An unhappy Finnish
TweetOUCH. Got to admit, losing to Finland doesn't fill you with optimism but I am still a glass half-full guy.
While pleased the Boomers came back from an 11-point deficit with a 12-1 run to force overtime, cannot help but be a little concerned at losing to FIBA's #39 ranked nation 87-81 in the extension.
Maybe the Finns had made their adjustments from Australia's win over them last week while Andrej Lemanis continued to prioritise his team's evolution.
Hard to say.
Aron Baynes scoring 22 points on 10-of-11 shooting temporarily should quiet fears we lack presence inside - a knock I was hearing after the loss to Lithuania.
Does it matter that the defeat was in Helsinki at all?
As in, does hometown officiating ever play a role in international friendlies?
Nah, you wouldn't think ... especially not in a close finish or anything.
So patience again is the key word here.
Replacing a guy such as Patty Mills, who not only had become the focus of the Boomers' scoring but also actually was good enough to lead all the scoring at the London Olympics, isn't going to happen overnight.
Finding its new identity will take some time and incur some lumps along the way.
No-one wants to lose too much along the route - winning form is good form and all that.
But the destination is the World Cup, not the build-up. That's why the Boomers have nine leadup games - to get it right in Spain.
Australia blew out to 300-1 to win Gold after the Finland loss. Not sure what the Boomers' price for a medal is right now.
Might be worth the punt if you are that way inclined.
OUR Baby Boomers bounced back at the FIBA World Under-17 Championship in Dubai, beating a quality Greek side 84-76.
That puts the boys through to the quarter-finals where they next will meet Puerto Rico.
Captain Tom Wilson stepped up to score six of Australia's last eight points, icing a gripping contest from the free throw line.
Greece rallied from a 52-66 deficit at the last break, which Australia had created with a blistering 29-16 third period, to get within two.
Centre Isaac Humphries continued his exceptional tournament with a 20-point, 16-rebound double-double as guard Dejan Vasiljevic also picked it up with 13 points and five boards.
Kyle Clark (13 points) and Harry Froling (seven points and eight rebounds) also had an impact.
"Just got back from watching the Australian U17 team play a brilliant game against GREECE who were VERY GOOD!!" former Perth Wildcats NBL Championship coach and Australian junior World Championship Gold medal-winning coach Rob Beveridge reported on Facebook.
"The Aussie boys showed tremendous fight to stop Greece who threw everything at them in the final quarter.
"Great coaching by Mark Watkins, Jamie O'Loughlin and Justin Schueller to lead the Aussie boys into the Top 8!"
Roll on Puerto Rico!