ADELAIDE (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers) - Australia have made it look easy in their first year in Asia when it comes to getting results.

Thanks to a talented group of players from the NBL (National Basketball League), and a basketball community Down Under that pulled together, no one came close to beating the Boomers in 2017.

They rolled to the FIBA Asia Cup title in Lebanon and this past week clinched decisive wins at Chinese Taipei and at home in Adelaide over Japan in World Cup Qualifiers.

Adelaide 36ers high-flier Mitch Creek and the other NBL stars in the Boomers side have been downright awesome.

"The strength of the relationship between the NBL and Basketball Australia will be fundamental for the ongoing success of basketball in Australia, but also the ongoing prominence of Australian basketball in the region and in the world," said NBL chief executive Jeremy Loeliger.

Cooperation between the NBL and Basketball Australia has indeed been key for the Boomers. Each body has also benefited.

"The NBL had their staff at the (Adelaide) game, promoting the NBL," Basketball Australia Chairman Ned Coten said. "They (players) were doing interviews in their national team uniforms but promoting the NBL. So here's a player in the national team and the NBL benefits... it makes their product more attractive."

The fact that we can have a national team entirely constituted of NBL players that could go and win a competition like the Asia Cup or beat Chinese Taipei and Japan as in the past few days, it's doing wonders.Loeliger

A strong NBL, and having a good rapport with the league, certainly makes the task of putting good teams on the floor easier for Basketball Australia.

"We've been in close collaboration with all the NBL clubs on the player's medical and dietary requirements. It's given us a really good choice for players, it's made sure the players are fresh and ready to go," Coten said.

"From the players perspective, they don't have to worry about what their club thinks and what we think. It means less stress.

"We feel the players have the space physically and mentally to be able to prepare well for the game, to enjoy the experience and put in their best performance."

The NBL did not schedule games during the international window, yet still capitalized on the presence of its players in the national team. The players also benefitted.

"It gives the players more exposure not just nationally but globally," Coten said. "People saw just how strong the playing group in Australia was and the fact that the NBL is such a strong competition was broadcast around the world."

The NBL is proud that a national team made up entirely of its players has quickly become the best team in Asia.

"It's done us a wealth of good in terms of establishing the credibility of the NBL," the league's chief executive officer, Jeremy Loeliger, said.

"We've gone to enormous efforts the past few years to demonstrate to the Australian basketball fan that the NBL is one of the best domestic competitions anywhere in the world and the fact that we can have a national team entirely constituted of NBL players that could go and win a competition like the Asia Cup or beat Chinese Taipei and Japan as in the past few days, it's doing wonders."

"It adds to what we started in terms of having our clubs tour the U.S. in the NBA pre-season, the fact that we can take on the best in the world."

Basketball Australia is keen to give its domestic-based players a chance to show what they can do in the green and gold, and the NBL thinks it's a great idea.

"Basketball Australia and the NBL relationship is stronger now than at any other time in recent history," Loeliger said. "We're always working on new projects that we can deliver together. We're getting better at both making the time that we come together and both worlds intersect."

There has been a consistent flow of content on social media, in newspapers, both on the NBL competition and around the FIBA Qualifiers over the last 10 days.
Loeliger

It's also been encouraging for the NBL that despite taking a break in their season and allowing all of the attention go to the national team, the media coverage has remained strong for the league.

"There has been a consistent flow of content on social media, in newspapers, both on the NBL competition and around the FIBA Qualifiers over the last 10 days," Loeliger said. "It's also a great opportunity for us to be able to talk about something a little bit different."

The opportunity for the players is priceless.

"It's a fantastic reward, not only for us but for the players to be recognized for their efforts and to be able to throw on the green and gold, I know how proud these guys are to represent their country to be able to do so in front of a home crowd in Adelaide it was a fantastic moment for them," Loeliger said. "It's fantastic recognition for all the hard work that they've put in.

"So we made a decision to celebrate that achievement, draw as much attention to it as possible and recognize the hard work our guys put in every day."

FIBA