Delly delights as the Boomers meet Maker

MATTHEW Dellavedova may be taking some credit for getting his Milwaukee Bucks teammate Thon Maker into the green and gold, but the rising NBA star says playing for Australia has always been his dream.

Dellavedova and Maker headline the Boomers squad for the next round of FIBA World Cup qualifiers with away games against Japan on June 29 and the Philippines on July 2 in a packed 50,000-seat stadium.

Dellavedova, 27, hasn’t played for Australia since the Rio Olympics while it will be Maker’s senior international debut.

“I’ve been telling him how great it is,” Dellavedova said at the team’s four-day camp in Melbourne.

“He’s exactly what the Boomers are about – all about the team, tough, competitive and an unbelievable teammate, so I’m really excited that he’s here.

“It’s going to be great for him and for the Boomers.”

The 216cm Maker has just finished his second season in the world’s best league, making an impact in the playoffs.

Maker left war-torn South Sudan as a five-year-old and travelled to Australia with his brother and aunt as a refugee.

“Playing for Australia is something that I’ve always wanted to do,” the 21-year- old said. “Australia has been great to me and my family so to represent means a lot.”

As the youngest player in the Australian squad, Maker said he hadn’t played with or against any of his new teammates outside of Dellavedova.

“But it should be easy because I’ve watched them play,” he said.

Australia has already earned a spot in the second round of qualifiers after easily winning its first four games, but with points carrying over into the second round, there is still plenty of motivation for the Boomers.

Coach Andrej Lemanis wasn’t sure just yet how to best use his NBA stars but said they would be treated like any other players.

“It’s important as a crew that we don’t get too distracted with both Delly and Thon,” Lemanis said. “They are both good guys who just want to fit into the group and we don’t want to defer to those guys.”