Hawks rookie Akoldah Gak will get his chance to impress on the global stage after being selected in the Australian under 19s men's squad for the 2021 FIBA World Cup.
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The 12-player Emus team was announced on Thursday following a four-day camp at Canberra's High Performance Centre and features several NBL talents, including Gak, Bullets duo Tamuri Wigness and Blake Jones, and Sydney's Jaylin Galloway and Biwali Bayles. Gak, who is 204 centrimetres tall, has featured in four NBL games for the Hawks since arriving in Wollongong last October.
The World Cup will be held in Latvia next month, where the Aussies have been drawn into group D alongside Mali, Turkey and the US.
"There was a consistent high level of performance by all players at selection camp resulting in some very tough calls being made," Australian head coach Darren Perry said.
"Our team for the World Cup in July is versatile and will be able to play with pressure defense and have the ability to score the basketball in many different ways. We know that all our opponents will be formidable and we look forward to meeting all challenges that come our way and to represent our country with honour."
Australian squad:
Taran Armstrong, Biwali Bayles, Reyne Smith, Tamuri Wigness, Jaylin Galloway, Blake Jones, Bol Dengdit, Dyson Daniels, Leyi Adebayo, Akoldah Gak, David Okwera and Yaak Yaak.
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Joshua Bartlett
A sporting fanatic who is keen to promote all codes in the Illawarra and abroad. Mercury's chief football reporter.
A sporting fanatic who is keen to promote all codes in the Illawarra and abroad. Mercury's chief football reporter.
