AUS - Worthington: It just shows people back home
The ones who did travel to Hamamatsu, Japan, for the FIBA World
Championship proved with an 83-77 upset of Brazil they have plenty off
firepower and nerve.
There is no David Andersen, no Chris Anstey, no Matthew Nielsen and no Glen Saville.
But there is Brian Goorjian, a master tactician and motivator who
coaches the Boomers, and there are players like Mark Worthington who
are ready to do whatever it takes to win games in Japan.
Worthington came off the bench on Saturday and played 14 minutes. With
his team trailing 38-32 in the second quarter, he nailed back-to-back
three-pointers to tie the game and shift the momentum to the
Australians.
Worthington spoke to PA Sport's Jeff Taylor in an interview for FIBA
about the big triumph over Brazil in Group C, and the mindset off the
Australians.
FIBA: Mark, you had some big moments against Brazil, hitting those three-pointers, grabbed four rebounds.
Worthington: "I've been lacking of late, trying to get back into
basketball after my wrist injury, so it's a good chance for me to come
out, give our team a spark and I'm just happy we got an early win."
FIBA: With Group C being the so-called `Group of Death' , I
guess that victory was priceless. You also have to face Turkey, Greece,
Lithuania and Qatar.
Worthington: "I think a lot of people doubted who we've got on this
team, the players who have missed out or are injured or whatever. It
just shows the people back home just what kind of team we have. This
was a big step on the journey for us."
FIBA: Australia are without some of their bigger frontline
players, however, the team does seem to have a lot of shooters. Five
guys hit three-pointers
against Brazil.
Worthington: "It's just the way we play. When you've got Sammy (Sam
Mackinnon) at the four, it's just such a huge advantage that he can
take so
many people off the dribble. It's a puzzle to solve for whoever we're playing."
FIBA: Were you concerned that you might miss the FIBA World Championship with your wrist injury?
Worthington: "I had some doubts, missed two of the three training
camps. Brian, thankfully enough, brought me in for the third camp and I
knew I'd have to do other things than score because this is a pretty
potent offense. If I came in and did the job defensively, anything I
did offensively for the team was just a bonus. Luckily, I just stuck
with it (against Brazil).
FIBA: Could you sense the momentum shifted when you hit the
back-to-back three-pointers in the second quarter to tie the game at
38-38?
Worthington: "I sensed that we needed something at the time but I
didn't know that I was going to be the guy to do it. The opportunities
opened up and thankfully I knocked them down."
FIBA: Brazil made a run in the final couple of minutes and Goorjian called a timeout. How crucial was that?
Worthington: "We just needed to calm down. He settled us all down, ran through our press-break and that settled us down."
FIBA: How do you and the team move on from this?
Worthington: "We have to forget about this one, all the of the emotions
have to be dropped down to a neutral level and we just have to prepare
ourselves
for games the way we prepared for Brazil. There is nothing easy in this
group. We just have to take each game as it comes. Obviously, getting
this
first one is crucial for how we approach the rest of the tournament."
By Jeff Taylor
FIBA
Last Modified on 23/08/2006 12:31
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