Boomers Eye Asia Cup Threepeat as Caporn Warns of Asian Threats

The Australian Boomers are gearing up for their 2025 FIBA Asia Cup campaign in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with high expectations as they look to defend their undefeated record in Asia Cup competition. Since joining FIBA Asia, the Boomers have claimed consecutive gold medals in 2017 and 2022, and now set their sights on a historic third straight title.

Australia opens group play against South Korea on August 6, followed by Lebanon (August 9, 1:00am AEST), and Qatar (August 10, 6:00pm AEST). All games will be broadcast on ESPN in Australia.

Adam Caporn will lead the Boomers for the first time as head coach after using a training camp on the Gold Coast to select a youthful 12-man roster.

Leading the Boomers are Xavier Cooks, Jack White, Jack McVeigh, and Will Magnay — each with Olympic or World Cup experience and NBA stints. Dash Daniels, at only 17, becomes the youngest Boomers Asia Cup representative since Ben Simmons in 2013. Joining him are fellow newcomers Harry Wessells and Reyne Smith, both selected before playing a single minute of professional basketball.

Rounding out the squad are Owen Foxwell, Jaylin Galloway, Ben Henshall, Will ‘Davo’ Hickey, and Sean Macdonald. In unfortunate news, Macdonald ruptured his ACL during the team’s exhibition win over the University of Colorado and will miss both the Asia Cup and the upcoming NBL season for the Tasmania JackJumpers. Only last week, JackJumpers coach Scott Roth had said Macdonald “had the keys to the team.”

The Boomers held off the University of Colorado 93–87 in that warm-up game on the Gold Coast. Jack McVeigh led the way with 20 points and 7 assists, while Jaylin Galloway added 16 points off the bench.

Reflecting on the game, Caporn was satisfied with how the team improved over the course of the night. “First half, I was really disappointed with our rebounding in particular and some defensive mistakes. But I’m proud of how we competed in the second half. I’m happy it gave us a close game – it gave us lots of opportunities to get better.”

The Boomers’ 14-man training camp also featured Angus Glover, who suffered a shoulder injury and was ruled out of contention, while Josh Bannan was the final cut from the roster. Although not selected, NBA players Josh Giddey, Dyson Daniels, and Johnny Furphy were present at camp to support Caporn in his coaching debut and mentor the younger players.

Caporn addressed the recurring media discussion about the strength of Australia’s Asia Cup rosters, often dubbed “Team B” or “Boomers 2.0”.

“We definitely want to bring some younger players into the team and use Asia Cup to give them experience,” Caporn explained. “The basketball landscape internationally means not everyone is available, so we work with who we’ve got, and I think we’ve struck a good balance. We’re really excited about this group.”

Caporn was also asked which teams posed the biggest threat in Saudi Arabia. He praised the rising standard across the region, particularly Japan.

“There’s lots of threatening teams… but obviously Japan,” he said. “We just saw players like Keisei Tominaga (Indiana Pacers), Yuki Kawamura (Chicago Bulls), and Yudai Baba (New York Knicks) playing really well in NBA Summer League.”

Baba, coincidently, played under former Boomers coach Brian Goorjian and averaged 3.5 points in four games for the Knicks.

“New Zealand is always a tough team, and China too. The last Asia Cup, we had a great battle with Lebanon in the final. I’ve got a lot of respect for Korean basketball and the way they play. The list goes on – Asian basketball is in a good place.”

The Boomers’ campaign begins August 6 against South Korea at 6:00pm AEST, followed by Lebanon and Qatar in the group stage.

AUSTRALIAN BOOMERS TEAM FOR 2025 FIBA ASIA CUP: Xavier Cooks, Dash Daniels, Owen Foxwell, Jaylin Galloway, Ben Henshall, Will ‘Davo’ Hickey, Will Magnay, Josh Bannan,Jack McVeigh, Reyne Smith, Harry Wessels, Jack White.