Patrick Named to Australia Basketball Team Staff for Olympics
IslandStats.com
Basketball Australia released its Australian Men’s Basketball Squad for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, and it was announced that University of Arkansas Associate Head Basketball Coach David Patrick will serve as Assistant Coach for this campaign.
Patrick has previously served on the Australia staff, helping the National Team qualify for the Olympics with its performance at the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup. Brian Goorjian, who led the National Team at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics, returned to Australia as Head Coach in November 2020 and has asked Patrick to remain on staff this summer.
“I am honored to once again serve with the Australian National team,” Patrick said. “I am thrilled Coach Goorjian elected to have me be a part of his staff. We have a lot of NBA, NBL, and world-class talent on this squad. Having Coach Goorjian back as the head coach gives us a great opportunity to win a gold medal. I have deep roots in Australia and know the great talent the country has and continues to produce. This is a great honor, and I am thankful to Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman and everyone at the university for allowing me to pursue this opportunity.”
Australia, currently ranked #3 in the world, reached the Semi-Finals at the 2019 FIBA World Cup.
The Men’s Basketball competition of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games will be played July 25 – August 7, 2021. (Group phase: July 25 – August 1; Quarterfinals: August 3; Semifinals: August 5; Gold and Bronze Medal Games: August 7.) Qualified nations include host Japan, Argentina, Australia, France, Iran, Nigeria, Spain, and the USA. Four additional teams will qualify through FIBA’s Olympic Qualifying Tournaments, scheduled to take place from June 29–July 4.
