by The annual Australian Under-18 Championships will begin this Saturday, despite concern that Cyclone Debbie would damage the stadiums, airport, roads and other associated venues in and around Townsville.
Basketball Australia has reassured that they have stayed in constant contact with Townsville Basketball, and the all clear has been received.
Victoria Metro men will be looking to defend their crown at the tournament, after they went undefeated at last year’s event. However, it’ll be a different looking Vic Metro, with only two players returning from the 2016 championship team – Tyler Robertson and Sean Macdonald.
There is a familiar name lining up for Vic Metro in Austin Bradtke, who is the son of Hall of Famer, Mark. Bradtke has experience in Australian junior championships, representing Victoria at the 2013 Under-14 Boys Club Championships, where he averaged 8.8 points, and the 2015 Under-16 Championships, where the big man posted 11.2 points and 7.6 rebounds per game.
Coach Darren Perry is tasked with securing Vic Metro’s fourth title in the last five years, but it won’t be easy. There is talent littered all across the men’s bracket, with numerous members from Australia’s Under-17 national team taking the court in Townsville.
Lachlan Dent (New South Wales Country), Benjamin Fakira (New South Wales Metro), Samson Froling (Queensland North), Kody Stattmann (Queensland North), Callum Dalton (Queensland South) and Kyle Bowen (Western Australia Metro) will all be hoping their international skills translate to state-level success.
Daniel Vlahov –a distant relative of NBL royalty Andrew– will line up for Western Australia Metro*.
To view the full fixture for the men’s 2017 Under-18 Championships, click here.
Vic Metro will be looking to continue their dominance in the women’s division, as they seek a fourth consecutive championship. If Paul Flynn’s squad achieves this feat, it’ll be the fourth time in the tournament’s history a team wins four straight titles.
A trio of players will return to the Vic Metro roster, including Keeley Frawley, Cassidy Gould and Maddi Puli.
Similar to the men’s though, plenty of challengers will be looking to dethrone Vic Metro. Three representatives from the Under-17 national team will all line up for different states, with Miela Goodchild (Queensland South), Samantha Simons (South Australia Metro) and Jazmin Shelley (Victoria Country) all looking to lead their teams to gold.
Queensland South is tipped to be one of the title favourites, as they have a core of seven players who won gold at the Under-16’s two years ago – Goodchild, Paige Bayliss, Jessica McDowell-White, Jade Kirisome, Monika Faerber, Brianna Gregory-Johnson and Ula Motuga.
Another name that is sure to attract headlines is New South Wales Metro’s Shyla Heal, the daughter of former NBL Champion, Shane Heal. Other famous names to take the court include Frawley, who is the daughter of former AFL champion Danny, and Isobel Anstey, the daughter of Australian basketball legend, Chris. Both Frawley and Anstey will represent Vic Metro, with Chris an Assistant Coach for the men’s team.
To view the full fixture for the women’s 2017 Under-18 Championships, click here.
Team lists
Men
Australian Capital Territory
- Bradley Pateman
- Alex Archer
- Derek Emelifeonwu
- Dominick Moran
- Jarrod Fenwick
- Tristan Scotcher
- Zac McDermott
- William Mayfield
- Josh Brennan
- James Gorddard
Head Coach: Daniel Jackson
Assistant Coach: Vivek Gupta
Assistant Coach: Dylan Simpson
Northern Territory
- Keenan Abbott
- Jai O’Shaughnessy
- James Toohey
- Denzel Tulloch
- Max Davies
- Jesse Schatz
- Joel Stevens
- Jackson Tremlett
- Jordan Sing
- Jai Weetra
Head Coach: Rodney Tremlett
Assistant Coach: Daniel East
Development Coach: Brittany Ward
Manager: Cheryl O’Shaughnessy
New South Wales Country
- Connor Edwards
- Will Cranston-Lown
- Alexander Clinton
- Lachlan Dent
- Ethan Dawber
- Askam Reed Nottage
- Matur Maluach
- Brandon Freire
- Max Cooper
- Riley O’Shannessy
Head Coach: Matthew Johnston
Assistant Coach: Matthew Bishop
Assistant Coach: Todd Turner
Manager: Gerard Mason
New South Wales Metro
- Tyrone Jay
- Ted Ferguson
- Hunter-Jack Madden
- Hayden Blankley
- Hunter Goodrick
- Isaiah Lee
- Benjamin Fakira
- Lachlan Charlton
- Harry Hughes
- Quinn Campbell
Head Coach: Robbie McKinlay
Assistant Coach: William Lopez
Assistant Coach: BJ Carter
Manager: Christopher Morrison
Queensland North
- Aiden Krause
- Benjamin Wright
- Kody Stattmann
- Riley Clarke
- Jace Arnold
- Botond Hajos
- Mitchell Knight
- Callum Parsons
- Samson Froling
- Ryan Runnalls
Head Coach: Shane Froling
Assistant Coach: Bradley Kann
Assistant Coach: Raymond Cooper
Manager: Paul Krause
Queensland South
- Hussein Kiza
- Nicholas Stoddart
- Flynn Cameron
- Callum Dalton
- Dut Chol
- Lachlan Mills
- Elijah Puna
- Chol Guet
- Frazer Roberts
- Donovan Crowe
Head Coach: Luke Cann
Assistant Coach: Sean Carroll
Assistant Coach: Kirron Byrne
Manager: Julie Maroske
South Australia Country
- Marshall Howe
- Alex Roberts
- Connor Smelt
- Zac Florance
- Jackson Walsh
- Mitch Wellington
- Sebastian Bald
- Lewis Ridley
- Hudson Walsh
- Mason Hein
Head Coach: Mark Billington
Assistant Coach: Bryan Green
Development Coach: Ryan Byrne
Physiotherapist: Libby Harrison
Manager: Roger Hammond
Manager: Jamie Petty
Assistant Manager: Jackson Thomson
South Australia Metro
- James Adcock
- Riley Meldrum
- Mark Mudronja
- Toby Hunt
- Hayden Meakes
- Fabian Johnson
- Moses Nuangki
- Jesse Wall
- Anyang Garang
- Jarryd Hoppo
Head Coach: Andrew Jantke
Assistant Coach: Jason Joynes
Development Coach: Cobi Jones
Apprentice Coach: Lachlan Coppick
Physiotherapist: Jamie Phillips
Manager: Joe Tertzakian
Tasmania
- Tre Armstrong
- Troy Schaeche
- Hunter Clarke
- Jacob Richards
- Lachlan Cocker
- Kobe Jackson
- Jack Stanwix
- Ryan Nibbs
- Morgan Lockwood
- Nicholas Bingham
Head Coach: Mark Radford
Assistant Coach: John Fox
Manager: Angella Downie
Victoria Country
- Samuel Flanders
- Liam Allison
- Liam Herbert
- Stephen Cumming
- Noah Gown
- Nick Grantham
- Harrison Pepper
- Joshua Gatbel Kunen
- Jay Rantall
- Matthew Cumming
Head Coach: Rebel Noter
Assistant Coach: Nathan Cooper-Brown
Assistant Coach: Daniel Knaggs
Physiotherapist: Amy Decker
Manager: Wayne Bird
Victoria Metro
- James Spencer
- Joel Capetola
- Deng Dut
- Max Richards
- Austin Bradtke
- Tyler Robertson
- Leaupepe Keli
- Samuel Taulapiu
- Sean Macdonald
- Oliver Hayes-Brown
Head Coach: Darren Perry
Assistant Coach: David Peters
Assistant Coach: Chris Anstey
Physiotherapist: Karina Chilman
Manager: Mark Sainsbery
Western Australia Country
- Oliver Haste
- Chad Miegel
- Lucas Goff
- Travis Vogel
- Alexander Ducas
- Matthew Leary
- Archie Hall
- Thomas Harper
- Justyn Beattie
- Marshall Kearing
Head Coach: Anthony Deighton
Assistant Coach: Aaron Ducas
Development Coach: Paul Craig
Manager: Leanne Juricev
Western Australia Metro
- Lachlan Forrest
- Daniel Vlahov
- Jayden Stone
- Luke Travers
- Wani Swaka Lo Buluk
- Callum Beard
- Hamish Cummings
- Luke Jackson
- Kyle Bowen
- Derek Igbenoba
Head Coach: Daniel Donaldson
Assistant Coach: Michael Winter
Development Coach: Joshua Nipps
Manager: Joanne Beard
Women
Australian Capital Territory
- Caitlin Rowe
- Rebecca Haisman
- Clare Newton
- Nikki Worner
- Isabelle Bourne
- Sarah Cooper
- Zoe Ramshaw
- Mikala Williams
- Emma Rowcliffe
- Rosemary Schweizer
Head Coach: Greg Evans
Assistant Coach: Christine Wilson
Development Coach: Daniel Barnett
Manager: Fiona Wright
New South Wales Country
- Lucy Chapman
- Paris Forcadilla
- Serena Waters
- Kayla McSpadden
- Abbey Morton
- Matilda Flood
- Melanie Kirby
- Isabel Palmer
- Ashleigh Fasala
- Bianca Green
Head Coach: Martin McLean
Assistant Coach: Christine Higgisson
Assistant Coach: Russell Potter
Manager: Wendy Reilly
New South Wales Metro
- Sadie Walsh-Gay
- Tatiana Beaumont
- Deanna Kalivitis
- Binta Salawu
- Rebekah Dallinger
- Gracie Lee
- Shyla Heal
- Meg Jefferson
- Chloe Bloom
- Lauryn Walker
Head Coach: Jenny Lonergan
Assistant Coach: Jarrod Moore
Assistant Coach: Gail Henderson
Manager: Alissa McCann
Queensland North
- Haylee Andrews
- Summah Evans
- Courtney Virgo
- Jessica Lorraway
- Aliza Fabbro
- Sarah Heard
- Rashada Kaigey
- Madison MacDonald
- Alexandra Fowler
- Majella Carey
Head Coach: Jenny Froling
Assistant Coach: Jamiey Doevendans
Assistant Coach: Lisa Thompson
Manager: Debbie Virgo
Queensland South
- Jessica McDowell-White
- Courtney Murphy
- Monika Faerber
- Ashlee Hannan
- Grace George
- Miela Goodchild
- Jade Kirisome
- Paige Bayliss
- Brianna Gregory-Johnson
- Ula Motuga
Head Coach: Nicole Bairstow
Assistant Coach: Jackie Lear
Development Coach: Caddie O’Brien
Manager: Marilyn Hooper
South Australia Country
- Zali Grosser
- Shanika-Anne Barr
- Tasmyn Biddell
- Jordan Adams
- Taylah Levy
- Emily Winter
- Isabella Stratford
- Molly Coleman
- Tia Bails
- Lauren Ross
Head Coach: James Rattus
Assistant Coach: Ian Mathieson
Development Coach: Steven Smith
Apprentice Coach: Danny Millard
Physiotherapist: Libby Harrison
Manager: Kristine Dalitz
Manager: Jamie Petty
South Australia Metro
- Elissa Brett
- Juliet Gordon
- Ella Sawyer
- Zoe Walker-Roberts
- Gabriella Vidmar
- Samantha Simons
- Hannah Hank
- Jasmin Fejo
- Eliza Joynes
- Darcy Rees
Head Coach: John Turnbull
Assistant Coach: Richard Dickel
Development Coach: Georgia Sexton
Apprentice Coach: Steve Woortman
Physiotherapist: Donny Saleh
Manager: June McKenzie
Tasmania
- Sharna Thompson
- Marnie Shephard
- Darian Sutton
- Taya Stevenson
- Shelby Rayner
- Sarah O’Neill
- Olivia Crawford
- Jayde Brazendale
- Samantha Williams
- Sophie Ackerly
Head Coach: Tony Webb
Assistant Coach: Nick Haywood
Manager: Amanda Hayward
Victoria Country
- Eve Braslis
- Chelsea D’Angelo
- Steph Gorman
- Ahlise Hurst
- Georgia Amoore
- Agnes Emma-Nnopu
- Innika Hodgson
- Jazmin Shelley
- Abbey Sutherland
- Ella Ogier
Head Coach: Gerard Hillier
Assistant Coach: Rob Baker
Assistant Coach: Sharon Denham
Physiotherapist: Madeline Ellis
Manager: Wendy Campbell
Victoria Metro
- Isobel Anstey
- Keeley Frawley
- Lana Hollingsworth
- Eliza Hollingsworth
- Cassidy Gould
- Isis Lopes
- Sharna Ayres
- Maddi Puli
- Emma Nankervis
- Last-Tear Poa
Head Coach: Paul Flynn
Assistant Coach: Kerryn Mitchell
Assistant Coach: Lloyd Klaman
Physiotherapist: Michelle Massarany
Team Manager: Lucia Kett
Western Australia Country
- Grace Lawler
- Cian Parsons
- Georgia Adams
- Emily Winterbine
- Gemma Dix
- Olivia Bassett-Scarfe
- Eleanor Hartill
- Mary Burke
- Emma Burke
- Tayah Burrows
Head Coach: Vladimir Alava
Assistant Coach: Darren Austin
Development Coach: Zoe Harper
Manager: Paige McKenzie
Western Australia Metro
- Claire Jacobs
- Sophie Doran
- Carla Drennan
- Suzi-Rose Deegan
- Emma Clarke
- Jesni Cooper
- Claire Giraudo
- Imogen Ayliffe
- Bella Green
- Isabelle Classon
Head Coach: Craig Reynolds
Assistant Coach: Christopher Lee
Development Coach: Kathryn Macdonald
Physiotherapist: Richard Classon
Manager: Janell Vlahov
*Thanks to Connie H and Adam G for correcting an earlier error in addressing Daniel Vlahov and his relation to Andrew Vlahov.
