Big surprises as Boomers name World Cup squad

Mitch Creek, Deng Adel and Brock Motum have been left out of the Australian team for the 2019 FIBA World Cup after the 12-man squad was announced on Wednesday.

Marquee man for NBL newcomers South East Melbourne Phoenix next season, Creek had stints with Brooklyn and Minnesota in the NBA and was considered a strong chance of selection.

Sudan-born small forward Adel has recently signed with Brooklyn after debuting in the NBA for Cleveland but was yet to play for the national side.

2016 Olympian Brock Motum also missed the cut.

While that trio's omissions will raise some eyebrows, the squad features two players who are set to make their national debuts - Jonah Bolden and Xavier Cooks.

Bolden just completed his first season in the NBA with the Philadelphia 76ers, and will don the Australian jersey for the first time since the 2013 FIBA Under-19 World Championships. Wollongong native Cooks will make also his debut after a season in Germany with Oliver Wurzburg and an NBA Summer League campaign with the Phoenix Suns.

NBA regulars Joe Ingles, Aron Baynes, Patty Mills, Bolden and Matthew Dellavedova will lead a side chasing its first major international medal, while veteran centre Andrew Bogut is the reigning NBL MVP and is back in Sydney after a short-term stint with the Golden State Warriors.

Coach Andrej Lemanis and his staff selected the final squad after the Boomers' recent training camp in Melbourne.

"It is an exciting time for the program as we now settle on our team for China," Lemanis said.

"There are a number of guys getting their first experience of a World Cup, which is exciting for them and for us as a team. Of course, we also have a solid core of veteran players who understand what it will take for us to succeed in China.

"As a staff, we're really pleased with the mix of skill sets we have to utilise and look forward to watching it evolve over the next couple of weeks.

"It is also appropriate to recognise the players that missed selection on this particular occasion. The toughest part of this job is telling a player who cares about the program and has just given everything they have for the good of the team, that they haven't been selected.