Experienced U17 Australians start process of righting U19 disappointment

MELBOURNE (FIBA U17 Oceania Championship 2017) - Five players with global experience have been chosen for Australia's team for the FIBA U17 Oceania Championship 2017 - with the ultimate goal of getting the country back to the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup in 2019.

Former Australian junior national team player Darren Perry has picked a 10-man team for the Oceania tournament, which will be played from 10-15 July in Guam. Australia will take on New Caledonia, Palau and Samoa in group play with the top two teams in each of the two groups advancing to the Semi-Finals.

Perry, who played for Australia at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 1987, included Kyle Bowen, Callum Dalton, Samson Froling, Sean MacDonald and Kody Stattman in the roster after they had played at the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2016.

The only other 2000-born player from last summer's U17 team to not be named to the U17 Oceania squad was Lachlan Dent.

Froling will be extra motivated as he went through the national nightmare last December of Australia losing to New Zealand in the FIBA U18 Oceania Championship 2016, meaning Australia would miss the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup this summer for the first time. Froling was the only 2000-born player on the U18 Australia team. This summer in Guam is the first step for the country to put that tournament behind them.

The qualifying process for Australia and New Zealand has since changed, though, as the top two finishers from U17 Oceania move onto the FIBA U18 Asia Championship 2018 - from which four teams will book their tickets to the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2019.

The Australians will gather in Guam prior to the event for a mini-camp ahead of the U17 continental championship.

FIBA