- Jack McVeigh left his honeymoon in Bali to play for Australia
- McVeigh’s wife and friends are currently celebrating abroad.
- He was the Boomers’ standout player against China.
Nick Kyrgios has Australian sport’s most famous love affair with John Cain Arena, but the basketball star who skipped his honeymoon to play basketball at the venue has his own romance story to tell.
Jack McVeigh swapped his nuptials in balmy Bali for the winter chill of Melbourne, all in the hope of booking the trip of a lifetime to the Paris Olympics.
And the move is looking increasingly likely to pay off, after McVeigh earned his first audition for the Games with a dominant display in the Boomers’ warm-up win over China on Tuesday night.
The 203cm forward torched the visitors, hitting six of eight shots from long range on his way to a team-high 24 points in the 107-87 rout.
“It was an easy decision, but I organized a trip to Bali with 15 of my friends and my wife, obviously,” said McVeigh, who married Beth last month.
‘It was a honeymoon trip that everyone went on and they’re having a great time, and here I am (in Melbourne).
‘I think they would have been cheering themselves up with a couple of drinks and having a great time.
“Everything had been planned for a long time and even then I had no idea about (a possible participation in the Olympic Games).”
Jack McVeigh (pictured) swapped his wedding celebration in balmy Bali to play for the Boomers in Melbourne
McVeigh (pictured with his wife Beth) hopes to take her to Paris if selected.
McVeigh is confident he can convince his wife to take another trip later this month.
“They’re having the time of their lives,” McVeigh said. ESPN.
“I hope I can drag Beth to Paris.”
A late bloomer, McVeigh got his first big break at the NBL’s pandemic hub, John Cain Arena, three years ago and shot to fame in March by leading the Tasmanian JackJumpers to a fairytale championship at the same venue.
His desperation three-pointer to win Game 3 will go down in league history, as will his MVP performance in the best-of-five series decider against Melbourne United.
The 28-year-old added another chapter to the story as the standout player in a Boomers team packed with NBA talent’s series-opening win over China.
Now he is looking to use his favourite stage – where tennis bad boy Kyrgios has long enjoyed fervent support during his Australian Open appearances – as a springboard to Paris.
“I definitely enjoy this stadium,” McVeigh said.
McVeigh had an excellent game for the Boomers on Tuesday night.
‘It’s actually where I envision my basketball career really taking off.
‘In the (pandemic) bubble, a guy on our team got injured and that was the first time I really played consistent minutes in the NBL.
“This stadium will always mean something special to me, that’s for sure.”
McVeigh has one more chance to assert his Olympic credentials when the Boomers face China again on Thursday night.
After that, coach Brian Goorjian will whittle his 17-man team down to a final Olympic roster of 12.
McVeigh, considered an unlikely candidate for the Games at the start of the year, is taking nothing for granted.
“I’m not on drugs right now. I’m locked in,” he said.
“It’s a marathon, not a sprint. I’m going to show up to training and give it my all, and then we have another game on Thursday.
‘If I make the team, I’ll be secured and ready to go to Paris.
‘I love playing basketball and I’m grateful to be able to do it here.
“It’s very competitive. I have no idea (if I’ll be chosen).”
“I know ‘Goorj’ has a tough decision to make and I definitely don’t envy him that role.”