Australia is a leading powerhouse on the world stage, surpassing the powerhouses in Oceania and Asia. Unless it is the Olympic or World Cup finals, NBA (National Basketball Association) players do not participate, so no elite members will participate in this preliminary round. Even if they are not the elite, Australia is strong enough to dominate the Asian stage.
It is a difficult opponent for Korea. However, with the exception of Lee Hyun-joong (Illawarra Hawks), who is active in the Australian League (NBL), the game against Australia is expected to be a good experience for Korean players who lack the opportunity to compete with world-class players, regardless of win or loss. .
Who is the player we should keep an eye on in the world-class Australian national team that Korea will meet?
Number 43 Chris Golding (born 1988/192cm/Melbourne United)
He is the best shooting guard in the NBL. He is averaging 18.1 points in 8 games in the 2024-2025 season. It ranks 8th in scoring and 1st in 3-point shots (3.4 successful per game). In the game against Perth on November 9, he exploded for a whopping 46 points. Since the 2009-2010 season, when NBL games were played in a 40-minute system, more than 45 points in a game have been scored three times, two of which were scored by Golding. Golding is also the player with the highest score in a single game (50 points).
In the game against Thailand (101-48 win) on the 21st, Golding scored 27 points by hitting 9 out of 14 3-pointers (64.4%) after playing only 20 minutes. He can freely make moving shots even from a position far beyond the 3-point line, and he is good at steals on defense, making him a player that Korea must watch out for on offense and defense.
Number 13 Sam Froling (born 2000/212cm/Illawarra Hawks)
If you are a basketball fan who has consistently watched Lee Hyeon-joong’s games, he is a familiar player. Lee Hyeon-joong’s teammate and Illawarra’s main center. He is averaging 13.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in 11 NBL games this season. His strength is in attacking the paint zone with his tall height of 212cm. As a competitive big man in the NBL, where intense physical competition takes place, he plays rough. He is the most burdensome player for Korea without Laguna.
Until last season, he rarely made a pass, which drew criticism from his teammates, but he improved significantly this season and recorded 7 assists in the game against Southeast Melbourne on the 26th. In the game against Thailand, he played only 15 minutes and recorded 6 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals, and 1 block.
No. 34 Dejan Vasilievich (born 1997/187cm/Adelaide 36ers)
He is a forward who is consistently participating in the Asian qualifiers. He also participated in the game against Korea held in Bendigo, Australia last February, scoring 14 points (two 3-pointers), 5 rebounds, and 8 assists, leading the team to an 85-71 victory. In the NBL, he is Adelaide’s main gun. He is averaging 18.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 11 games. He is a strong swingman and has the resources to harass domestic forwards.
Other notable players include active guard William Hickey (Illawarra, No. 6), 2004-born rookie Ben Henschel (Perth, No. 10), and Nick Kay (Shimane Susano Magic, No. 15), who is playing in the B.League.
Photo = FIBA
