The Australian men's basketball team, known as the Boomers, landed in Manila early Saturday afternoon ahead of their final group stage tiff against Gilas Pilipinas on Monday, July 2nd, 7:30PM at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan and are looking to close out the preliminary round of the 2019 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifier on a high note following a stunning loss at the hands of Japan last Friday in Chibo.
With less than 48 hours to regroup after that 79-78 heartbreaker against the Akatsuki Five-their first loss to an Asian opponent since FIBA Oceania merged with FIBA Asia last year-the Boomers recognize they are in for a difficult task to repeat over the hosts after a convincing 84-68 triumph over the Philippines last February in Melbourne.
"Obviously, we'll be fired up to get some payback from when we beat them in Australia and looking forward to it," Boomers head coach Andrej Lemanis told ESPN5's Renz Ongkiko upon their arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). "They're a good team, obviously, and it's gonna be an exciting environment there in the big stadium."
The Aussies now have a 4-1 record in these preliminaries, tied with Gilas after the Pinoys' impressive 93-71 drubbing of hosts Chinese Taipei also last Friday. With the group stage records being carried over to the second round, every game still matters despite already being assured of advancing in the competition.
"The whole purpose of this to qualify for the World Cup," Lemanis, who has been at the helm of the program since 2013, continued. "So with a win on Monday, that puts us in a good position going into the second round and this is a step closer to qualifying for the World Cup."
The Boomers added more firepower in their third window roster by activating former NBA champion Matthew Dellavedova and 7'0" pivot Thon Maker to join the veteran core that also captured the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup in Beirut. Lebanon.
"This is my second time in the Philippines," Dellavedova, who was in the country last year to promote his new shoe line, shared. "(But it's my) first time to play here so (I'm) looking forward to it.
Dellavedova, who won an NBA ring with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016, acknowledges that the upcoming clash against Gilas will not be a cakewalk.
.@matthewdelly and the rest of the Boomers have arrived in the Philippines for their game against Gilas Pilipinas on Monday, July 2.
— ESPN5 (@Sports5PH) June 30, 2018
🎥 @RenzESPN5 pic.twitter.com/NYt06CCYZf
"It's gonna be a tough game," the Mayborough, Victoria native admitted. "They've been playing well in this region. (They have) strong guard playing and obviously some good bigs. We're gonna have to play hard in the defensive end to get the job done."
Maker, who was actually born and raised in Sudan before his family migrated to Perth, Australia when he was only five years old, is more curious about how rabid the Filipino hoops fans are heading in.
"I heard how crazy the fans (here) are," the former YouTube sensation drafted straight out of high school intimated. "So I'm expecting a real loud house and some fun basketball."
The Australians admitted that they weren't at their best when they took on Japan, leading to the shocking defeat.
"I thought Japan played very well (and) we didn't play so well," Lemanis lamented. "We didn't come out with the mental intensity that was required. Japan took advantage and made some shots. We got ourselves some opportunities in the second half and they made more plays than us."
Japan brought into their line-up former NBA campaigner and ex-PBA import Nick Fazekas as their new naturalized player to replace erstwhile reinforcement Ira Brown and unveiled 20-year-old Beninese-Japanese Rui Hachimura and the duo proved to be a handful for the visiting Aussies.
"It was a tough game," Dellavedova said. "They played well, we didn't play so well. So we got some things we need to work on and we'll be ready to go on Monday."
The Boomers know they cannot take any opponent lightly, especially the Philippines playing at home.
"They've been playing very well," Maker said of Gilas. "They had a great win the Friday night and they're playing together now and I think it's going to be a tough match up for us. We can't underestimate them like we did last night (against Japan). We gotta do a better job."
"They play a nice brand of basketball," Lemanis said. "They're up-tempo, they share the ball, the play with tremendous confidence and there'll be lots of pace in the game for sure."
The prospect of playing in one of the biggest basketball venues in the region also has the Australians excited.
"We're looking forward to play in front of a big crowd and it's gonna be a tough test but a great experience," Dellavedova beamed. "I visited last year (but) I didn't play here. But it was an awesome experience. The Philippines loves basketball. That's why I'm really excited to play here."
ESPN5's Renz Ongkiko contributed to this article.