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ANDREW Bogut and Damian Martin have won Gold for Australia before and are two of the big selections in the Boomers' 12 for the Rio Olympics.

They were together in Rob Beveridge's 2003 Under-19 FIBA World Champion, along with fellow Rio candidates Brad Newley and Aleks Maric.

Newley is the shock casualty after being at the forefront of Australia's campaigns through the past two Olympics and FIBA tournaments.

The team charged with the tough task of breaking the Olympic medal ceiling for the Boomers is Matthew Dellavedova, Patty Mills, Joe Ingles, Aron Baynes, Andrew Bogut, Kevin Lisch, Chris Goulding, Ryan Broekhoff, Brock Motum, David Andersen, Damian Martin, Cam Bairstow.

It's a great team and you can't fault it.

Months ago I picked my 12 for Rio and it was very close, other than I had Newley ahead of Martin and Nathan Jawai ahead of Motum.

I have no issue whatsoever with Martin's selection. In the up-the-floor style Boomers coach Andrej Lemanis is demanding, Damo is legendary. It's his thing. It's tailormade for his game. 

And I've no doubt he has spent the offseason working on his shooting game to bring consistency to it.

DAMO: Championship captain, Larry Sengstock Medallist and now, finally, Olympian.

Lisch, naturalised this year and now an Olympian, was a "no-brainer" for me, the only outside reservations over how he would mesh into the team culture, because as a player and a person, there were zero doubts.

Lisch and Martin were Perth's NBL championship backcourt just a handful of years ago, Lisch also winning a league MVP at the Wildcats. And again this past season in the NBL with Illawarra.

A league MVP surely would be among the first players considered for an Olympic berth (unless it's Opals' selection) so his addition was obvious.

London Olympian and World Cup Boomers guard Adam Gibson is another unlucky to miss but if we're being brutal, his 2015-16 NBL season wasn't the greatest, he's had ankle surgery since and he was going to have to tear up the camp.

Martin, unlucky to be a late withdrawal from the Oceania Series last year with injury, opening the door for Cam Gliddon to get a taste, has had an amazing 12 months.

Think back to that horrific incident with former Townsville import Brian Conklin which left Damo needing multiple mouth surgeries.

It was shocking stuff but he never complained, made it back in record time, then won the Larry Sengstock Grand Final MVP Medal while steering Perth to another NBL crown.

Amazing stuff, now capped with an Australian cap.

The question-mark over Bogut's knee injury seems to be fading, although the squadmen who were cut, including Marics and Daniel Kickert, all have been told to stay in shape in case the Big Fella doesn't quite make it.

Lemanis will leave the final decision to Bogues and he will make the right one, whatever it is.

I thought they would have hung onto Jawai as "Bogut insurance" and probably ahead of Motum.

But the tall shooting power forward from Brisbane has a lot to offer, as he showed at the 2014 FIBA World Cup.

Always loved watching Newley come off the Boomers' bench and provide instant energy, a spark who knew his role and played it to perfection.

It is a shame there was no role for him because he bleeds green-and-gold. It was Newley at Uluru last week who observed "the Rock doesn't break", which would be a handy Boomers catchcry when the pressure was on in Rio.

And it will be on in earnest. France, Serbia, USA, China and Venezuela comprise the Boomers' group. Not a lot of easy nights there.

(Unlike tomorrow night at Hisense Arena in the first of two games against the Pac-12 All Stars that form the Boomers' "Farewell Series", Game 2 on Thursday.)

MEDAL QUEST: The Rio-bound Boomers. Picture: GETTY IMAGES