In its exhibition against the Upstate All-Stars on Saturday, the men's basketball team , ranked No. 2 by USA Today, was able to bring in five subs at one time. Its opponent this weekend, however, won't have the same luxury.
While the Australian National Team has made some noise on the international scene, finishing a surprising fourth at the 1996 Olympics and winning the 22 & Under World Championship over the summer, several stars will be missing when it visits Cameron Indoor Stadium at 7:30 p.m. Saturday night.
The top three scorers from the '96 Olympic team are absent from the Australian Smith's Boomers squad (as in Smith's Potato Crisps) currently touring the United States. Thirty-two-year-old Aussie superstar Andrew Gaze, who led Seton Hall past Duke in the 1989 national semifinal game and played against the Blue Devils in an exhibition last year with the Melbourne Tigers, is taking a break from basketball in preparation for next summer's World Championships.
Several of his countrymen have migrated to the NBA in recent years. Luc Longley, of course, plays for the Chicago Bulls. The man best-known for squaring off with Charles Barkley in the '92 Olympics, Shane Heal, signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves this summer, though he was cut last Thursday. Seven-footer Chris Antsey, the Most Valuable Player of the 22 & Under Championship and the 18th pick overall in this year's NBA draft, signed Sunday with the Dallas Mavericks.
In addition, health problems prompted two Boomers to drop out of the tour: original captain and '96 Olympian Andrew Vlahov, who was hobbled by an ankle injury, and Scott Dwight, who averaged 13 points per game for the 22 & Under Team but is bothered by a chronicle sinus condition.
The remaining Aussies will be led Saturday by 6-foot-7 forward Tony Ronaldson, who averaged 10.5 points per game in the '96 Olympics. Ronaldson scored 15 points on five three-pointers Wednesday night in the Boomers' 87-61 victory over Illinois, after racking up 13 in their 77-63 loss to Purdue on Monday.
Likely joining Ronaldson in the Aussies' starting lineup is 6-foot-4 guard John Rillie, who poured in 15 points versus the Illini. Six-foot-eight forward David Stiff added 10 points and 11 rebounds on Wednesday. Six-foot-two guard Brett Maher, a '96 Olympian, and 6-foot-8 center Brett Wheeler should also start.
Olympic team members Sam Mackinnon, Patrick Reidy and Tonny Jensen come off the bench for the Boomers. Reserves Ben Pepper and Aaron Trahair played for Australia's World Champion 22 & Under squad. The 6-foot-10 Pepper was drafted in the second round of the NBA draft by the Boston Celtics, 56th overall, in June.
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