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

5. Bradley Pateman
6. Alex Archer
7. Derek Emelifeonwu
8. Dominick Moran
9. Jarrod Fenwick
10. Tristan Scotcher
11. Zac McDermott
12. William Mayfield
13. Josh Brennan
14. James Gorddard

Head Coach: Daniel Jackson
Assistant Coach: Vivek Gupta
Assistant Coach: Dylan Simpson

Northern Territory

4. Keenan Abbott
5. Jai O’Shaughnessy
6. James Toohey
7. Denzel Tulloch
8. Max Davies
9. Jesse Schatz
10. Joel Stevens
11. Jackson Tremlett
12. Jordan Sing
13. Jai Weetra

Head Coach: Rodney Tremlett
Assistant Coach: Daniel East
Development Coach: Brittany Ward
Manager: Cheryl O’Shaughnessy

New South Wales Country

4. Connor Edwards
5. Will Cranston-Lown
6. Alexander Clinton
7. Lachlan Dent
8. Ethan Dawber
9. Askam Reed Nottage
10. Matur Maluach
11. Brandon Freire
12. Max Cooper
13. Riley O’Shannessy

Head Coach: Matthew Johnston
Assistant Coach: Matthew Bishop
Assistant Coach: Todd Turner
Manager: Gerard Mason

New South Wales Metro

5. Tyrone Jay
6. Ted Ferguson
7. Hunter-Jack Madden
8. Hayden Blankley
9. Hunter Goodrick
10. Isaiah Lee
11. Benjamin Fakira
12. Lachlan Charlton
13. Harry Hughes
14. Quinn Campbell

Head Coach: Robbie McKinlay
Assistant Coach: William Lopez
Assistant Coach: BJ Carter
Manager: Christopher Morrison

Queensland North

4. Aiden Krause
5. Benjamin Wright
6. Kody Stattmann
7. Riley Clarke
8. Jace Arnold
9. Botond Hajos
10. Mitchell Knight
11. Callum Parsons
12. Samson Froling
13. Ryan Runnalls

Head Coach: Shane Froling
Assistant Coach: Bradley Kann
Assistant Coach: Raymond Cooper
Manager: Paul Krause

Queensland South

7. Hussein Kiza
8. Nicholas Stoddart
9. Flynn Cameron
10. Callum Dalton
11. Dut Chol
12. Lachlan Mills
13. Elijah Puna
14. Chol Guet
15. Frazer Roberts
16. Donovan Crowe

Head Coach: Luke Cann
Assistant Coach: Sean Carroll
Assistant Coach: Kirron Byrne
Manager: Julie Maroske

South Australia Country

4. Marshall Howe
5. Alex Roberts
6. Connor Smelt
7. Zac Florance
8. Jackson Walsh
9. Mitch Wellington
10. Sebastian Bald
11. Lewis Ridley
12. Hudson Walsh
13. 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

4. James Adcock
5. Riley Meldrum
6. Mark Mudronja
7. Toby Hunt
8. Hayden Meakes
9. Fabian Johnson
10. Moses Nuangki
11. Jesse Wall
12. Anyang Garang
13. 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

4. Tre Armstrong
5. Troy Schaeche
6. Hunter Clarke
7. Jacob Richards
8. Lachlan Cocker
9. Kobe Jackson
10. Jack Stanwix
11. Ryan Nibbs
12. Morgan Lockwood
13. Nicholas Bingham

Head Coach: Mark Radford
Assistant Coach: John Fox
Manager: Angella Downie

Victoria Country

4. Samuel Flanders
5. Liam Allison
6. Liam Herbert
7. Stephen Cumming
8. Noah Gown
9. Nick Grantham
10. Harrison Pepper
11. Joshua Gatbel Kunen
12. Jay Rantall
13. Matthew Cumming

Head Coach: Rebel Noter
Assistant Coach: Nathan Cooper-Brown
Assistant Coach: Daniel Knaggs
Physiotherapist: Amy Decker
Manager: Wayne Bird

Victoria Metro

4. James Spencer
5. Joel Capetola
6. Deng Dut
7. Max Richards
8. Austin Bradtke
9. Tyler Robertson
10. Leaupepe Keli
11. Samuel Taulapiu
12. Sean Macdonald
13. Oliver Hayes-Brown

Head Coach: Darren Perry
Assistant Coach: David Peters
Assistant Coach: Chris Anstey
Physiotherapist: Karina Chilman
Manager: Mark Sainsbery

Western Australia Country

4. Oliver Haste
5. Chad Miegel
6. Lucas Goff
7. Travis Vogel
8. Alexander Ducas
9. Matthew Leary
10. Archie Hall
11. Thomas Harper
12. Justyn Beattie
13. Marshall Kearing

Head Coach: Anthony Deighton
Assistant Coach: Aaron Ducas
Development Coach: Paul Craig
Manager: Leanne Juricev

Western Australia Metro

5. Lachlan Forrest
6. Daniel Vlahov
7. Jayden Stone
8. Luke Travers
9. Wani Swaka Lo Buluk
10. Callum Beard
11. Hamish Cummings
12. Luke Jackson
13. Kyle Bowen
14. Derek Igbenoba

Head Coach: Daniel Donaldson
Assistant Coach: Michael Winter
Development Coach: Joshua Nipps
Manager: Joanne Beard

Women

Australian Capital Territory

4. Caitlin Rowe
5. Rebecca Haisman
6. Clare Newton
7. Nikki Worner
8. Isabelle Bourne
9. Sarah Cooper
10. Zoe Ramshaw
11. Mikala Williams
12. Emma Rowcliffe
13. Rosemary Schweizer

Head Coach: Greg Evans
Assistant Coach: Christine Wilson
Development Coach: Daniel Barnett
Manager: Fiona Wright

New South Wales Country

4. Lucy Chapman
5. Paris Forcadilla
6. Serena Waters
7. Kayla McSpadden
8. Abbey Morton
9. Matilda Flood
10. Melanie Kirby
11. Isabel Palmer
12. Ashleigh Fasala
13. Bianca Green

Head Coach: Martin McLean
Assistant Coach: Christine Higgisson
Assistant Coach: Russell Potter
Manager: Wendy Reilly

New South Wales Metro

4. Sadie Walsh-Gay
5. Tatiana Beaumont
6. Deanna Kalivitis
7. Binta Salawu
8. Rebekah Dallinger
9. Gracie Lee
10. Shyla Heal
11. Meg Jefferson
12. Chloe Bloom
13. Lauryn Walker

Head Coach: Jenny Lonergan
Assistant Coach: Jarrod Moore
Assistant Coach: Gail Henderson
Manager: Alissa McCann

Queensland North

4. Haylee Andrews
5. Summah Evans
6. Courtney Virgo
7. Jessica Lorraway
8. Aliza Fabbro
9. Sarah Heard
10. Rashada Kaigey
11. Madison MacDonald
12. Alexandra Fowler
13. Majella Carey

Head Coach: Jenny Froling
Assistant Coach: Jamiey Doevendans
Assistant Coach: Lisa Thompson
Manager: Debbie Virgo

Queensland South

4. Jessica McDowell-White
5. Courtney Murphy
6. Monika Faerber
7. Ashlee Hannan
8. Grace George
9. Miela Goodchild
10. Jade Kirisome
11. Paige Bayliss
12. Brianna Gregory-Johnson
13. Ula Motuga

Head Coach: Nicole Bairstow
Assistant Coach: Jackie Lear
Development Coach: Caddie O’Brien
Manager: Marilyn Hooper

South Australia Country

4. Zali Grosser
5. Shanika-Anne Barr
6. Tasmyn Biddell
7. Jordan Adams
8. Taylah Levy
9. Emily Winter
10. Isabella Stratford
11. Molly Coleman
12. Tia Bails
13. 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

4. Elissa Brett
5. Juliet Gordon
6. Ella Sawyer
7. Zoe Walker-Roberts
8. Gabriella Vidmar
9. Samantha Simons
10. Hannah Hank
11. Jasmin Fejo
12. Eliza Joynes
13. 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

6. Sharna Thompson
7. Marnie Shephard
8. Darian Sutton
9. Taya Stevenson
10. Shelby Rayner
11. Sarah O’Neill
12. Olivia Crawford
13. Jayde Brazendale
14. Samantha Williams
15. Sophie Ackerly

Head Coach: Tony Webb
Assistant Coach: Nick Haywood
Manager: Amanda Hayward

Victoria Country

4. Eve Braslis
5. Chelsea D’Angelo
6. Steph Gorman
7. Ahlise Hurst
8. Georgia Amoore
9. Agnes Emma-Nnopu
10. Innika Hodgson
11. Jazmin Shelley
12. Abbey Sutherland
13. Ella Ogier

Head Coach: Gerard Hillier
Assistant Coach: Rob Baker
Assistant Coach: Sharon Denham
Physiotherapist: Madeline Ellis
Manager: Wendy Campbell

Victoria Metro

4. Isobel Anstey
5. Keeley Frawley
6. Lana Hollingsworth
7. Eliza Hollingsworth
8. Cassidy Gould
9. Isis Lopes
10. Sharna Ayres
11. Maddi Puli
12. Emma Nankervis
13. 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

4. Grace Lawler
5. Cian Parsons
6. Georgia Adams
7. Emily Winterbine
8. Gemma Dix
9. Olivia Bassett-Scarfe
10. Eleanor Hartill
11. Mary Burke
12. Emma Burke
13. Tayah Burrows

Head Coach: Vladimir Alava
Assistant Coach: Darren Austin
Development Coach: Zoe Harper
Manager: Paige McKenzie

Western Australia Metro

4. Claire Jacobs
5. Sophie Doran
6. Carla Drennan
7. Suzi-Rose Deegan
8. Emma Clarke
9. Jesni Cooper
10. Claire Giraudo
11. Imogen Ayliffe
12. Bella Green
13. 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.