After a couple of days to catch his breath, Andrej Lemanis will be ready to pick up the phone and shift his focus to Tokyo, where his Boomers team could look very different.
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The Australian coach and his players were shattered following Sunday's 67-59 bronze medal game loss to France at the World Cup, where they led by 15 before falling in a tired heap in Beijing.
They had also led Spain by 11 in their semi-final only to lose, meaning their wait for a maiden international medal continues.
On the brink of tears, the players refused to speak to media post-game, with only Lemanis and bench utility Mitch Creek fronting a brief press conference before they fly home on Monday.
That disappointment came despite it being the side's best finish at a World Cup, and without five unavailable NBA talents.
Instead the likes of Nicholas Kay, Chris Goulding, Jock Landale and Creek had their moments complementing the Boomers' core group that came within one basket of a medal at Rio's Olympics three years ago.
Patty Mills powered the side with 22.8 points per game and was a somewhat curious omission from the tournament's All-Star five announced on Sunday night.
He could have some new teammates in Tokyo though, with NBA All-Star Ben Simmons and Philadelphia teammate Jonah Bolden, as well as Dante Exum, Ryan Broekhoff and Thon Maker all expected to put their hands up for the campaign, which begins in 312 days.
Simmons had committed to the World Cup before a late change of heart, while original squad member Bolden reportedly got cold feet when he realised his role wouldn't be as large as expected.
College standout Josh Green, still just 18, is also being hyped as a bolter for the squad.
Lemanis, who took the job from Brett Brown in 2013, and assistant Luc Longley remain contracted beyond Tokyo and are expected to oversee a second Olympic campaign together.
The coach won't dive into it yet, but anticipates there will be some "tough decisions to make" and that World Cup performances would "count for a lot".
"There's a bit of a time to take a breath," he said.
"It's a pretty insular environment, in your little bubble here at the World Cup.
"Things get escalated and skewed and all those sorts of things ... so a bit of time to take a breath and get on the debrief situations and start planning from there."
Lemanis hasn't spoken with Simmons or Bolden since entering camp in China but said he'd be doing the rounds shortly.
"You just keep the conversations going; the door's open," he said, insisting relationships remained strong with those who didn't compete in China.
"When it's time for selection camp, everyone who's prepared to put their hand up, puts their hand up."
Australian Associated Press
