Australian basketball’s purple patch, what is being hailed as something of a golden era, is showing no sign of abating after the men’s team followed in the footsteps of their female counterparts by securing Commonwealth gold in what proved to be a one-sided final against Canada. From the opening tip-off, Australia’s utter domination of Commonwealth basketball was as clear as the waters around the Gold Coast and the Boomers made short work of their opposition in a straightforward 87-47 win.
The latest success story comes at an exciting time for Australian basketball, with a sizeable contingent plying their trade in the NBA, that great litmus test of success. It was those players’ Stateside commitments that opened the door to many of this gold-medal-winning squad on the Gold Coast, and provided them with an opportunity to shine on the international stage.
“It goes beyond just what the Australian team did here,” the Australian great, Andrew Gaze, told Guardian Australia. “It’s very much on the back of the success of Ben Simmons, Matthew Dellavedova, Patty Mills and the eight or nine guys in the NBA and they way they’re conducting themselves. The way they present is very positive for Australia.
“On top of that, our NBL competition and WNBL competition are going through a period of great success and prosperity. All these elements combine for where we are as a sport right now. We’re going through this era where all elements are coming together and working in harmony. When you see NBL players perform like they did in this tournament, it indicates the direction the NBL is going, but it also says a lot about the development programs that have created this level of depth.”
Having grasped their chance with both hands, the Boomers backed up their 2006 title in a game that was over as a contest by half-time, at which point the host nation was sitting on a 26-point lead. The result was never in doubt.
With the women’s team having secured gold the previous night at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre, Australia remain unbeaten in Commonwealth basketball competition. It’s an impressive statistic, if a slightly misleading one, given the sport has been included just once before, at the 2006 Games in Melbourne. Still, with four golds from four competitions, Australia can rightfully lay claim to the title of standard bearers for the sport in the Commonwealth.
The men’s team controlled Sunday morning’s game against Canada, both offensively and defensively, from the outset. Chris Goulding, Nicholas Kay and Nathan Sobey led the way in scoring, but the load was largely shared across the team, which each of the 12 players troubling the scorers.
Canada, who had stunned New Zealand in the semi-final with a buzzer-beating three-pointer to reach the gold medal match, had little response. They too were missing their senior contingent and sent a roster made up entirely of Canadian university players to the Gold Coast. A silver medal is a remarkable achievement for Kirby Schepp’s young side.
“I was a little surprised that Canada got to the final,” Gaze said.” I thought New Zealand would present the best challenge. They’re a young team but they got better and better as they went on. They deserved to be there.”
Goulding, one of the senior Australian players in this group and likely to retain his place in the national squad for next year’s World Cup, said it was not as straightforward a match as the 40-point winning margin – exactly the same as when these two sides met in the pool stage – might suggest.
“The scoreboard suggested that [it was easy], but we saw what they did against New Zealand,” Goulding said. “We wanted to come out and show them the utmost respect and give them our A-game, which pushed the scoreboard out a bit. But there was every danger that if disrespected them we could have got our arses handed to us.”