18
Feb
Asia Cup Qualifiers
NBL finals get in way of White's Boomers dream
Australian Boomers Chris Goulding, Matthew Dellavedova, and Jack White have NBL playoffs business to take care of. Photo: Kelly Defina/Getty Images
Australian Boomers 12-man squad is mix of youth and experience
- Australia has already qualified for the Asia Cup
- No Australian NBA stars are in the 3rd Window Squad
- NBL playoffs get in the way of Jack White's return home
Melbourne United's quest for the NBL25 championship has landed in the way of star forward Jack White's chance to play for Australia in front of his home town crowd in the Asia Cup Qualifiers at Gippsland Regional Indoor Sports Stadium in Victoria this week.
White was not named in the 12-man Boomers squad for the FIBA double-header.
He was an excited part of Basketball Australia's announcement the Boomers would play in Gippsland on December 17.
"My aspirations started as a kid playing junior basketball at St Michael’s, so to be a part of the first Boomers games in Traralgon is a cool moment," said White at the time.
"It’s been about 10 years since I've played in my home town, so hopefully the stars align and I'm on the court for the double-header in February."
Alas, the stars haven't aligned for the 27-year-old. United face the Perth Wildcats in the first game of their three-game series on February 27, 2025. Similarly, Boomers flame-thrower Chris Goulding, point guard Matthew Dellavedova, White's United teammates, are also focusing on stopping five-time NBL MVP Bryce Cotton.
The Boomers have already qualified for the Asia Cup in Saudi Arabia later this year.
Australia plays Indonesia on Thursday, February 20, 2025 and Thailand on Sunday, February 23, 2025.
Australian Boomers Squad — 3rd Window
- Mitch McCarron, 32, New Zealand Breakers
- Nick Kay, 32, Shimane Susanoo Magic (Japan)
- Mitch Norton, 31, Brisbane Bullets
- Fabijan Krslovic, 29, Tasmania JackJumpers
- Isaac White, 26, Brisbane Bullets
- Nick Marshall, 25, Adelaide 36ers
- Elijah Pepper, 23, Perth Wildcats
- David Okwera, 22, Perth Wildcats
- Ben Grscti, 22, Adelaide 36ers
- Emmett Adair, 19, Centre of Excellence
- Luke Fennell, 18, South East Melbourne Phoenix
- Jacob Furphy, 18, Centre of Excellence
Head Coach: Jacob Chance
Assistant Coach: Keegan Crawford
Assistant Coach: Luke Brennan
The squad is a solid blend of youth and experience with two players from the Centre of Excellence — Emmett Adair and Jacob Furphy — getting a call-up while veterans Mitch McCarron, Nick Kay and Mitch Norton, all three are over 30, will delivery the stability required to win both games.
Australia is expected to beat both Indonesia and Thailand.
It would have been a dream homecoming for White. He was born and raised in Traralgon and the standout junior joined one of college basketball's great powerhouse programs, Duke, and would go on to captain the Blue Devils for two seasons of his four years in the NCAA from 2016 to 2020.
After going undrafted in the 2020 NBA draft, White returned to Australia, signing a three-year deal with Melbourne United in the NBL.
