Thursday, 15 August 2019:

THON MAKER of the Boomers speaks to assistant coach LUC LONGLEY during an Australian Boomers training session at Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre in Melbourne, Australia.

Boomers assistant coach Luc Longley says Australia's shooting star power has blown him away, and he can't wait to see what they can produce at the upcoming World Cup in China.

NBA regulars such as Patty Mills and Joe Ingles have been shooting the lights out at training in Perth this week.

And with Matthew Dellavedova, Chris Goulding, and Cameron Gliddon also noted three-point shooters, the Boomers will boast a wealth of long-range firepower at the World Cup.

"I think you'll be surprised by how well everyone is shooting. I've never been to a camp where everyone has shot so well," said Longley, a three-time NBA title-winner with the Chicago Bulls.

"In the 80s and 90s we made a lot of noise about Andrew Gaze and Shane Heal being great shooters.

"We've got five guys in the team that shoot as well or better than those guys."

The jostle for game time will begin this week when the Boomers host Canada in warm-up games at Perth's RAC Arena on Friday and Saturday night.

Mitch Creek has been rushed into the squad after Xavier Cooks was ruled out of the World Cup with a knee injury.

Creek was unlucky to miss the original 12-man squad, and Longley feels the 27-year-old can make an important impact at the World Cup.

"Probably one of the hardest things I've ever had to do as a coach is tell Mitch that he wasn't in the team," Longley said.

"It's the worst part of the job. You've got to sit with 18 guys and six of them get bad news, but that was one of the hardest ones that I've ever had to deliver."

Canada should have boasted a squad brimming with NBA talent.

But a raft of withdrawals has left them with just two NBA players at best.

Australia will use the two games against Canada to experiment heavily with their line-up.

The Boomers face Canada in their opening World Cup game on September 1, meaning both teams will hold back important tactical plays in the warm-up games in Perth.

AAP