AAP
A strong yet largely unheralded Australian men's basketball team leaves for Europe on Thursday hoping to make history at next week's world championships.
While the Boomers are missing their biggest name in Andrew Bogut and lack the high-profile players of the past such as Andrew Gaze, Luc Longley and Shane Heal, on paper they are one of the most talented groups to don the green and gold.
David Andersen and Patty Mills are based in the NBA, while Houston Rockets draftee Brad Newley, Joe Ingles, David Barlow, Aleks Maric and Matt Nielsen are all prominent players in tough leagues across Europe.
Indeed Maric, who will start at centre in place of Bogut, was named to the All-Euroleague First Team last season and has just signed for the Greek powerhouse Panathinaikos.
Over the past two decades Longley and Bogut have been the only constant NBA representatives on Boomers squads and the vast majority of national teams have consisted of players based in the domestic NBL.
"What an exciting era," said coach Brett Brown, as his squad aims to become the first Boomers outfit to bring back a world championship medal.
"To go over there and play the world's best and back yourself against the world's best, I'm comfortable with our team.
"You always have to put your best players on the floor and with the exception of Bogut I think we've done that, at least in my eyes.
"We'll go over there and we'll be good enough or we won't, but we go over there with a real quiet belief that the group has it in them to perform and make everybody proud."
Another man backing Australia's talent is Gaze, who spent time with the team during a recent training camp in Melbourne.
While lamenting the absence of Bogut due to injury, Gaze pointed out a number of leading players are missing from other teams.
Superstars Manu Ginobili (Argentina) and Dirk Nowitzki (Germany) have withdrawn from teams in Australia's group, while the likes of Spain's Pau Gasol and the entire United States roster from the Beijing Olympics also pulled out.
"There's an element of an unknown quantity because some of the other key players are not available for other countries," Gaze said.
"Although we're missing Bogut, which is obviously a massive out, I think we've got tremendous depth in the big-man department.
"Maric has had an unbelievable season in Europe and Matty Nielsen being available, I think we've got good talent.
"Eight of our 12 are based in Europe, so they will be very familiar with the European style and that could help us.
"With a very limited preparation time, if they can string it together, they certainly could cause some trouble."
The Boomers play three final warm-up matches in France before opening their world championship campaign against Jordan on August 28 in Turkey.
In other news, on Wednesday night Lindsay Gaze became the third person elevated to 'Legend' status by the Australian Basketball Hall of Fame, joining NBL founder John Raschke and respected administrator Al Ramsay.