Jack McVeigh gave his Olympic hopes a huge boost with an outstanding performance in the Boomers’ 107-87 friendly win over China.
While some of Australia’s biggest names took it easy, McVeigh went full throttle in Tuesday night’s warm-up game in Melbourne.
The 6’0″ forward exploded in the second and third quarters, sinking six of eight three-point attempts and finishing the game with 24 points, the highest on his team.
Duop Reath (21 points, six rebounds), Xavier Cooks (10 points, seven rebounds, six assists) and Chris Goulding (14 points) also reached double figures.
Goulding converted four of seven three-point attempts in a strong second half and played his role excellently as a substitute.
But McVeigh was the star of his return to John Cain Arena, dominating the NBL Championship Series and leading Tasmania to its first title in March. Now he is aiming for his first Olympic ticket.
“I feel like that’s what I do. I trust myself,” McVeigh said of his striking performance.
“At this point it’s still up to the coaches, but I’m just trying to influence the win and help the Boomers win a medal.
“But I’m not high at the moment. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.
“I will show up for training tomorrow and get to work, then we have another game on Thursday.
“If I make it into the team, I will be in the best position and ready for the trip to Paris.
“I just love playing basketball and am grateful to be able to do it here.”
Boomers captain Patty Mills and his NBA colleague Josh Giddey both started against China in front of 8,142 fans, but each played less than 10 minutes and sat out the entire second half.
Josh Green and Dante Exum were absent after playing for the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals last month, and Jock Landale was also missing.
China took an early lead when Sanning Lioa scored the first seven points and the visitors led 32-25 after the first quarter after successfully converting five of seven shots from distance.
But McVeigh scored 10 points in the second period and 13 in the first half, helping the home team take a 51-48 lead at halftime.
Goulding made three three-pointers in a dominant third period for the Boomers, giving them an 81-64 lead with one quarter left to play.
Reath was involved in an ugly incident with Runwang Du in the final quarter when he lost his nerve during a confrontation and shoved his head into his opponent’s face.
You theatrically fell to the ground while Reath received an unsportsmanlike foul.
“I love watching him play. He brings energy,” McVeigh said of Reath.
“He’s a passionate guy and it’s fun to be on the pitch with him.”
For the Boomers, 13 of 14 players were on the scoresheet – only Mills was missing – and eight of them scored from distance.
Liao was China’s best player with 26 points and 11 of 16 hits, the highest score of the game.
The teams will meet again on Thursday evening in Melbourne.
Earlier, the Rollers beat Japan 59-52 in the men’s wheelchair competition at the John Cain Arena, while the Australian men’s and women’s 3×3 teams beat China.
The Gliders were beaten by Japan 45-38 in the women’s wheelchair competition.