Basketball Australia has just announced the athletes selected to play for the Pearls & Boomerangs at the upcoming Virtus Global Games in France.
Taking place over a week between 4-10 June in Vichy, The Global Games is the world’s largest elite sports event for athletes with an intellectual impairment, with thousands of athletes from Europe, America, Asia, Africa, and Oceania performing across ten main sports.
This year, three Australian teams will compete, with one men’s and two women’s 3×3 squads set to pull on the green and gold.
For the Pearls, who will field two 3×3 women’s sides, nine members of their gold and bronze winning team from the 2022 Oceania Asia Games return, including the 2023 Ivor Burge MVP, Victoria’s Montana Haag and New South Wales’, Mackenzie Wills, who was named the Defensive player of the tournament.
Julia Walsh, Head Coach of the Boomerangs, said a thorough process had been undertaken to select the team.
“The Boomerangs have gone through a rigorous selection process, and we have a strong 12-person team – it really is a testament to our state coaches who have lifted the quality of the Ivor Burge National Competition and the athletes participating,” Walsh said.
“Based on the previous INAS Global Games we had a vision of the style of play, the players required and training we wanted to implement, so the coaching team are looking forward to bringing this team to the championships.
“We believe they will be competitive and experienced going into the Global Games in France.”
The Global Games were last held in Australia in 2019 and saw the Boomerangs score silver and Australia’s women’s teams both medal with a silver and bronze.
Head coach of the Pearls, Larry Davidson, said the women’s teams had a balanced mix of players.
“We are very fortunate to take two teams of five for the 3X3 Virtus Global games in Vichy France,” he said.
“Even though all of our players have pulled on the green and gold before, we have a good combination of experience and youth to blend within the two teams.
“Expectations are high coming off an intense National Championships where the teams were able to battle it out in the 3×3 format for the first time in Australia.”
For more information about the Virtus Global Games, click here.
Australian Pearls Team
Brittany Anderson – NSW Ivor Burge Team 2023
Taylor Anderson – NSW Ivor Burge Team 2023
Jasmin Funnell
Montana Haag
Madilyn Janssen
Jessica McCulloch
Evangeline Patterson
Louwanna Sheridan
Mackenzie Wills – NSW Ivor Burge Team 2023
Mia Wilson
Reserves: Rachael Potter (Victoria)
Australian Boomerangs Team
Brayden Cowell
Frazer Dawber
Jake De La Motte
James Doyle – ACT/NSW
Matthew Farrar
Jack Gilbertson – TAS/NSW
Keenan Georg-Dent
Zachary Georg-Dent
Jack Innella
Brad Kinross
Justin Koenig -ACT/NSW
James Myers