David Patrick is looking forward to playing his part in helping the Australia men’s basketball team achieve success at this World Cup this summer.

The Bermudian has retained his position as assistant coach and will work alongside head coach Brian Goorjian during the upcoming tournament, which takes place from August 25 to September 10 in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia.

“It’s an honour to be chosen by Coach Goorjian and Basketball Australia to be on the Boomers’ staff,” Patrick, the Sacrament State University head coach commented on the school’s website.

“The culture and togetherness cannot be duplicated when you step into the Boomer environment. It will be another amazing feeling to wear the green and gold on the world stage, and compete for a gold medal”.

Patrick was first appointed as Australia’s assistant coach in 2019 and helped coach the country to its best showing of fourth at the FIBA World Cup as well as to a maiden win over the United States in the same year.

The Boomers just missed out on a podium finish after losing a 67–59 to France in the bronze-medal match.

Australia are ranked No 3 in the world and are heading into the 32-team tournament with a formidable team boasting NBA players Josh Giddey, Patty Mills, Matisse Thybulle, Joe Ingles, Jock Landale, Josh Green, Matthew Dellavedova, Xavier Cooks, Jack White and Dyson Daniels.

They will take on Finland, Germany and Japan in group E and will open their campaign against the Finns in Okinawa on August 25.

The top two countries in each of the eight groups will advance to the second round with the remaining two to face off in a classification round to determine the final rankings from seventeenth to 32nd.

Qualification for the 2024 Olympic Games and other Olympic qualifying tournaments are also available with a total of seven teams and hosts France, subject to FIBA approval, directly qualifying for Paris next year.

The top two countries among the four groups in the second round will advance to the quarter-finals, while the bottom two will be eliminated and ranked from ninth to 16th.

The losers in the quarter-finals will play in the classification round to determine fifth through eight, with the losing semi-finalists to face off in the bronze-medal match.

Spain are the defending champions after defeating Argentina 95–75 in the final to claim their second World Cup title.

Born in Bermuda, Patrick moved with his mother to Melbourne, Australia, where he played for the Melbourne Tigers and professionally in the National Basketball League with the Canberra Cannons.

He led Sacramento to 14 wins this past season in his debut campaign as head coach, which is the best record by a first-year head coach in the school’s Division I era and the third best in programme history.

Patrick has also served on the coaching staff at the University of Oklahoma, University of Arkansas and St Mary’s College.