Matisse Thybulle, the former University of Washington star and current Portland Trail Blazers swingman, has reportedly been selected for the final 12-man Australian men's basketball team preparing for the Paris Olympics, but the move was not well received in Australia.
The 27-year-old Thybulle, who is 6ft 5in tall, was allowed to try out for the Australian team as a US-born player because he lived in Sydney for seven years before moving back to the North West as a child.
His exclusion from the Olympics caused a bit of a stir among basketball media across the country.
“It's a shock that Matisse Thybulle has been left out of the Boomers team,” said Melbourne digital producer Jack Powell. “It's incomprehensible that he wasn't selected and the Australian public deserves an explanation for this decision.”
Writer Ben Quagliata said: “If this is real, then Matisse isn't really a joke.”
Thybulle appeared in 19 of 65 games for the Trail Blazers last season, averaging 5.4 points and 2.1 rebounds while shooting a career-low 39.7 percent from the field. The latter concern likely contributed to him missing out on a spot on the Olympic roster.
The NBA players selected for Australia's team are Miami Heat guard Patty Mills, Minnesota Timberwolves centre Joe Ingles, Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey, New Orleans Pelicans winger Dyson Daniels, Dallas Mavericks winger Dante Exum, Charlotte Hornets winger Josh Green and Thybulle's former teammate on the Trail Blazers, Duop Rees.
“Mathis is a really interesting guy. He's definitely the best defender on the team. He's one of the best defenders in the NBA,” former Utah Ute and NBA center Andrew Bogut said on the Gold Standard Podcast. “I think the ups and downs of his shooting have been a concern.”
For the latest UW football and basketball news, visit si.com/college/washington
