BOOM SQUAD

Cairns Taipans duo make their cases for further representative duties with NBA stars keen to join them

CAIRNS’ Australian Boomers Cameron Gliddon and Mitch McCarron held up their end of the bargain, helping defeat Chinese Taipei 88-68 yesterday to cement a spot in the second round of basketball World Cup qualification. Now, it is up to Basketball Australia to keep lobbying FIBA, the sport’s governing body, to ensure future home qualifiers fall within NBA-friendly June and September international windows. Australian NBA exports, including Ben Simmons, Matthew Dellavedova, Patty Mills and Joe Ingles, could suit up for the Boomers in June for the final stage of Group-B qualifying in Japan and the Philippines. Boomers coach Andrejs Lemanis yesterday said “some” NBA players had already indicated a willingness to play. “The conversation with the NBA guys has been if you want to play we want you to play, but there’s no expectation for you to play and obviously that needs to fit in with their schedules,” Lemanis said.

Both Gliddon (left) and McCarron (right) performed strongly, with Gliddon averaging 11 points in the Boomers’ two games last week, while his backcourt partner pulled down 10 rebounds against the Philippines before scoring 11 points of his own yesterday.

Depending on other results, the Boomers could play on home soil in September.

But as it stands, the two games against Group D qualifiers – Iran, Kazakhstan, Qatar or Iraq – will be played in the Middle East. MATCH COVERAGE PAGE 24