Adam Gibson’s NBL season may have finished on February 28 but with Australian Boomers’ selection in the offing, there was little time for the 28-year old to take his foot off the gas.
Gibson was last week named in the 12-man squad to play Lithuania and Slovenia, followed by the ‘Homecoming’- the 2015 FIBA Oceania Championships against New Zealand across two games.
“We have had a really long off-season,” Gibson said.
“We have been back training and doing our own stuff, playing with some imports and local players. However, it is a lot different than playing games which is always very hard to emulate.”
Along with Chris Goulding and Damian Martin, Gibson represents the NBL contingent in the Boomers squad for the six games that make up the 2015 International series, a fact the Adelaide 36er is proud of.
“To be able to show you do not have to go overseas to make an Australian team and you can still do it from home is a big thing for the NBL as well as the publicity for basketball in this country.”
His 11-year NBL career will also aid him as he is likely to draw the task of guarding Corey Webster and Thomas Abercrombie who have played for the New Zealand Breakers since 2008.
Any added incentive that is required could also be found in the fact the Breakers knocked Adelaide out of the playoffs last season.
“Webster and Abercrombie are a couple of their main focuses so to be able to slow them down and make it hard for them to score will make a difference. I also hope to knock down a couple of shots and maybe play a bit at the point,” Gibson said.
Although he has played in front of some large NBL crowds, the guard is looking forward to the prospect of having the entire audience on his side.
“It’s going to be unreal to play in front of that. There can be about 13,000 in Perth but to add another couple of thousand people and for everyone to be behind us, it should be a real buzz.”
Gibson has pulled on the green and gold uniform at the 2010 FIBA World Championship, the 2012 London Olympics and 2014 FIBA World Cup but expects the FIBA Oceania Championship to be the pinnacle of his time with the Boomers.
“We also beat New Zealand in 2013 in Sydney to qualify and that crowd was great but to have what looks like a sell-out at Rod Laver Arena, it is going to be huge.
“The hype around basketball in Australia has really grown and I expect it to be a massive game.”
In the spirit of reconciliation Basketball Australia acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.