Vasiljevic: 'Coming to Adelaide gave me Olympic hope'

Adelaide 36ers star guard DJ Vasiljevic said his return to the NBL played a huge part in being named in the Australian Boomers initial squad for the Paris Olympic Games.

Vasiljevic was named in Australia’s 22-man squad on Thursday and the 190cm guard said his move back to the NBL was key in making the initial line-up.

“It’s always an honour to make these squads, it’s the main reason I came back to the NBL,” Vasiljevic said on Thursday.

“If I stayed in the US and played in the G-League, I don’t think Goorj (head coach Brian Goorjian) would have seen what he needed to see from me.

“I think I put myself in a great position playing for Adelaide and allowing him (Goorjian) to see the real me and how I can impact a game.”

Vasiljevic was part of the Boomers recent FIBA window, where Australia defeated Korea and Indonesia, and said playing in the Boomers system was a great opportunity to showcased his skillset.

“I didn’t shoot the ball particularly well during the FIBA window, but I showed what I can bring to the team, impacting the game in different ways, especially with my playmaking,” Vasiljevic said.

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“Coming to Adelaide has really given me this opportunity, the organisation has the trust in me to lead the team for the next three years along with Isaac (Humphries) and I can’t wait to see where the future holds.”

The Boomers 22-man squad will be trimmed before training camp in July.