AUS - Newley blow for Boomers

CANBERRA (FIBA Oceania Championship) - Australia guard Brad Newley is a doubt for the Boomers' forthcoming tour of Europe after injuring his left ankle in training.

The Adelaide 36ers star, who was selected by the Houston Rockets with the 54th overall pick in this year's NBA Draft, will undergo scans on Friday to determine the extent of the damage.

An initial prognosis suggested a grade two ligament tear, which would almost certainly rule the 6ft 6in 22-year-old out of the tour games against Italy, Serbia, Croatia, Turkey and Slovenia, which get under way on July 28.

Newley only arrived at the Boomers' Gold Coast training camp on Monday after playing five games at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas with the Rockets.

"It's the most common injury in basketball," team physiotherapist Steve Evans said of Newley's setback.

"It was just bad luck and is not related in any way to fatigue.

"He is able to put weight on it, so we think it might be a week-to-10-day thing."

Boomers head coach Brian Goorjian added: "I only get emotional when I know for sure a guy is unavailable.

"We're hoping it's not serious and he'll be right for the tour but we won't know the extent of the severity until tomorrow.

"Other than that, the practice was excellent and the guys are looking good."

The European tour is a key part of the Boomers' preparations for the 2007 FIBA Oceania Men's Championship against New Zealand on August 20, 22 and 24 in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane for the right to play at next year's Olympic Games in Beijing.

FIBA