Rocco Zikarsky and Alex Toohey are set to headline an emerging Australian Boomers team for a pair of games against Japan in June.

The pair of NBL Next Stars — both of whom are among the country’s most promising young talents, and on track to be NBA draft picks in 2025 — will lead the Australia select team in the Nissay Cup 2024; a two-game series against Japan, scheduled for June 22 and 23 at the Hokkaido Sports Center.

The team was announced by Basketball Australia on Wednesday, and features a mixture of promising young talent and experienced Boomers.

The Perth Wildcats’ Ben Henshall and University of Florida’s Alex Condon are among the elite up-and-comers on the team, as well as three recent college graduates bound for the NBL: the Sydney Kings’ Keli Leaupepe and Tyler Robertson, and the Wildcats’ Elijah Pepper.

Accompanying the up-and-coming players are a trio who have been part of the Boomers program over the years, with Mitch McCarron, Mitch Norton, and Sam Froling named to the team, which will be coached by Melbourne United’s Dean Vickerman.

Rounding out the team is United’s Kyle Bowen and recent University of Louisville signee, Reyne Smith.

Select members of this team will travel to Melbourne after the pair of Nissay Cup games in order to attend training camp with the primary Boomers squad, who will be preparing for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

“This tour of Asia helps us bring a broader group across our senior teams together and reinforce that they are a part of the whole,” Jason Smith, Basketball Australia’s Executive General Manager of High Performance, said.

“The Boomers aren’t defined by the final 12 that eventually head to tournaments like the Olympics but a sum of every player that contributes and competes.

“Our aspiration continues in providing a multi-faceted system where every player feels supported in their journey as an Australian basketballer. This starts from their days as a junior representative on to the biggest stages in the world.”

Two players missing from this select team are the University of Kansas’ Johnny Furphy and Duke University’s Tyrese Proctor, both of whom were in the mix to be selected, Basketball Australia says, but had prior commitments in the U.S.

The Nissay Cup will be an opportunity to see more of Zikarsky, 17, at the senior level. The 7’3 big-man is coming off being named MVP of the 2024 Albert Schweitzer Tournament, and is entering his second season as a Next Star with the Brisbane Bullets as a potential first round pick for the 2025 NBA Draft.

Toohey — a 6’8 wing — is also preparing for his second season in the NBL’s Next Stars program, as a member of the Kings, with hopes of elevating his draft stock under new head coach Brian Goorjian.

For the games in Japan, Vickerman will be flanked by a pair of assistants: the Cairns Taipans’ Kerry Williams and the Tasmania JackJumpers’ Jack Fleming.

Australian Boomers Select Team

Kyle Bowen
Mitch Norton
Alex Condon
Elijah Pepper
Ben Henshall
Tyler Robertson
Sam Froling
Reyne Smith
Keli Leaupepe
Alex Toohey
Mitchell McCarron
Rocco Zikarsky

NISSAY CUP 2024 Schedule (AEST)

June 22 @ 3:30pm: Australian Boomers vs. Japan

June 23 @ 5pm: Australian Boomers vs. Japan