Sport
4 July, 2022
Delly captains Boomers to three from three wins in world cup qualifying matches
Matthew Dellavedova’s first foray as captain of the Australian Boomers was a successful one, with Australia winning all three FIBA Basketball World Cup qualifying games held at Melbourne’s John Cain Arena to ensure they would have the upper hand...
Matthew Dellavedova’s first foray as captain of the Australian Boomers was a successful one, with Australia winning all three FIBA Basketball World Cup qualifying games held at Melbourne’s John Cain Arena to ensure they would have the upper hand in the next stage of the qualification process for the upcoming tournament.
The three games, held on Thursday, Friday and Sunday, saw Australia record strong victories over both China and Japan respectively, with Dellavedova leading the way with an inexperienced group of players, with six out of the squad of 12 making their debut throughout the games.
The first game — a tightly contested 76-69 victory over China — saw Dellavedova top score with 16 points, while he also collected seven rebounds and four assists in an efficient outing, with Dellavedova providing highlights with two important three-point buckets from distance in the second half which helped the Boomers stave off a spirited challenge from China.
Dellavedova wasn’t needed as much in their victory over Japan on Friday night, a result that saw the Boomers take a commanding 46-point victory, 98-52.
In that outing, Dellavedova scored nine points, while also providing five assists and three rebounds as younger talents such as Sam Froling, Sam McDaniel and William McDowell-White were able to show their wares on the international stage.
The Boomers’ quest to sweep the weekend matches came to a head on Sunday night when they played China in a rematch of their tight contest on Thursday, with nothing seperating the teams at three-quarter-time. However, Dellavedova was able to spark the Aussies, hitting an important three-pointer to open up the quarter, sparking a 14-0 run while providing the highlight of the game where he was able to link with Thon Maker for a huge alley-oop. Dellavedova’s tandem play with National Basketball Association hopeful, and Melbourne United teammate Jack White was also on display throughout the critical final period.
Dellavedova’s 13 points, five rebounds and three assists in the game helped Australia to a 71-48 win, and — importantly — allowed the Aussies to not only win all three games, but allowed them to sweep Group B in the qualifying phase as well.
Dellavedova’s next foray in the Boomers uniform looks likely to be in Indonesia when the Boomers travel for the FIBA Asia Cup, held from July 12 to July 24, with the squad set to be announced this week.
Meanwhile, the Boomers’ next group for qualifying for the FIBA World Cup will see them meet China and Japan once again, with Kazakhstan, Iran and Syria likely to join the Aussies as opponents in the
