'Cool moment' for home-town Boomers hero

• Traralgon, Victoria, to host Boomers for 2025 Asia Cup Qualifiers
• February 20: Australia vs Indonesia.
• February 23: Australia vs Thailand.

"Cool" is how Australian Boomers and Melbourne United forward Jack White described the opportunity to play for his country during the 2025 Asia Cup Qualifiers in his home town of Traralgon, Victoria, in February 2025.

"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.

"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."

Basketball Australia, Visit Victoria, Latrobe City Council, and TEG Sport, announced on December 17, that Traralgon will host the Boomers for their final window of the FIBA 2025 Asia Cup Qualifiers. Traralgon is 160km east of Melbourne.

The Boomers have already qualified for the 2025 Cup in Saudi Arabia but two contests in the Victoria's basketball heartland will give Australian the opportunity to tune up before the finals between August 5-17, 2025.

White’s connection to the region highlights Gippsland’s contribution to Australian basketball, producing talent such as Australian Opals Olympic bronze medallist Jade Melbourne, Australian Opal Jaz Shelley, and Melbourne United coach Dean Vickerman.

White, 27, 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. White's breakthrough came in 2022 when he signed a two-way contract with the Denver Nuggets. Although his playing time was limited, appearing in 17 games and averaging 1.2 points per game, White was part of the Nuggets' championship-winning squad in the 2022-2023 season.

White is averaging 13.8 points per game for Melbourne United this season and is highly likely to represent the Boomers in his hometown in two months time.

The games will mark the first Boomers international fixtures in Traralgon.

Latrobe City Mayor Dale Harriman welcomed the Boomers’ arrival because his town loves its hoops.

"Latrobe City is excited to host the Boomers in Traralgon in 2025," said Harriman.

"This is a fantastic opportunity to bring international level basketball to the region.

"We have a huge number of local basketball fans that I know will be so excited to watch the qualifiers.

Basketball Australia CEO Matt Scriven expressed excitement at the announcement.

"There’s a fantastic culture of basketball in the region, and we appreciate our partners Visit Victoria, Latrobe City Council, and TEG for making these FIBA 2025 Asia Cup Qualifiers a reality," Scriven said.

The Boomers’ visit follows the sold-out February 2024 games in Bendigo against Korea.

Basketball Australia’s Executive General Manager of High Performance Jason Smith said the dead-rubbers were an important step for the Boomers’ squad.

"We’ve had a really exciting group of players throughout the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers, and it’s going to be an opportunity to come together and build chemistry in a home stint against two emerging basketball nations in Asia," said Smith.

"This double-header is an exciting opportunity for our group, and we hope to see a wave of green and gold on the streets of Traralgon in February."

For Jack White the homecoming will be a special moment for both him and the community.

Tickets for the Boomers’ double-header in Traralgon will go on sale to the general public at 10am AEDT on Wednesday, 18 December via Ticketek.

Traralgon in Profile

Traralgon, located in the eastern part of the Latrobe Valley in Victoria's Gippsland region, is the most populous city within both the City of Latrobe and the surrounding region. According to the 2021 Census, Traralgon had an urban population of 26,907. It is the largest and fastest-growing city in the greater Latrobe Valley area, which recorded a total population of 77,168 in the same census. The city is governed by the City of Latrobe.