Keanu Pinder will come in as a replacement for injured captain Will Magnay for the FIBA 2027 World Cup qualifying double versus New Zealand with the first game in Hobart on Friday, 28 November.
It will be Pinder’s first game in the green and gold since fixtures in Melbourne for the Boomers 2023 Qualification run. The West Australian forward / centre was a central piece in the Boomers 2022 Asia Cup gold medal campaign.
Pinder was most recently in Australia as a cog in a high-powered Perth Wildcats offense from 2023 – 2025, before heading to Asia with Shanxi Loongs in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA).
The veteran big is currently inter-season mid with the Akita Northern Happinets in Japan’s B-League.
Associate Head Coach, Dean Vickerman noted the importance of adding a talented big with the late withdrawal of Will Magnay.
"We welcome Keanu Pinder onto the Boomers roster and believe his elite skill set will be a great addition to the team,” said Vickerman.
It’s all systems go for the run into Hobart with Boomers versus Tall Blacks in the first leg on 28 November at MyState Bank Arena. The team will then travel to Wellington on 1 December for the away leg.
Follow the action live on ESPN, official broadcast partner of the FIBA World Cup in Australia & New Zealand.
Hobart is the official host city of this FIBA World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifier and the event is supported by the Tasmanian Government.
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