting Iran to suit up a very competitive team. It’s a great stadium and we really hope to pack it out,” he said.

“It’s been an incredible couple of months of international basketball, so it’s going to be great to continue building on that momentum throughout the fourth round of the World Cup qualifiers.”

Australia drew group F for the second round of the qualifiers, putting them up against Kazakhstan, China, Iran, Japan and Bahrain.

CEO of Red Energy Arena, Dennis Bice, said it’s great to have FIBA basketball back at the local stadium.

“We are proud to be able to host on the international stage again at our world-class Red Energy Arena,” he said.

“We welcome the Iranian team to our city and we look forward to supporting some of the best basketballers in the world, right here in Bendigo.”

The Boomers face Iran on Monday, 29 August.