Sam Froling Named in Boomers' Extended Squad for World Cup

Sam Froling has been named in the Australian Boomers extended 18-man squad ahead of the 2023 FIBA World Cup, featuring a record number of NBA players and Tokyo bronze medallists.

For the first time, the Boomers have ten current NBA players in their squad including Patty Mills, Matisse Thybulle, Joe Ingles, Jock Landale, Josh Green, Matthew Dellavedova, Xavier Cooks, Jack White, Dyson Daniels, and Josh Giddey.

The extended squad will take part in a training camp in Cairns in the lead up to the World Cup before the final roster of 12 is named ahead of the team’s opening game in Japan on August 25.

Froling already has great experience at the national level, being a member of Australia’s gold medal winning FIBA Asia Cup team in 2022. He also played for Australia during the FIBA Q4 World Qualifiers in August 2022 as well as Q5 World Qualifiers in November 2022.

Australian Boomers Head Coach, Brian Goorjian, said the extended squad marks another milestone on the road to the World Cup and gives the coaches plenty of options.

“Pulling together this extended squad has taken time – it’s been a thorough process. The coaches and I have had many discussions about getting the mix right, but I’m really pleased with where we’ve landed with the guys we’ve selected, there’s a good balance across the court,” Goorjian said.

“The fact it’s been so tough goes to show the depth of talent we have in Australian basketball right now and this extends back to all the pathway programs, the Centre of Excellence and the dedicated coaches who have been committed to growing our game, setting the standard, and getting us to this position.

The 2023 FIBA World Cup runs from 25 August to 10 September and for the first time, will be co-hosted between three nations – The Philippines, Japan and Indonesia.