AUS - Lemanis looks ahead

CANBERRA (FIBA Basketball World Cup) - Andrej Lemanis has his first major tournament coming up with Australia in several months.

The Boomers will play at the FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain, with games in Group D against Slovenia, Lithuania, Angola, Mexico and Korea.

The 24-team tournament tips off 30 August and for the Aussies, there is the exciting possibility of Dante Exum being in Gran Canaria with the squad for the Group Phase games.

Exum has shone for the country at youth level, and the expectation is that he'll soon do so with the senior side, and maybe as early as this year.

The 1.95m guard put on a stunning display at the FIBA U19 World Championship for Australia in the Czech Republic last year, averaging more than 18 points and almost four assists and four rebounds per game.

He was named to the All-Tournament team as the Aussies finished fourth.

Exum also played, albeit sparingly, for the senior side at the 2013 FIBA Oceania Championship as Australia defeated New Zealand.

A player who turns 19 on 13 July, Exum could be with Lemanis at the World Cup but he has declared for the NBA Draft.

Just how his NBA commitments will impact his national team involvement this summer remains to be seen.

"Dante and his family have been fantastic in expressing to their agents their desire to play for Australia, that it's something that's important to them," Lemanis said to FIBA.com.

"Whatever situation they become involved in, they want to ensure he is still available for the national team.

"It's fantastic that a person of his age is that committed to the national team and willing to say that , I guess, to his agents and commit himself to the team."

That Exum is set to be drafted is yet another example of how deep the talent pool is in Australia.

“It's fantastic," Lemanis said.

"When Dante gets drafted, we're going to have five Australians playing in the NBA and significantly, this year, they're playing good, quality minutes.

"(Pat) Mills is playing, (Matthew) Dellavedova is playing and (Aron) Baynes is getting minutes with San Antonio. I guess that's a reflection of the development systems of Australia.

"A lot of people, a lot of junior coaches are putting a lot of effort into developing the young Australian talent and we're reaping the rewards now."

Another NBA player from Australia is Andrew Bogut of the Golden State Warriors.

The center last played for the Boomers at the 2008 Olympics, with injuries limiting his involvement.

Lemanis has not ruled out Bogut being at the World Cup.

"There is always the possibility," he said.

"Andrew has been great in his communication in saying he wants to play for Australia.

"The reality of the situation is that he's had an horrific run of injuries and he needs to be confident that he can get through an NBA season, then get through an international season and then get through another NBA season. So he needs to have that confidence in his body to be able to do that."

While Australia were not drawn to face their nemesis in recent big tournaments, the United States, in the Group Phase, there is the possibility the teams could meet in the Round of 16.

Group C, which has the Americans with Turkey, Finland, New Zealand, Ukraine and the Dominican Republic, will cross over with Group D in the Round of 16.

"We have to finish in the top three in our pool," Lemanis said, when asked how Australia could best avoid the Americans.

"That's the simple answer because you would suggest they'll be number one in their group.

"The last time, in the Olympics, we crossed over in the Quarter-Finals and that was the end of our Olympic campaign.

"I guess that's one of those things.

"We can't get too lost on the cross-overs, we have to take care of business in pool play first.

"That all breaks down to a suitable method. You have to take one game at a time, you've got to find out who our first game is and then take it from there."

FIBA