The anticipation of the Boomers long awaited return to the Apple Isle is rising with a FIBA Basketball World Cup qualifier set for My State Bank Arena vs New Zealand on 28 November.
Tip off will be a moment to savour with a 19 year wait since the last fixture in Tasmania in 2006, which also occurred against the Tall Blacks in the now retired FIBA Oceania Championship.
Tickets for the clash in November sold quickly with the general public allocation exhausted within 24 hours. A reserved batch of bronze and platinum tickets have just been released as well as a corporate contingency remaining.
Basketball Australia released the full event guide last week
If you’re on the Apple Isle and into activities, the Boomers roadshow is coming to town alongside Ford Aussie Hoops, She Hoops and Coaches / Officials clinics.
TASMANIA | A BASKETBALL HISTORY
The game of basketball has a long history across the Bass Strait with origins from YMCA’s in the 1930’s with regular competitions starting in Hobart, Launceston and the Northwest.
In 1946, the Tasmanian Basketball Association (now Basketball Tasmania) was established and the game blossomed during a 25-year period where the state regularly featured in the Australian Championships.
Key figures in the formative decades include George Russell, Tony Fulton, David Scott and Peter Robertson played essential roles in establishing basketball in the state.
See a full list of Basketball Tasmania – Life Members here.
In 1974 the game hit a boom period with the North West Basketball Union as a steady flow of imports from the USA started to filter through the state – many of which still decided to call Tasmania home to this day.
IN THE PROS
The JackJumpers deservedly won the hearts of Australia in 2024 with their underdog championship in the National Basketball League (NBL) – but that remarkable run was framed within a history of champions on the island.
Expansion club Launceston Casino City claimed a remarkable title in the 1981 NBL Season and the Hobart (Tassie) Islanders claimed the 1991 championship in the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL).
Launceston folded in 1983 and were replaced by the Hobart Devils, who competed for 13 seasons in the NBL before folding alongside the Islanders in 1996 due to financial barriers.
In NBL1, the Launceston Tornadoes women’s team was successful in winning the ABA premiers title in 1995 with the North West Boags Originals men’s group following suit the following year, with a hard fought SEABL national championship. The Hobart Chargers are also rightfully proud of claiming two National titles as Mens ABA Champions in 2000 and 2002.
GREEN & GOLD PIONEERS
Tasmania is the home for an incredible list of Australian Boomers and Opals.
Tasmanian Hall of Famer Nita Burke played for the Opals in six tournaments and captained the team in 1963. Ian Davies led the Boomers in scoring regularly during his run at the 1980, 1984 Olympics and 1982, 1986 World Championships.
Another Tasmanian Sport Hall of Famer, Kathy Foster, was vice captain of the Opals for the 1983 Commonwealth gold and a member of the first ever Olympics team in 1984.
Carla Boyd was a part of a decorated run with the Opals winning Olympic bronze (1996), silver (2000) and a World Championship bronze in Germany 1998. More recently Holly Grima played alongside Lauren Jackson for the Opals historic gold medal at the FIBA World Cup in 2006.
Adam Gibson was a Boomer at the 2012 Olympics and 2014 World Cup and Lucas Walker was 3x3 pioneer, winning silver with the Gangurrus at the 2023 Asia Cup.
Although he relocated to Queensland at eight years of age, Boomers veteran Chris Goulding gets an honorary mention being born in Launceston. Goulding is renowned as one of the cleanest shooters to ever wear the green and gold and was part of the historic Boomers team that clinched Bronze in 2020.
THE NEXT GEN
WNBA and Opals superstar Alanna Smith was born in Hobart and Ulverstone’s Reyne Smith was a college standout for Louisville in the NCAA. Reyne featured in the Boomers championship team at the recent FIBA Asia Cup in Jeddah.
In recent years, multiple young guns have journeyed to Canberra on scholarships at the Centre of Excellence with Taran Armstrong, Jacob Furphy and Nash Walker spending time in the capital.
Armstrong is currently at Dubai Basketball in the ABA League / EuroLeague after a stint in the NBA on a two-way with Golden State. Furphy had a meteoric 12 month run of form representing the Crocs, Emus, Boomers in under 12 months with the now at NCAA powerhouse UConn in the Big East.
Nash Walker, Smithton local, is in the final stages of his time at CoE and has committed to Marquette University in the future.
Alanna’s younger sister Andie is currently at the CoE enrolled in her first year in Canberra.
