PSG Ambassador a Key for the Boomers

Coach Brian Goorjian is tipping indigenous teenager and 2008 PSG Ambassador Patrick Mills, to be a "very, very important" part of the Boomers' Olympic basketball campaign.

Nineteen-year-old Mills has been included in Goorjian's preliminary 33-man Olympic squad to be whittled down to 12 for the Beijing Games in August.

Mills, who has been excelling in the US college competition, was among a dozen overseas-based players named including NBA star Andrew Bogut and Matthew Nielsen.

Goorjian said Mills' skill in the point guard role was a key asset.

"It's an important position for us, we've got a lot of depth in a lot of positions but that position we are a little concerned about," said Goorjian on Wednesday.

"So not only do I see him being a part of it I seem him being a very, very important part.

"I think he's got to take a lot of credit for us qualifying, you know, he had a huge impact on the team in the qualifying series against New Zealand.

"He's gone to America and performed great and he's also a young Aboriginal boy who's a tremendous role model."

Newly-crowned NBL MVP Chris Anstey is back after not playing a major event for the Boomers since 2000.

"He's playing great basketball right now and he hasn't been available for a while so again it's an Olympic year and we are really excited that Chris has made himself available and in my conversations with him he's very, very excited about the opportunity to play in Beijing," said Goorjian.

Article by Yahoo Sport.