MELBOURNE (FIBA Asia Cup 2017) - If ain't broke, don't fix it. Basketball Australia have taken that time honored phrase to heart and kept the reins of the men's national team in the hands of Andrej Lemanis, who came within a whisker of leading the Boomers to their first medal at an Olympic Games last summer in Rio de Janeiro.

The Brisbane Bullets coach, with the NBL season now over, will turn his attention to Australia's first-ever participation in the FIBA Asia Cup, an event to be held in Lebanon this summer. He will then lead the team when it attempts to qualify for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 in China.

Lemanis will continue to coach the Bullets in Australia's top flight.

"The FIBA qualifiers will provide opportunities for new players to step up and wear the green and gold as we work towards our goal of trying to achieve something that no previous men’s team has been able to do." - Lemanis

"I am both humbled and honored to be given the opportunity by Basketball Australia to once again be the head of the Helloworld Boomers," Lemanis said in a statement.

"The support of those within Basketball Australia to remain in the position has been overwhelming and I'm really appreciative of the support that the organization has shown me."

Lemanis steered the national team to FIBA Oceania Championship titles in 2013 and 2015 while in 2014, the side advanced to the Round of 16 of the FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain before suffering a narrow defeat to Turkey.

Last year, Australia had an outstanding Olympic campaign that went off the rails in a heavy Semi-Final defeat to Serbia, a side they had beaten in the Group Phase. The Boomers got off the canvas and played very well in the Bronze Medal Game against Spain but lost that contest in the final seconds, 89-88.

The Basketball Australia chief executive officer, Anthony Moore, said: "We are thrilled to have secured Andrej to lead our charge into Asia ahead of the FIBA World Cup in China and Tokyo Olympics. 

"Andrej was exceptional for the entire Australian basketball system over the past four years in his previous role with Basketball Australia and combined with the performance of the team in Rio, we were eager to retain him as our Boomers Head Coach."

Australia were hugely impressive under Lemanis in Rio

In the past, Lemanis has gathered with the national team players in the summer to prepare for, and compete in, FIBA Oceania Championships, the World Cup and the Olympics but under FIBA's Competition System 2017+, he will be with the national team at different times during the year.

The first window for World Cup qualifying will be 20-28 November and the second 19-27 February in 2018. The third window be June 25 to July 3, the fourth September 10-18, the fifth November 26-December 4 and the last in 20-28 February in 2019.

Lemanis is likely to lean heavily on NBL players in some of the qualifying windows.

"The FIBA qualifiers will provide opportunities for new players to step up and wear the green and gold as we work towards our goal of trying to achieve something that no previous men’s team has been able to do," he said.

"That is, medal at a major event at the FIBA World Championships (FIBA Basketball World Cup) in 2019 or the Tokyo Olympics in 2020."

Lemanis had a big reputation even before he took the helm of Australia after the 2012 Olympics. He had led the New Zealand Breakers to NBL titles in 2011, 2012 and 2013 and was twice (2012, 2013) named the league's Coach of the Year.

This season in the NBL, he steered Brisbane to 10 wins in their 28 games in their first year in the competition.

FIBA