AUS - Baynes looks to press claim for Boomers place

PERTH (Olympics) - Aron Baynes did his chances of making Australia's Olympic team a world of good this season with a solid performance for Ikaros Kallitheas in Greece's top flight.

The 25-year-old was so effective, averaging almost 14 points and nine rebounds, that he was named as the competition's top center.

Now the 2.07m Baynes is in the 12-man Australia squad that will take on China in Perth this weekend in the YouYi Games series.

"Playing well this season is something that I really needed to do to try and make my bid for an Olympic spot," he said.

"I definitely appreciate the recognition.

"I work hard every year and to have it pay off, not only on the court performance-wise, but also with this recognition of what I've been doing this year, it means a lot..."

Baynes was in Australia's squad at the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey and also played last summer in the FIBA Oceania Championship when the Boomers swept New Zealand, 3-0, to clinch a place in the Olympics.

He likes to get out in the open floor and run, something he would have a good chance of doing if in the Australia line-up with Pat Mills, the back-up point guard of the San Antonio Spurs.

"He's an up-and-down kind of player and that's what I've been working on this year, to increase the speed of my game on offense and defense and just make myself a better compliment to the way we are going to have to play this year," Baynes said.

"That's what we are going to have to do: outwork every other team.

"And that is what I've been trying to do this year, is out-work every opponent that I come up against."

Australia face the Chinese in Perth on Saturday, Monday and Wednesday.

Damian Martin, Matt Nielsen, Mark Worthington, David Barlow, Daniel Kickert and Matthew Dellavedova are also in the Australia squad for this event.

It's unclear when Mills will join the squad.

His season with the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA just ended with a 4-2 defeat to Oklahoma City in the Western Conference Semi-Finals.

Others who will be with the Boomers for the YouYi Games are Ryan Broekoff, Peter Crawford, Hugh Greenwood, Adam Gibson and Julian Khazzouh.

At the London Games, the Aussies will play in Group B with Brazil, China, Great Britain, Spain and a team that comes out of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT).

FIBA