Pressure on Lemanis to decide on Boomers
FRIDAY, AUGUST 2, 2019 themercury.com.au SUBSCRIPTIONS 1300 696 397 SIX Boomers hopefuls will have their FIBA World Cup dream ended next week as coach Andrej Lemanis settles on his final 12-man squad for China.
An 18-strong contingent will gather in Melbourne from today, with a team likely to be named next Wednesday to contest lead-in games against Canada and the US.
Australia, in pursuit of a maiden international medal, will begin its World Cup campaign on September 1.
Lemanis says those few days in camp will be crucial, given Ben Simmons’ late withdrawal.
“There’s legitimately decisions to be made and we’ve been shifted now after having discussions around if Ben was playing,” he said.
“With Ben in we needed shooting, shooting, shooting [from the other squad members; now it’s like, when I look down the bench ‘what is it that we actually need, what am I missing?’ ”
Brisbane Bullets guard Cameron Gliddon is in familiar territory after being one of the last men cut from Australia’s Rio 2016 Olympic squad. He is one of seven NBL guards fighting for no more than three spots in a squad that includes four NBA champions.
Gliddon is a tall, proven three-point shooter with footwork to defend, while his attitude and understanding of Lemanis’ system is another tick for the West Australian.
But in Nathan Sobey, Chris Goulding, Mitch McCarron, Jason Cadee, Todd Blanchfield and Mitch Creek — who spent time in the NBA last season — the coach isn’t short of backcourt options to support NBA pair and Boomers favourites Patty Mills and Matthew Dellavedova.
“I was just happy to be in the mix [for a Rio berth], but this one ... I want to be in the team and I know I can hold my own with these guys,” Gliddon said yesterday.
“We all do some things better than others — all good at what we do — and it all comes down to what fits best.”
“I’m not going to become lightning quick in a couple of days, Jase [Cadee] isn’t going to grow a foot overnight; you are what you are and it is about what we need.”