Meet the Boomers

Signet caught up with Australian Boomers - Patty Mills, Jock Landale, Josh Green, and equipment manager/honorary 13th Boomer, Junior Viranatuleo on the eve of their 2024 training camp. 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, Australia’s perpetual underdog status, and their mindset heading into 2024.

As a hopeful nation tuned into the men’s basketball quarterfinals at the 2020 Tokyo 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”

"The taste of the bronze medal only made the pursuit of the gold even more prevalent in our minds."

“In the world rankings, we came in behind a bunch of European teams and behind America. 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. It ties in with us always being the underdogs, but I think that we just embrace it and 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.” – Jock 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 sixty 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 bronze medal (rose gold), marking a turning point from which they will never look back.

“Now that we’ve made it over the hill, we know what’s possible. This is the standard now for men's Australian Basketball and we will take nothing less... we say ‘gold vibes only’ and nothing else whether on or off the court. I can’t wait.” - Patty Mills

“At the end of the day we're coming for the top dog spot. I can speak for the whole team and say that we're ready to go 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’ll surprise a lot of people.” - Josh Green

The 2024 squad is a mix of seasoned vets and exciting young talent. Guys like Patty Mills bring tons of experience and leadership while young guns like Josh Green, Dyson Daniels and Josh Giddey bring fresh energy and ambition. This blend of experience and youth makes the Boomers a formidable opponent for any team on the world stage.

While Signet has been supporting the Australian Boomers since 2019, this year has a different face on the Signet billboards - soul of the team and honorary 13th Boomer, 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 refills, 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 in 2024.

The Australian Boomers are looking to solidify their standing among the best basketball teams in the world and their dedication, teamwork, and talent are looking to be matched with results. “There’s no doubt that we can get a gold medal. Back in the day, we used to be worried and threatened by every other team. Not anymore. Now we have some of the best players in the world and the culture that will take us to the top spot. Gold vibes only, just you wait”. - Junior Viranatuleo.

"Now we have some of the best players in the world and the culture that will take us to the top spot. Gold vibes only, just you wait."

We’re proud to support Patty Mills, Josh Green, Jock Landale, Junior Viranatuleo and the Australian Boomers as members of Team Signet. Join us as we get behind them, the rest of the team, and over 60,000 other Aussie businesses all chasing their own dreams.