Boomers coach Brian Goorjian believes his regenerated group is capable of greater success at the Paris Games than the version which snared a historic Olympic bronze medal in Tokyo.
The Boomers have undergone a huge transformation throughout the latest Games cycle, with a host of fresh faces on a roster laden with NBA talent.
Goorjian’s revamped team struggled at last year’s World Cup, finishing 10th, but the experienced tactician is bullish about climbing higher on the Games podium this time around.
“We’re not an extension of that rose-gold team. You could see it at the World Cup, we made seven changes to our group,” Goorjian said.
“We’ve got a lot of young talented players coming into our team and a lot of the older ones have been moved out.
“So we’re going through change but we feel like the ceiling on this team is higher than the last one.”
Experienced guard Matthew Dellavedova and NBA centre Jock Landale have returned after missing the World Cup, when they were overlooked and injured respectively.
Tasmania JackJumpers NBL title-winning duo Jack McVeigh and Will Magnay have also been added to the mix, while NBA wing Matisse Thybulle, a key member at the last two major tournaments, was a controversial omission for Paris.
“We finished 10th at the World Cup and we learnt a lot from that – what we weren’t good at, roster changes, what we’re missing on the bench,” Goorjian said.
“I think you can see that this team has a better synergy together on the floor and off the floor than the one at the World Cup.”
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The Boomers face a tough ask in the so-called ‘group of death’ at the Olympics, where they are pitted against European heavyweights Spain and Greece, as well as an NBA-stacked Canada.
But Goorjian has been buoyed by an improved showing in the 84-73 win over Serbia, which followed an encouraging 98-92 defeat to the United States, in warm-up fixtures in Abu Dhabi this week.
Boomers veteran Patty Mills will head to his fifth Games in form after draining 28 points against a Serbian outfit led by NBA superstar Nikola Jokic.
The 35-year-old guard has been impressed with how the new-look Australian line-up has come together since gathering at a camp in Melbourne last month.
He said the current Boomers group has the “grit and toughness” that has typified Australian teams in the past.
“There’s maybe times where we lose sight a little bit of our identity but I think this group really has it,” Mills said.
“If we can hang our hat there, that’s where we believe that we throw punches with the best of the heavyweights internationally.
“We’ve just got to keep putting one step in front of the other and keep getting better every day.”
© AAP