Mills is backing Aussies for gold
PATTY Mills believes Australia can win gold at next year’s Commonwealth Games without their overseas stars.
Mills was yesterday named the seventh ambassador for the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games and spoke passionately about his love of donning the green and gold to represent Australia.
But Mills will not be on the Coast next April when the Boomers defend the gold medal they won in Melbourne in 2006 – the last time basketball was held at the Games – with his duties for the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs preventing him from playing.
Mills will not be the only big name missing, with as many as eight of Australia’s 12-man team from last year’s Rio Olympics unavailable due to overseas playing commitments. But he believes a team made up of players from the National Basketball League has the depth of talent to get the job done.
“The NBL is such a strong league and it’s only growing with the local talent,” he said.
“It’s the same system (as the Boomers players are already used to) and it’s what everyone is used to, so it’s just again, playing for your country and having that passion to do so.”
While basketball has not been held since 2006, Mills said he would like to see it be- come a core Commonwealth Games sport.
“This is a major event and everyone across the world will be having eyes on this event,” he said. “I would like to see basketball (become a core sport), it’s an important part here in Australia.
“Once upon a time basketball was a heavyweight sport in this country – it’s died off a bit unfortunately – but it’s definitely on the right track to becoming a core sport in the Commonwealth Games.”
Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation board member Perry Crosswhite, a former general manager of the Australian Commonwealth Games Association and three-time Olympic basketball representative, also threw his weight behind the sport becoming a core Games event.
“Second to soccer, it’s probably the largest participation sport internationally, there’s so many nations that take part,” he said.