Bruce To Play At World Championships
Baylor guard joins Australia senior national basketball team. Baylor junior Aaron Bruce was selected to Australia's 12-man senior national team announced by head coach Brian Goorjan Sunday. The national team plays several games this summer
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Baylor guard joins Australia senior national basketball team.
Baylor junior Aaron Bruce was selected to Australia's 12-man senior national team announced by head coach Brian Goorjan Sunday. The national team plays several games this summer leading up to the FIBA World Championships in Japan in August.
Including Bruce, Australia added four new members to its national team and returns only five players from the squad that won a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games last March. Bruce is the third-youngest player on the team and is joined on the squad by the Milwaukee Bucks' Andrew Bogut and fellow Big 12 Conference player Aleks Maric (a junior center at Nebraska).
Australia opens with a four-game series vs. New Zealand starting Wednesday in Napier, New Zealand. A second game will be played Friday in Napier before two contests in Australia (July 17 in Hobart, Tasmania and July 19 in Melbourne, Victoria). The team will also compete in the Boris Sankovic Cup, Aug. 11-15, before the start of the World Championships Aug. 19.
Bruce will make his first appearance for Australia's senior team, nicknamed the "Boomers," but he is no stranger to international competition with his country's national teams. He played the last two summers for the under-21 national team, including serving as captain for the "Crocs" at the 2005 FIBA U21 World Championships in Argentina. He was part of the Australian junior national team that won the 2003 FIBA U19 World Championship in Greece. Included in that world championship run was a win over the United States in which Bruce led Australia with 25 points.
The 6-3 guard is a two-time All-Big 12 honoree and former Freshman All-American who set a conference scoring record for freshmen in 2004-05. Bruce was elected to Baylor's All-Centennial team in 2006.
Australia placed ninth at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens but did not qualify for the 2002 FIBA World Championships. The Boomers have never finished higher than fifth at the world championships.