WATCH TAB Courtside 1v1 on SBS with Megan Hustwaite weekly on Thursday from 7pm (AEDT) via , or catch up via , or at the top of this article.
Landale was the latest player to feature on TAB Courtside 1v1 on SBS with Megan Hustwaite and delved deeper into just what it means to represent his country.
“It means the world (to be a Boomer),” Landale said. “It was my main goal when I started out as a basketballer.
“I sat down with my old man and we kind of ran through who I would like to be as a player and what I would like to accomplish by the end of my career, and to be a Boomer was at the top of that list.
“There's no feeling like it; playing for a fan base that is an entire country and playing with a bunch of guys that are so closely knit.
“We all wear that pride and it's all we live for - playing for our country at the Olympics.
“I'm yet to break into the Olympic squad which is the ultimate goal, but being able to have the opportunity to play for the World Cup Boomers was amazing in itself.
“You know, you get asked this question – ‘what does it mean to play for the Boomers’ - and it's so hard to answer because it's like a flurry of emotions that run through you for three weeks and you don't really have time to sit down, analyse them and be like, ‘damn, what does this actually mean to me’.
“But for me, simply put, it's everything; it's all I've ever really dreamed of as a basketball player and I think we’re cut out to do special things at the Olympics this year.”
The 25-year-old recently signed a one-year-deal with NBL giants Melbourne United and will hope to impress on home soil before potentially reuniting with the likes of Patty Mills on the plane to Tokyo in July.
“Patty thinks about it every night going to bed, I think about it every night, waking up as well as going to bed, so I'll just try and one-up him real quick,” he added.
“But you know, I do think about it a lot. When you set out to achieve a goal and that goal becomes winning a gold medal at an Olympics – which is a realistic goal for us – every time you step on the court, it's in the back of your mind.
“I wouldn't say that it crosses my mind every single day, I'm probably a little bit more tame than that, but it does cross my mind multiple times a week.
“It's something that has definitely started coming more and more to the front of the conversation when it comes to basketball in my life.
“Right now, that's where my real ambition is; just making sure that I'm in the best nick possible to get into that squad when the time comes, make a real impact and be part of that process of winning a medal because it'll be history – we’ll be the first team in Australia to ever do it.”
WATCH the next episode of TAB Courtside 1v1 on SBS with Megan Hustwaite on Thursday, January 28 at 7pm (AEDT) via , or catch up via .
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Landale discussed numerous topics with Hustwaite, including the following:
0:40 - 316 days between basketball games
1:38 - Roller-coaster 2020
2:08 - Will he/won’t he go to the NBA was exhausting
3:10 - Time in Serbia was riddled with mental health issues
3:54 - Seen the darkest days mentally
5:07 - Life on the land back home
7:00 - Signing with Melbourne United
8:00 - Didn’t tap into basketball until age 14
9:20 - NBL debut last weekend
10:14 - Forecast of United’s campaign
10:26 - Doesn’t believe anyone will beat United - "This is our season to lose"
11:28 - "It means the world" to be an Australian Boomer
13:43 - Olympics and winning gold is always in the back of the mind
14:10 - Being in the best shape possible to win Olympic selection
15:55 - Look ahead to Round 2 of the NBL
SBS will again broadcast multiple regular-season NBA games per week in HD on SBS VICELAND and streamed live via SBS On Demand. Plus, every game of the upcoming 2020-21 NBL season will be LIVE, FREE and in HD via , with select games also live on SBS VICELAND.
