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20 November, 2017
26 February, 2019
14 Angus Brandt (AUS)
14/11/2018
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A couple of new names boost Boomers' fifth window roster

MELBOURNE (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers) - Two players - David Barlow and Craig Moller - have been tapped to bolster Australia in the fifth window of the Asian Qualifiers.

 

Both Barlow and Moller are teammates for the NBL's Melbourne United, and will see action when the Boomers face Iran and Qatar in a few weeks' time.

 Australia 12-man roster for Asian Qualifiers fifth window   
David Barlow   Todd Blanchfield  Angus Brandt Jason Cadee 
Cameron Gliddon Matthew Hodgson Daniel Johnson Nick Kay
 Mitch McCarron Craig Moller Mitch Norton  Nathan Sobey


Barlow is a 6ft 9in (2.05m) forward who is a four-time NBL champion who last played for the Green & Gold at the FIBA Oceania Championship 2013. The 35-year-old was also part of the teams that competed at the London 2012 and Beijing 2008 Olympics.

Moller, for his part, has an interesting story. The 24-year-old rising NBL star actually began his sporting career with the Freemantle Dockers as a professional Australia rules football player. Standing at 6ft 8in (2.03m), he gives the Boomers a lot of size and versatility at the forward spots, and should be one of the guys to watch in the next window.

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✈️➡️🇦🇺 Unreal experience with an unreal squad 🙌 #getinyourbag💰

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Also making the list are Jason Cadee, Mitch McCarron, Nick Kay and Nathan Sobey, who have all played in each of the Boomers' Asian Qualifiers fixtures. Cadee is the finest playmaker in terms of assist-to-turnover ratio in the Asian Qualifiers, while McCarron, Kay and Sobey have all been consistently productive players for Australia.

The Boomers are hoping to officially book their tickets to the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 by winning at least one of their games in the fifth window.

They first collide with Iran on 30 November before hosting the Qataris on 3 December. The Boomers last played Team Melli at the Final of the FIBA Asia Cup 2017, which saw Australia prevail, 79-56. In the previous window, they also faced Qatar in Doha and recorded a lopsided 95-43 victory.

 

These are their final Asian Qualifiers home games, and both will be held at the Margaret Court Arena in Melbourne. Head coach Andrej Lemanis is certain his wards will be ultra-excited to play in front of their home fans again.

"Playing in front of our home fans is always such a special buzz," he said. "It's a proud moment for everyone involved in the team – there is no better feeling in sport. Hopefully we can pack out Margaret Court Arena and make it a truly wonderful atmosphere for both games."

Lemanis is expected to rely on Adelaide 36ers captain Daniel Johnson and the returning Cam Gliddon to carry the team. Gliddon has been stellar in the NBL, averaging 19.4 points per game, and Lemanis hopes he can bring that firepower to fore at the fifth window.

 

"I say this every time we name a team but it’s such a luxury having this depth of talent available to select from in Australian basketball," Lemanis shared. "I’d like to recognise all players in the broader squad and again highlight that each one of them contributes to the success of the Boomer program over time – the team is fluid and everyone contributes in different ways at different times."

FIBA