MELBOURNE, Australia -- Boomers point guard Matthew Dellavedova says suiting up for Australia and playing in front of 55,000 jubilant Filipinos will be an 'awesome' feeling and an opportunity the entire team is relishing.
A sellout crowd is expected on Monday night at Bulacan's Philippine Arena when Australia -- who have been bolstered by the arrival of NBA stars Dellavedova and Thon Maker -- meet a confident Gilas Pilipinas in what will be the final World Cup qualifier from the first round and one that will determine who tops Group B.
Dellavedova, an NBA champion with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016, says although there's going to be fanatical support for the home side, it will still be a memorable occasion for the travelling Australians.
"It's going to be an awesome experience for everyone," Dellavedova told media in Melbourne before the team jetted off to Asia. "I went there last year and it was a lot of fun, they love basketball in the Phillipines and get really into it.
"I think it's a 55,000 seat stadium so I imagine they're going to have a pretty loud home crowd and I'm looking forward to playing in front of them. We're all looking forward to it."
Boomers head coach Andrej Lemanis was quick to echo his star player's sentiments, claiming that the entire squad is excited to be involved in such a significant game.
"In terms of experience it will be great and one we are looking forward to," Lemanis said. "We're all really looking forward to [playing in a venue] which will be packed out with good basketball fans.
"We have spoken about that as a group, the importance of these games in terms of setting yourself up for round two [of qualifying for the World Cup]."
Australia (4-1), won the first leg between the two nations 84-68 at Margaret Court Arena in February but on Friday suffered a shock loss to Japan while the Philippines (4-1) eased past Chinese Taipei.