The Boomers are back in action this week, heading to the Philippines to begin the second round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian Qualifiers as their road to Qatar 2027 continues.<\/p>\n
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Join now and get your first month for just $1.<\/a><\/p>\n Australia began its qualifying campaign back in November last year, with the Asian Qualifiers running through until March 2, 2027.<\/p>\n Last month, the Boomers completed the opening round on home soil in front of thousands of fans at RAC Arena in Perth, walking away with convincing wins over Guam (124-52) and the Philippines (92-49).<\/p>\n The Boomers look to continue their unbeaten streak through the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers.Source: getty<\/p>\n The window also marked the Boomers debut of Bryce Cotton<\/a>, who suited up in the green and gold for the first time after becoming eligible to represent Australia earlier this year.<\/p>\n Now, almost two months later, Australia begins the next phase of its qualification campaign, with six games standing between the Boomers and a place at next year\u2019s World Cup in Qatar.<\/p>\n Leading the team into the upcoming window is newly appointed Melbourne United head coach Jacob Chance, who signed a four-year deal<\/a> with the NBL club following a successful stint in the United States with the Austin Spurs in the NBA G League.<\/p>\n Dash Daniels is one of several players who are looking to add more CAPS to their name.Source: getty<\/p>\n For Chance, the window provides another opportunity to develop as a head coach on the international stage while returning to a Boomers program he has remained closely connected to.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been a little while since I was directly involved in the program, but you know I\u2019m really lucky with my role and connection to the program,\u201c says Chance.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve tried to stay as involved as I can from afar and took a little bit of a break for the FIBA Asia Cup, but I\u2019ve been assisting remotely to implement our philosophies and style of play for the windows.\u201c<\/p>\n Melbourne United head coach Jacob Chance will lead the Boomers this weekend.Source: getty<\/p>\n \u201cIt was awesome to see Capes (Adam Caporn) come in with the opportunity to lead as Head Coach in the Asia Cup and last window in Perth and a good opportunity for other guys too,\u201d<\/p>\n Chance and Caporn share a longstanding connection dating back to their time in Western Australia, while the pair have also worked alongside each other as assistant coaches within the Boomers program over the past decade.<\/p>\n READ MORE: Former champs bolster stacked roster with ex-NBA talent in championship bid<\/a><\/p>\n They recently caught up in Melbourne to discuss the Boomers, coaching and the upcoming qualifying window, with Chance focused on maintaining the continuity established within the national program.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the most important thing I can do for him is help with the continuity in the windows, as the other staff have done when they\u2019re in this position,\u201c says Chance.<\/p>\n Jacob Chance coached the Boomers during the last years November FIBA window.Source: getty<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve got such a great coaching support network led by Capes and Deano, and when me and the other coaches come in, our job is just to echo the same messages. Echo what it means to play for Australia and how important these windows are.\u201d<\/p>\n Chance will take a 12-man squad to Manila featuring a mix of established Boomers, returning faces and emerging NBL talent, with Nick Kay the most experienced member of the group with 57 caps.<\/p>\n Anthony Dell\u2019Orso and Max McKinnon are in line to make their Boomers debuts, while Luke Travers, Dash Daniels, Elijah Pepper and Josh Bannan are among the young Australian talent selected.<\/p>\n Boomer veteran Nick Kay will lead the 12-man squad this weekend.Source: getty<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re really excited about this group. It\u2019s obviously a tricky time of the year with teams into<\/p>\n deep pre-seasons all around the world. But, you know, we love the mix of guys who have played before, a couple of newer guys coming into the fold, you\u2019re seeing some guys return that have been out for a while,\u201c Chance says.<\/p>\n \u201cAs always, we\u2019ve got a bunch of selfless team-first characters that are coming in to do their absolute best for their country and do their best for our program. This is an important window for us as they all are.\u201c<\/p>\n The Boomers roster for the upcoming FIBA World Cup qualifiers.Source: getty<\/p>\n Road to Qatar 2027<\/p>\n Australia completed the First Round with a perfect 6-0 record in Group A, finishing ahead of the New Zealand Tall Blacks, who advanced with a 4-2 record.<\/p>\n The original field of 16 teams has now been reduced to 12, split across two groups of six for the second round.<\/p>\n The Boomers find themselves in Group F alongside Iran, Jordan, New Zealand, the Philippines and Syria, with results from the First Round carrying across.<\/p>\n READ MORE: Taipans set to pull off surprise coup as final piece of NBL27 roster revealed<\/a><\/p>\n Australia enters the second phase in the strongest possible position with a 6-0 record, ahead of Iran and Jordan at 5-1, New Zealand at 4-2 and the Philippines and Syria at 2-4.<\/p>\n With six games remaining in the qualification stage, including two in Manila this week, Australia needs to finish inside the top three in Group F to secure direct qualification for the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Qatar.<\/p>\n Perth Wildcats guard Elijah Pepper is set to hit the court again for the Boomers.Source: getty<\/p>\n Upcoming games<\/p>\n Game 1:Australia vs. Syria<\/a><\/p>\n Friday, August 28, 7:00pm AEST, Mall of Asia Arena, Manila<\/p>\n