Basketball On The Internet.

DAVID Andersen and Matthew Dellavedova could give Australia a record five NBA players if luck favors the Boomers Olympians after the upcoming Oceania Series against New Zealand.

Both the Boomers and Opals are in camp today in Canberra ahead of what should be two very contrasting world championship qualifiers, Australia favorite for both.

Two of Australia's three current NBA players - Patty Mills and Aron Baynes - are in Andrej Lemanis' squad, with only Andrew Bogut unavailable, recovering from injury.

(Bogey has given assurances he again will wear the green-and-gold when healthy.)

Free agent Andersen, a Euroleague superstar for more than a decade, is a free agent getting nibbles of interest for an NBA return.

Dellavedova will head back to Cleveland Cavaliers preseason camp earmarked as a third point guard option, coach Mike Brown even likening him to a young Steve Nash!

(Brown coached Nash at the LA Lakers last season before being axed, so he is a good one to make the call.)

First, of course, the Boomers have the Tall Blacks to handle next Wednesday at Auckland's North Shore Events Centre, then again at The Palace in Canberra on Sunday-week.

The winner of the two-game Oceania Series will receive the higher seeding for next year's FIBA World Championship in Spain.

Not sure what the higher seeding is truly worth, given it didn't seem to make much difference at the last Worlds.

But the tryst will be interesting regardless considering the NZ Breakers are reigning and triple-NBL champions and have dominated Australia at that level for a while now.

Their coach through that emergence, Lemanis, should be just the man to bring the Boomers past many of his former charges so at least we have that part of the binennial international journey covered.

Andrej spoke with me recently for NewsCorp, the upshot at: http://bit.ly/13Gim8t if you missed it. 

THE moment you add players such as Lauren Jackson, Belinda Snell, Jenni Screen, Laura Hodges and Abby Bishop, you have an Opals squad heading toward world championship quality.

And that's what Brendan Joyce has with his squad of 16 for the showdown with the Tall Ferns.

Clearly, Joyce is taking no chances, the Oceania Series actually relevant in the women because only its winner advances to next year's FIBA World Championship in Turkey.

Four years ago at Porirua’s Te Rauparaha Arena – the last time the FIBA Oceania Championship doubled as a world championship qualifying series - the Opals smacked New Zealand, then repeated the dose in the return match in Canberra a few nights later.

While Australia has Jackson back, Tall Ferns skipper Natalie Taylor is battling to make it after tearing up her knee midway through the WNBL season and needing a clean out of scar tissue last month.

“At the moment, that’s not really looking favorable for us,” Tall Ferns coach Kennedy Kereama said of her prospects.

“Her long-term health is the most important thing, so if she can come into camp and play a leadership role – be the spiritual leader – that would be a massive addition to the program.”

The full Tall Ferns squad for Oceania is: Stella Beck (Hutt Valley-Porirua Flyers), Brooke Blair (Harbour Breeze), Shinae Blair (Harbour Breeze), Jess Bygate (Dickinson State University), Micaela Cocks (Townsville Fire), Megan Craig (University at Albany), Shea Crotty (Canterbury Wildcats), Penina Davidson (Auckland Lady Hawks), Toni Edmondson (West Coast Waves), Samara Gallaher (Otago Gold Rush), Jordan Hunter (Auckland Lady Hawks/Southeast Missouri University), Anna Lacey (Harbour Breeze), Casey Lockwood (Townsville Fire), Kalani Purcell (Waikato Wizards), Terai Sadler (Taranaki Trojans/Crowder College), Josie Stockill (Colgate University), Natalie Taylor (Logan Thunder), Rebecca van Kuyk (Harbour Breeze), Lisa Wallbutton (West Coast Waves).

The Opals' squad was reviewed at NewsCorp at http://bit.ly/1736r7c if you want to check that out.

IN case you didn't know, ABC-TV will televise the second legs of the Oceania Series live from Canberra and you can even see the first leg live (or its highlights on ABC as well) on your PC.

How? Well, kind of gave it all away here: http://bit.ly/1baphw4

SO that's what's coming up for our elite national players.

What does the future hold?

Well, you've heard of Dante Exum, Stephanie Talbot and Ben Simmons.

How about this Aussie? http://bit.ly/13JxFfD

HIGH performance calendars – they continue to work for at least three months into a New Year – are now available at the BA SuperStore in Sydney.

Was truly hoping to find one in the mail on Friday for the blog’s first birthday...