Boomers return: Even with the 2018 brawl behind them, Australia vs. Philippines will still be fiercely contested

Back in the middle of 2024, the Ateneo de Manila University basketball team travelled to Australia for a series of exhibition games.

The concept of college basketball teams traveling to Australia in the winter to compete against NBL, NBL1, or youth teams is quite common, and Ateneo’s connection to the country and Oceania region is through their head coach, Tab Baldwin, an American who began his professional coaching career in New Zealand and ultimately had significant success at the helm of their national team, the Tall Blacks, in the early 2000s.

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For Ateneo – one of the most successful college basketball programs in the Philippines – the trip was an opportunity to play against some of the best NBL1 sides across Victoria, in order to prepare them for their upcoming UAAP season. At the same time, Basketball Australia saw an opportunity.

With the connection to Baldwin, who’s a well-known and respected basketball figure in the region, officials from the Australian federation connected with the Philippines Consulate General in Melbourne in order to support Ateneo’s endeavours in the country, and helped to facilitate local clinics at the State Basketball Centre. That was the beginning of an outreach strategy ahead of the Australian Boomers’ FIBA World Cup qualifier on March 1, which will be the program’s first game in the Philippines since the infamous brawl between the two nations in 2018.

“We’ve been working on this relationship for years,” Jason Smith, Basketball Australia’s Executive General Manager of High Performance, told ESPN.

“This game is the final culmination of that, playing back in the environment. It’s an opportunity to move forward.”

The regrettable incident in 2018 was arguably the darkest day in the history of both Basketball Australia and Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP). A World Cup qualifying game on July 2, 2018 descended into chaos, with an all-in brawl ensuing between the Boomers and Filipino national team. Among the most incendiary moments of the brawl include a chair being thrown at Australia’s Nathan Sobey, before Chris Goulding was trapped under a collection of Filipino players, coaches, and officials, with the Melbourne United guard appearing to be mobbed by the group; punches were thrown and chairs dropped on him, before the Boomers coaching staff intervened. Game officials and members of the crowd joined the melee, which forced a 30-minute delay in the game, and ultimately led FIBA to issue suspensions to 13 players; 10 from the Philippines, along with three Australians.

Jayson Castro of the Philippines lands a punch on Daniel Kickert of Australia in their game in the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers on July 2, 2018 at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan. KC Cruz/ESPN5

The Boomers’ upcoming game on March 1, 2026 – a 2027 FIBA World Cup Asian qualifier – will be their first in the Philippines since the brawl; and, while both federations have a renewed relationship and a strong desire to put that incident behind them, the nature of it required it to be acknowledged and addressed ahead of the Australian team’s arrival in Manila.

“The usual template is about six months out; there’s a standard preparation template we follow in these windows,” Smith said. “There was a more heightened emphasis on this one because of the history.

“Once we knew what the draw was, and where we’d be playing, we immediately reached out to the federation and started discussing what we could do to support each other. There was an agreement that we would work together on what we could do to provide an awareness of the relationship behind the scenes between the federations, and that we’re working together to mend the past and progress from there.”

Smith and Tristan Russell – Basketball Australia’s General Manager of Government and International Relations – spearheaded a proactive group that worked alongside officials at the Philippines’ basketball federation, led by Executive Director Erika Dy, to create good will ahead of the game, while making the rehabilitated relationship between the two nations known.

Tom Wilson in action against Guam. Ryan Ecal/FIBA via Getty Images

Among the activations planned are for a junior Gilas team to visit the Boomers and watch a practice when the Australians arrive in the Philippines, and for the head coaches of the two nations – John Rillie and Tim Cone – to spend some time together ahead of the game.

“We have a very strong relationship with the Filipino federation, led by Erika; she’s fantastic,” Russell told ESPN.

“They have been nothing but accommodating. On Sunday, when our Boomers play, China will have played Chinese Taipei four hours before in the same arena, so it’s a complex system and FIBA run a tight, strict ship at the venue. The Filipino federation have been absolutely remarkable with how they communicate with us; I’m dealing with them every day at the moment, on various matters concerning the game, including some guests of ours. We’ve got some fun guests going over, who you’ll see, traveling from Australia.

“We’ve got some Australian government representatives who are based in the Philippines who’ll be attending. The support we’ve received from both sides has been amazing, and I hope that can be replicated when the Philippines come to Australia in July.”

While both nations have moved on from the 2018 brawl, with there now being a positive working relationship between Basketball Australia and the SBP, the competitive nature of both teams is still welcomed by all.

“We don’t want Filipino fans to be anything but Filipino fans,” Russell said.

“I’ve seen it first hand with Kai Sotto, when he played for the [Adelaide] 36ers. That’s the passion we want, so we’re not asking anyone to be anything you’re not. Bring your passion and support both teams.

“We’re really excited that we’re finally going back to Manila. We’re equally excited to host them back in Australia in July. Not quite sure where those games will be yet, but they’ll be great. The atmosphere will be fantastic. The Filipino fans here are just as passionate about their basketball. So, bring it, I say.”

The Boomers began this February FIBA window with a 93-80 win over Guam on Thursday evening – Tanner Krebs leading the way with 28 points, including eight three-pointers – booking them a spot in the second round of these World Cup Asian qualifiers. That same day, the Philippines faced New Zealand, falling 69-66 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila; the close matchup preparing them for Sunday night’s game against the Boomers.

The game between Australia and the Philippines will be meaningful, too, because, while both teams have qualified for the second round of these World Cup qualifiers, the results from the first round carry over. All eyes, of course, are on locking in a spot at the 2027 FIBA World Cup, which will take place in Qatar across August and September of 2027.

“The main thing is, we’re going into an environment that’s going to be incredibly fun to play in,” Smith said.

“You don’t get many opportunities in your sporting career to play in front of a crowd like this… We’ve got a different kind of filter on it, but the message was to be competitive and have fun, and enjoy the experience.

“These are the environments you recognise in your career as ones you remember. I’m extremely passionate about providing those opportunities when they become available, to our Boomers players, but also to our staff as well. I felt kind of hard done by [at the 2023 World Cup] in Okinawa, that we didn’t get through and go through to play in Manila in the next level of the competition, but very much looking forward to this one.”