MELBOURNE (Paulo Kennedy’s View from Downunder) – It’s the oldest lesson in the book, and the rabid Finnish fans were reminded of it again last night as their team fabulously stunned France in overtime in the Eurobasket 2017 opener.

That lesson? You can’t teach experience. Well you can, it just takes quite a long time, that’s all.

NBL fans have seen it time and time again in crunch time from Jamar Wilson – the former Cairns and Adelaide import who is now representing his wife Laura’s native Finland – and he was up for the challenge again under the bright lights in Helsinki.

First, with 15 seconds on the clock in regulation, a slicing Wilson drive tied the scores at 72 and sent the pulsating contest into overtime.

Then, some five minutes later, with his first and second driving attempts cut off, Wilson kept his composure and finally snaked his way to the hoop in trademark style to drop in the game winner.

It was a famous moment for Finnish basketball, whose fans surely now rank up there for enthusiasm with those from Lithuania and the Philippines, and a great day for Wilson, who has worked tirelessly to get the best out of himself since his days growing up in New York.

It’s hard to beat experience, and Jamar has plenty of it. Despite being 2-of-9 for the rest of the night – offset by six dimes and three steals – Wilson knew what had to be done in money time ... twice.

😮 https://t.co/SruO5x1aFx! 🇫🇮 @BasketFinland dazzle their ardent fans in opening day action! 🎉 #EuroBasket2017

📊https://t.co/e4fihb8aGO pic.twitter.com/S2QS9JSeoL

— FIBA (@FIBA) August 31, 2017

Perhaps that’s what makes the Australian Boomers complete domination of last month’s FIBA Asia Cup even more impressive.

That team was picked with only David Andersen and Brad Newley with any real senior international experience. Then DA was on a plane home with an injured shoulder before bouncing a ball, while Newley missed the team's first outing was clearly out of game shape.

It didn’t seem to deter any of their teammates, though.

Mitch Creek was ready for the challenge after countless junior international games, Jason Cadee has controlled minor international tournaments for a while now, Daniel Kickert has been there and done that in club basketball as well as a couple of brief tastes for the Boomers, and the supporting cast were along for the ride.



That doesn’t mean genuine international experience doesn’t matter, though. The final against Iran didn’t all go Australia’s way, Iran and Hamed Haddadi continually threatening to close the gap.

Throughout the tournament the young Boomers hadn’t faced a genuine presence like Hamed – let’s face it, there aren’t many his size with his overall package on the planet – and were struggling to convert.

But one man who kept attacking with confidence and poise was Newley, and some of his finishes inside were pure class – the work of a man who has faced the world’s best a number of times.

After a lacklustre tournament, the three-time World Cup veteran knew exactly what was needed in the big moment, scoring 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting.



Coach Andrej Lemanis has known all along how important experience would be, but he also knew the Asia Cup was just an appetiser to the new home-and-away FIBA Basketball World Cup qualifiers.

Iran was a solid test, playing Lebanon at home would have been big – a hill the young Tall Blacks successfully climbed – but probably the biggest Asian test of all will come on 2 July at, most likely, the cavernous Philippine Arena in Manilla.

“Going to the Philippines and playing in front of 50,000 people, while  being a great experience, there are going to be some moments where we need true leadership, some vets who have been through everything and aren’t fazed by anything,” Lemanis said before the Asia Cup.

“(Players) who’ve been long-time Boomers stalwarts, having that experience in the group and ability to lead and help those that are newer to the environment understand, ‘this is what it means to be a Boomer’.”

While some were surprised Newley bounced back into the national side at 32 years of age after missing the Rio Olympics, after watching him average 21.7 points and five boards against the Lemanis-coached Brisbane Bullets last NBL season, the Boomers boss was not.

.@BradNewley came to play in the 3rd with 16 points getting the @SydneyKings back in it as they trail @BrisbaneBullets 60-62 at the end of 3 pic.twitter.com/91LWOJ3jqd

— NBL (@NBL) November 10, 2016

Lemanis laughed that with the new FIBA system, the Australian club calendar could become a case of “come and watch so-and-so stick it up coach Lemanis”, which is exactly what Newley did last year.

“He did, and good him,” Lemanis said.

“You hope for that sort of response and that’s what makes players good, go ahead and stick it up me, that’s a great response.”

Lemanis wants that mental toughness and ability to make plays on his side, but also values experienced players like Newley, Andersen and Kevin Lisch who can educate younger players, be that on the training court, on the bench or on the floor in the heat of battle.

“It’s one thing for coaches to sit there on the sideline and say stuff, but when players are able to on-court connect with one another and make adjustments on the fly, that’s the most effective thing you can do,” he said.

So while players like Creek, Cadee, Mitch McCarron, Angus Brandt and Matt Hodgson undoubtedly grew from their Beirut experience and made a strong claim for a regular berth, don’t think for a moment the older crew will be bypassed when the qualifiers start in November.

Paulo Kennedy

FIBA

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