Signet caught up courtside with Australian Boomers – Josh Green, Patty Mills, Jock Landale, and equipment manager/honorary 13th Boomer, Junior Viranatuleo. In between a series of intense drills and practice games, we sat down with each of the guys to discuss the future of the team and the Boomers' perpetual underdog status.
As a hopeful nation tuned into the men’s basketball quarter¬ finals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, the Australian Boomers took to the court, determined that it was the last time they would almost get a medal. After years of heartbreak, and four quarter-final losses, the Boomers would ¬finally take home the bronze. Although it was a turning point for the team, it didn’t change international perception. Despite the medals around their necks and an ever-growing roster of incredible NBL and NBA players, the Australian Boomers were still seen as “underdogs”.
Australian centre, Jock Landale summed it up well: “In the world rankings, we came in behind a bunch of European teams. It just seems that anytime these competitions come around, we seem to be disrespected, and they don’t take us as seriously as they should. We’re always the underdogs, but I think that we just embrace it. It's just part of our identity. The taste of the bronze medal only made the pursuit of the gold even more prevalent in our minds,” says Landale.
Since 1956, the Boomers have embodied the idea of an underdog, earning Australia’s love and support through persistence and adversity. They struggled for over 60 years to be taken seriously and before 2020, it resulted in nothing but heart-wrenching losses, nail-biting close calls, and a sense of being overlooked. The nation stood by them through it all, but it was time for a change. To evolve as international contenders, the Boomers decided to shed their underdog mindset in favour of what they called the "gold vibes only" mentality. They were one of the best teams in the world and they were going to act like it. This shift in perspective helped fuel their historic ¬ first ever medal (bronze – or ‘rose gold’), marking a turning point from which they were determined to never look back.
“We have made it over the hill before, we know it’s possible. That is the standard now for men's Australian Basketball. We say, ‘gold vibes only’ and nothing else whether on or off the court.” – Patty Mills
The 2024 Paris Olympics didn’t unfold as the Boomers had hoped. A nail-biting quarter-final saw them fall just short, losing 95-90 in overtime to Serbia, ending their Olympic campaign. It was a devastating blow after an incredibly promising lead-up and with arguably their strongest line-up to date.
The Boomers wing man, Josh Green re‑ reflected on the loss: “It was hard but we’re not deterred. At the end of the day we're still coming for the top dog spot. I can speak for the whole team and say that we’ll be ready no matter what the media says. If you look at the last 10 years, and the team we have now, there's no reason why we can't be one of the best countries, if not the best. I think that's what Australia and Australian Basketball has been waiting for and we have the potential to surprise a lot of people.” said Green.
“Anytime these competitions come around, we seem to be disrespected, and they don’t take us as seriously as they should. We’re always the underdogs, but I think that we just embrace it. It's just part of our identity.” – Jock Landale
While Signet has been supporting the Australian Boomers since 2019, there has been a new face on the Signet billboards – soul of the team, honorary 13th Boomer and world renowned equipment manager, Junior Viranatuleo. A quiet voice among the team, Junior takes his role as seriously as any of the players. The way he sees it, his job description doesn’t just include managing the team's equipment, bookings, logistics and water re lls, but also winning a gold medal. Junior's humble nature and hard work ethic are as much a representation of the Australian spirit as any Olympic athlete, which is why we're proud to shine the light on him.
The Australian Boomers are still looking to solidify their standing among the best basketball teams in the world and their dedication, teamwork and talent will soon be matched with the results.
Signet is proud to support Josh Green, Patty Mills, Jock Landale, Junior Viranatuleo and the Australian Boomers as their major sponsor, and we can’t wait to see them shake their underdog status. We're behind the Boomers and over 60,000 Aussie businesses all chasing their own dreams
