Adam and Lukas run through a huge two weeks in the WNBA for our Aussie athletes - with record deals being signed and several opportunities earned.

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It was a mixed 2025/26 campaign for our Aussies, with moments of brilliance, and others some would rather forget.

From Josh Giddey to Alex Toohey, this is how the season panned out for all of our contingent and what the future looks like moving forward.

Josh Giddey (Chicago)

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Photo credit: supplied - Ballarat Miners/Kirstin Pluck Gameday Sports Photography

Ray Borner is one of Ballarat’s favourite sons. Born in the city in 1962, he became one of the most decorated bigs of his era, representing the Boomers at four Olympic Games and four FIBA World Championships, winning an NBL Most Valuable Player award (1985) and playing a st…

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Photo credit: UK Athletics

Amelia Hassett has been on an adventure as a collegiate athlete.

Having moved away from Australia to join Eastern Florida State College in the NJCAAW (Junior College / JuCo), the now 22-year-old has five March Madness caps with the Kentucky Wildcats. Hassett hasn’t taken the most conventional path, but she now departs Kentucky with the single season record for three-pointers made, with 99, beating out the likes of Georgia Amoore (78) and Rhyne Howard (84).

While her next move is unknown, she has become a valuable contributor with a sought after skillset as a stretch forward. She recently spoke with The Pick and Roll, starting at the end, with March Madness.

“It’s really cool. Obviously it is March Madness, not everyone gets to play in it, so it’s an amazing experience to do that. And then the atmosphere is just next level. Every team you’re going to play, it’s going to be everyone fighting for their lives in a sense. So I think it’s just a cool opportunity. And to play five games, that’s really cool.”

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Adam welcomes Sydney Kings Co-Owner Matt Denholm back to the show to discuss the Kings’ NBL Championship run, including free agency, Brian Goorjian navigating a tough start, the first season for assistant coach Andrew Bogut, and the signing of Torrey Craig.

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Credit: Sydney Kings

In life’s more painful moments, silence can be deafening.

But it can be more than that too. Silence can be all-consuming, unbearable, and entirely overwhelming. The only thing worse?

Noise.

Specifically, the kind of noise that infiltrates the silence. Echoes of pure ecstasy humming through shared walls. Unbridled euphoria that instantly amplifies as a door cracks open, and lingers in the air after it closes. The all too familiar sound of two hands connecting for a high-five. The popping of champagne corks, escaping bottles that will never actually be consumed. The unmistakeable chorus of hoarse voices coming together, all out of key: We are the champions…

As the 36ers sat in the visiting locker room of Qudos Bank Arena, those were the sounds that cut into the silence. The brutal, painful, heartbreaking sounds of coming this close to winning a championship.

For the Kings, that noise was their rite of passage. The reward for clinching the greatest championship in NBL history: forcing overtime after an inspired fourth quarter comeback, at home, in front of a record crowd, before taking the throne as the league’s literal kings.

While the NBL broadcast masterfully captured every moment on court, there is still plenty you didn’t see on the coverage. This is what happened when the cameras stopped rolling, inside the stadium’s inner sanctum.

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The Kings came into the decider as winners of 13 consecutive games. Statistically, they had become one of the most dominant sides in NBL history. As the series reached a 2-2 stalemate, their wins were dominant shows of strength, and their losses came by a combined three points. They were heavy favourites to close out the title at home, and for good reason.

It was a very different feeling in Adelaide, where an impressive season always felt on the brink of disaster. They sat atop the ladder for 11 rounds of the regular season, but were overrun late by the Kings to lose home court advantage through the finals. They were 4-7 over their last 11 games heading into the postseason, with their coach constantly in the headlines and reportedly on the hot seat throughout.

In the end, all of that mattered for nothing. For all of their contrasting form, the drama on the court and in the headlines, the battle between Kendric Davis and Bryce Cotton, the raucous crowds in both cities and the equally passionate players on either side, the two teams couldn’t be separated through four games. Everything came down to game five, with 40 minutes of basketball – plus, as it played out, five minutes of overtime – to decide the championship.

The Sydney Kings were the favourites, with the chance to claim the title on their turf. There were two teams on the court, but it felt like all of the pressure sat on their shoulders. One game from their destiny, or one game from disaster.

Where high-pressure games often crawl out of the gate, things felt a little more frenetic from the opening tip at Qudos Bank Arena. There was tension, for sure, but it came through in the helter skelter of quick shots and relentless effort from both sides. “This is a white hot start by both of these teams – no signs of nerves,” seven-time MVP Andrew Gaze said on the broadcast as they traded blows in the opening minutes.

Against a Kings side that was usually methodical in their approach, the fast pace allowed Adelaide to land some early punches and find their footing. They needed a steadier, and as it has been for so much of this generation of Sydney success, the calming presence was Xavier Cooks.

Playing in his fourth championship series, the occasion was never going to get the better of the Kings captain. He was aggressive from the outset, using his speed to attack Isaac Humphries off the dribble for his first bucket and scoring six points in the opening term, along with a pair of offensive rebounds that led to scores. As always, though, it was about more than just the numbers – in the madhouse that was Qudos Bank Arena packed with 18,589 rabid fans, he brought stability by doing the little things that contribute to winning. By game’s end, he’d done it all classic Xavier Cooks fashion – 19 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, three steals and a block, and most importantly, a win for his team.

Flash back to the early rounds of NBL26, and none of that would have seemed likely. On October 26, a home loss to Tasmania dropped Sydney’s record to 2-5; Cooks scored just five points in that game, and it was his turnover that led to Nick Marshall’s buzzer-beating game-winner. “That Tasmania game, especially for me personally, was probably the lowest I’d felt in a long time on the court… that was a big wakeup call for me,” Cooks said back in December.

Through those first seven games of the season, he was averaging just 10.6 points and shooting an abysmal 26% from the free throw line. Those yips drew plenty of outside criticism amidst the team’s struggles, but then, the average punter has always struggled to fully understand Cooks’ brilliance. It was no different this season, and no coincidence that as he found his feet, so too did the Kings.

In his four full, non-injury-plagued seasons with the team, they’ve never ranked outside the top three in defensive rating; this year, their league-best defence helped to power their success, led by his versatility and willingness to always do the dirty work. Add in his unique offensive skill set as a connector and high-level play finisher, and he’s the key that unlocks so much of what they do on both ends. More than anything, he’s the heart and soul of a club that, before his arrival, had lacked heart and soul since returning to the league.

That was never clearer than in the dogfight of the championship series, where he stood up time and time again in the biggest moments. Across the five games, he averaged 16 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.8 blocks and one steal per game, finishing third in voting for the Larry Sengstock Medal as series MVP. That effort in his third title run, alongside a Sengstock Medal of his own and a regular season MVP, cemented his place as a modern great of the league; still, he would take no credit for himself. “Every moment of this game, someone had to come in and make a play… everybody played a role in this championship,” he told the postgame presser.

Through the first four games of the series, Sydney’s MO was clear – throw everything at Bryce Cotton and try to slow him down. They did that better than anyone during the regular season, and in their first two grand final wins, they held him to 10 and 15 points. That made the early exchanges of game five all the more ominous, as the six-time MVP got loose and poured in 11 points in the first quarter.

Across the season, the Kings threw multiple bodies at him at every opportunity, with their rotating cast of long, athletic wings all taking their turn. “It’s like a baseball pitcher and you’ve got different pitches, we’ve got different guys that have different strengths,” Goorjian said of their matchups on Cotton.

When it came to the championship series, one man had more success than anyone in slowing him down, and it was no coincidence that, as Cotton got hot early in game five, Matthew Dellavedova was sitting on the bench. The 35-year-old veteran earned equal parts praise and criticism for his efforts guarding Cotton across the first four games – praise for his impact in keeping Cotton quiet, and criticism for the physical nature of his defence. Regardless, he’d been huge for the Kings, and it was strange to see him play the opening minute and a half with Bryce scoreless, then spend the next six minutes on the bench as he got hot.

By the time he checked back in, there was no cooling Bryce down on his way to 35 points. That didn’t stop Dellavedova from giving him one hell of a working over, slowly wearing him down with that trademark physicality. By overtime, it had clearly taken its toll; while Dellavedova had fouled out late in regulation, his presence was felt as Cotton ran out of legs and Sydney stormed home. In between, Dellavedova made some huge plays himself – a charge drawn in the middle of a key second-quarter run, back-to-back triples in the third when Adelaide left him open and dared him to shoot, and by the final buzzer, a crucial 11 points and three assists with no turnovers.

Like Cooks, Dellavedova was no stranger to the occasion, playing in his third NBL championship series; unlike his captain, he was yet to win one, losing in each of the last two seasons with Melbourne United. After back-to-back game five heartbreaks, this year’s triumph was a welcome change. “Relief, I think, is the word. It’s been a long road,” he told ESPN’s Olgun Uluc postgame.

Realistically, he had nothing to prove this season – after all, he’s an NBA champion, a four-time Olympian and bronze medallist, and indisputably one of Australia’s greatest ever players. Still, that status brought high expectations when he landed in Sydney, expectations that his on-court play didn’t always meet. His shooting came under the microscope early in the season, and he was shifted from the starting lineup to the bench and back again as the Kings looked for their winning recipe.

There was little doubt that he would find his role eventually, but even if he didn’t, he would have still brought immense value to the team. On a squad led by a young point guard still learning on the fly, and with developing talent in key roles, he was the perfect mentor. “To have guys on your team who young men can look at, identify with, and understand that’s the benchmark, he’s the benchmark,” Kings co-owner Luc Longley told ESPN.

Game five was a slugfest, with both teams throwing haymakers but neither able to land the knockout blow. The stars stood tall for either side, but they alone weren’t enough to keep their teams in it. That suited the Kings just fine – their depth had been a calling card all season long, and in the biggest game of their lives, their role players stepped up once again.

It started with Tim Soares, who tends to fly under the radar but was front and centre in the opening minutes. The Brazilian big man scored seven of his team’s first 11 points, opening their account with a layup from a slick Kendric Davis feed, making a tidy post hook over Isaac Humphries, and draining a three to give them an early lead. Fast forward to the end of regulation, and it was Soares that made the play to save Sydney’s season, fighting for an offensive rebound in the dying seconds and putting it back up and in to send the game to overtime.

While his impact is often understated, it now can’t be ignored that Soares is a winner through and through – two seasons in Sydney, two championships. “He’s multi-purpose, he can shoot the ball, he can make decisions off the bounce, he’s good around the basket, he’s just a very very good basketball player,” Goorjian said of his centre after game one. “Zero maintenance, just comes every day, does his job, great teammate.”

Then there was Jaylin Galloway, who poured in 16 points in the game and made some huge shots in crucial moments – a three on the quarter time buzzer to grab back some momentum, another in the fourth quarter after they fell behind by seven, and an and-one finish to ice the game in overtime. That capped off a remarkable championship series for the 23-year-old, averaging 15.2 points per game and knocking down 18 triples despite a shoulder injury that will require offseason surgery.

His fellow young wing Makuach Maluach was quieter in the series and played just 12 minutes in game five, but he too seized his moment when it arrived. After playing less than ten minutes in regulation, foul trouble saw him check in with less than three minutes left in overtime and a six point lead in hand. His second possession on the floor, he stole the ball from Cotton to set up a Kendric Davis bucket; on the next defensive play, he swatted a Bryce jump shot, leading to Galloway’s and-one. Game over, just like that.

Torrey Craig was another that didn’t star in game five, but he was crucial to Sydney’s success and those shining moments for his teammates. After arriving mid-season as an injury replacement, he slotted straight in with minimal fuss and instantly made the Kings better. On the court, they didn’t lose a game with him until the grand final series; off the court, he was using his 450-plus games of NBA experience to nurture the team’s young stars. “I tried to take guys like JG and ‘Uach under my wing and give them that confidence, but also competitiveness,” Craig said after game one. “Just giving them as much knowledge as I can about what I’ve learned and how it can help them grow into the players that they’re becoming.”

Maybe most impressive is that the Kings were able to build such meaningful depth even with injuries to key players. When Keli Leupepe went down ahead of the season, Galloway, Maluach and Kouat Noi stepped up in small-ball lineups, with Soares becoming doubly important. Bul Kuol was a defensive leader, and his season-ending injury could have derailed their season; instead, they were able to bring in Craig as the piece that pushed them over the top. Tyler Robertson was a solid rotational piece before his injury in late February, and they were able to adjust and adapt late in the season.

“Selfishly, you want to be a part of something like this your whole life, so it’s a lot of fun,” Soares said in the midst of the series. “Being able to step up and be a part of the big games, the big moments, is a privilege.”

It was the play that could have broken Sydney’s back and sent the title to Adelaide. With two and a half minutes left in game five, Cotton caught the ball, faked, sidestepped, and rose up from three. The shot went down, the foul was called, and a miraculous four-point play pushed Adelaide’s lead out to six.

Timeout, Sydney. With their season on the line, what was the message in that huddle? “Just try to dig in, get some stops, and get the ball to KD,” Dellavedova shared with ESPN postgame.

Ultimately, Sydney’s fate sat with Kendric Davis. His teammates had stepped up in their moments, sure, but with Cotton on yet another all-time heater, they needed consistent brilliance from their star guard. “In game fives, it’s not about the role players, they’ve done their job all series to get us here,” Davis told ESPN after the game. “I had to be who I said I am.”

He had already been incredible throughout the game, flirting with a double-double in the first half and methodically picking apart the Sixers defence. From that point on, though, he went to another level; he scored seven points in those last two and a half minutes to help Sydney storm back, then poured in another seven in overtime to seal the title.

There were moments where he looked human, just as there were moments that even an all-time great in Cotton struggled. Most glaring for Davis was game two of the series, where Sydney fell victim to a vintage Cotton game-winner; Davis shot 6-15 from the field in the game, then got right in Cotton’s face as he celebrated. It was another moment that could have caused him and his team to unravel; instead, he responded with a historic performance in game three, dropping 34 points, 15 assists and zero turnovers in a crucial win.

That felt like the perfect encapsulation of Davis, a young star with visible flaws and raw emotions, but who learned to find balance and grew into his role as a leader. It was also a full-circle moment for the player that took so much of the blame for Adelaide’s implosion last season, with his character and behaviour called into question and pointed to as the root cause. “I couldn’t even click on Instagram at the beginning of the year, you just see all the hateful things… you never want to be determined off one bad relationship, and that’s what it felt like,” he shared after game five, in his first press conference of the season.

In Sydney, he found a perfect match, a club that was willing to look past those rumours and put him in position to succeed. With a wealth of basketball knowledge and veteran leadership, both on and off the court, they helped him to grow from a talent into a superstar. “I had some maturing to do when I got here. Goorj, Luc, Bogues, Delly, X, Brucey, they took me under their wing, and I think I then became a man,” Davis said on the broadcast.

None of them would have been enough, though, if he hadn’t been willing to put in the work himself. The reputation he gained in Adelaide, fairly or unfairly, could have defined his time in the NBL and, based on his own reflections, the rest of his basketball career. Instead, he found a better situation and fought tooth and nail to turn things around. In turn, his teammates put their trust in him to lead them to the promised land. “It’s pretty easy to do when you see the work he puts in every single day, and he is a legit workhorse, always working on his game,” Dellavedova said of that trust.

By the final buzzer of game five, Davis had already written himself into NBL folklore with an incredible grand final series, averaging 27.2 points and 10.4 assists and willing his team to victory; minutes later, it became official as he was presented the Larry Sengstock Medal. As he stood on stage, silverware in one hand and his son’s hand in the other, he put it better than anyone else could. “It’s my time now.”

There are few more joyful scenes than the moments after winning a championship. As the floor fills with people, first the players, then the coach, then friends, families, and more, the positive energy is infectious. In that setting, full of pure, unfiltered emotions, there was one name that every single King was giving plenty of love to.

From the MVP, Kendric Davis: “Goorj, he gave me an opportunity, when everybody tried to bash my name, he said I believe in you son, I’mma make you a better man.”

From the rising star, Makuach Maluach: “He believed in me, and he said if you come back, you’re going to get the reward you want.”

And from the captain, Xavier Cooks: “It means so much – I wanted this one so bad, I wanted this for Goorj.”

Like Dellavedova, Brian Goorjian had nothing to prove this season. He was already a six-time champion, a seven-time NBL Coach of the Year, and led the Boomers to an Olympic medal. After four decades working the sidelines both here and abroad, he could have already retired as a legend of the sport.

And yet, it somehow felt like he did have to prove himself. After ending his Boomers tenure with disappointing results at the 2023 World Cup and the 2024 Olympics, and then struggling to make last season’s Kings click, there were plenty of questions around his ability as a coach, and his fit in the modern game. Those questions were clearly unfounded, but they didn’t go unnoticed inside Sydney’s four walls. “I’ve seen his name get dragged through the mud after the last two years… I wanted it for him, man,” Cooks said.

With so many accolades and at 72 years old, he could have easily thrown in the towel, walked away altogether or lost some of his fire. When the Kings stumbled out of the gates this season and the criticism kept on coming, plenty of coaches would have lost their cool. And yet, even back in October, after that disastrous loss to Tasmania that left him shaking his head and struggling for words, Goorjian was steadfast in his belief. “I’ve said this all along, I love the team.”

After watching these Kings emerge from the dark tunnel and into the light, it’s now easy to see why players love playing for Goorjian. Amidst the struggles of both the Kings and the Boomers, his positive messaging might have read like bluster and a refusal to address the issues; now, it’s clear that it’s deeper than that, stemming from a relentless belief in his players and a willingness to put himself in the firing line rather than thrown them to the wolves.

It seems safe to say that, regardless of what happens from now, Goorjian is safe from any more public potshots. He’s contracted with the Kings through to the end of next season, and he plans to see out that contract; beyond that is a mystery, but he’s earned whatever comes next. “I think I’ve put that to rest, and I can play my career out here now trying to get this next one with the bank’s money,” he said after game five.

There was little doubt already, but a seventh title removes any questions around Goorjian’s standing as Australia’s greatest ever coach. 17 years after his last championship, and 34 years on from his first, this one feels like an even more incredible note in the history books.

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As Sydney reigns supreme over the NBL once again, it only feels right to have Goorjian back in his throne as the King of Kings.

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Adam and Lukas discuss the WNBA expansion draft coming up this weekend, WNBL free agency and the crazy finish to the WNBL season.

Unwrapped is presented by C2C Sport. Get 10% exclusive discount on your initial order, use code PICKROLL on the checkout page at c2csport.com.au. Valid for custom orders. Contact sales@c2csport.com or call 02 6581 1558 if you need help.

We’re currently in the midst of one of the great player rivalries in NBL history, with Bryce Cotton and Kendric Davis trading punches like two world-beating heavyweights.

However, they aren’t the first to have had heated battles, with a number of famous names clashing with not just other players, but at times an entire state, or even just everybody else in the league.

Photo credit: May Bailey

Bryce Cotton vs Kendric Davis

Box. Office.

It would be hard to script how this season has turned out when it comes to Bryce Cotton and Kendric Davis.

The long-time superstar import makes his first club move since joining the league at the start of 2017 and signs with the club that the young rising star has just left in somewhat messy circumstances.

Throw in some MVP controversy and tie it up all in a nice bow with a best of five grand final series and you’ve got more than you could ever ask for.

Most of the fire in this rivalry is coming from Kendric Davis, but Cotton has picked his moments to bite back. It’s sparked the most spiteful grand final series in recent memory, with the angst now spilling to coaches, owners, and executives.

Long may the Cotton-Davis rivalry last!

Julius Hodge vs All of Adelaide

Who could forgot Julius Hodge stomping on the Brett Maher signature at centre court?

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Credit: FIBA

The FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup is five months away.

The landscape for women’s basketball has changed drastically since the Australian Opals hosted the event in 2022 when they took away ‘rose gold.’ There have been historic CBAs in both the WNBL and WNBA in the past year which reflect a massive boom in popularity. Wind back to 2023 and individuals by the name Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese were key catalysts in this rise, who both represented the United States in their own World Cup Qualifiers which were hosted by Puerto Rico.

Closer to home, the Opals went 5-0 in Turkey even though they were guaranteed a berth to the World Cup, having won gold at the Asia Cup. In between Australia and the US, France and Belgium both also went 5-0. This led to an intriguing FIBA ranking where Australia dropped from second to third and switched places with France. To add another piece to the puzzle, FIBA followed this up by releasing a special edition World Cup power ranking where Australia are second and France are in fourth, sandwiching Belgium.

It’s a mess, it’s mayhem, nothing’s lining up. It’s the chaos that comes with a major tournament like an Olympic games or a World Cup, where one game can make or break a team’s fortunes. All that’s left to do is get back to the cliches and to quote any coach from any sport at any time throughout history: “all we can do is focus on us.”

This is exactly what the Opals did in Turkey, with no better example of this than their opening game against Argentina. It had become a growing trend for the Australian Opals to start a major tournament with a poor performance. In the 2022 World Cup, their first game was a 57-70 loss to France. The 2024 Olympic Qualifying Tournament saw a nailbiter where the Opals were victorious 60-55 against hosts Brazil who ended the group phase at 0-3. In those Olympics, the Opals would lose their opening game against Nigeria 62-75, leading to them being on the ‘wrong’ side of the finals bracket and facing the US in the semi-finals, which disqualified them from having the ability to take away silver or gold.

But it’s a new dawn for the Opals and they are rediscovering their foundation and habits with a new group. They absorbed 4-9 shooting from deep by the Argentinians in the first quarter and still took a lead into the break. The Opals then completely turned off that glacial Patagonian water and slowly but surely turned the game into a blowout. It felt like an unremarkable statement win; as if the blowout was merely a by-product of the Opals sticking to a game plan.

They then faced off against Japan, who officially had their infinitieth elite shooting night against the Opals. Their flurry from deep didn’t let up until the fourth quarter, where Australia decided it was time to turn off Hokkaido’s snowy March water. The Opals dominated the last quarter 23-4 against a team that can get hot in a hurry, turning their defensive mastery into overdrive. This felt symbolic beyond their own gameplan and showing Japan that their fortunes lay in the Opals’ hands was a sort of posturing that isn’t common for Australia on the world stage in any sport. The ability to do this at the drop of a hat was another impressive element.

Against Hungary, Dorká Juhasz was the focal point. Juhasz led the Turkish qualifiers in scoring and rebounding with averages of 18 and nine. This made her a lock to be selected in the All-Star Five. Against Australia, she had her lowest scoring and rebounding game, with seven boards and (checks notes) one point. What’s more is that the Opals only allowed her to attempt five shots, two of which were from deep, and sent her to the free throw line just once. They completely junked up Hungary, holding them to 58 points on 34% shooting, with Virág Takács-Kiss the sole player to reach double figures at 10. Daring someone other than Juhasz to score was a bold strategy and as much of a veteran as Kiss is across Europe, it isn’t in her playstyle to have a scoring explosion.

There were a few key elements that were glaring in these first three games that waned in the fourth against hosts Turkey. Firstly, the Opals played all 12 players. The highest minute total in these games was 28 from Alanna Smith against Japan, where Sami Whitcomb ticked over the second highest with 24. It was a true showing of the big ‘e’ word that the basketball commentariat has fallen in love with in the past half-dozen years: egalitarian.

Next, the Opals were able to get to their game plan. No matter what the approach was and against which opponent, Australia trusted their strategy to best any foe over 40 minutes. This was a great mental win for Brondello and the squad, especially amplified in such an abridged basketball competition. The Opals ensured consistency in execution.

This might be part of the last point, but they won the game within the game. After discovering that their game plan would ultimately end up in a win, the Opals then took care of any side quests that popped up as the game grew on. Whether that was starting strong against Argentina, showing Japan that they were under an Aussie spell or flat out nullifying Hungary’s main source of offence, the Opals had substantial wins that extended further than each game.

This made way for the next game against Turkey. The major cause for concern within this game was the comfortability that Sevgi Uzun was able to get to early on and Kennedy Burke bringing them back late. Australia was routinely late to arrive on Uzun shot attempts in the first quarter, aside from a Steph Talbot block on a jumpshot. There was no resistance and a clear line of sight to the basket on all of her attempts early on. The Opals were able to disrupt her after the first term, but this adjustment probably needed to happen within the first frame.

Burke’s buckets were a little bit less impactful, until they weren’t. She cut the lead to two points with 22 seconds to go after the Opals created a nice buffer in the fourth quarter. There was little resistance offered to Burke and perhaps the first sign of complacency was shown by Australia. These are incredibly harsh criticisms of the Australian Opals, bordering on unfair, yet these are the things to nitpick when you’re a team with aspirations to podium. One mistake early in a tournament has implications down the line.

Turkey also doesn’t possess the same dynamism that teams like Belgium, France, China, Germany, and, obviously, the US do. Italy, Spain and Japan have team systems in place that allow the whole unit to generate momentum, but don’t have the individual brilliance to match the other listed nations. If Turkish players can get going, any of those other teams could snag one from the Opals. Turkey also fell to Argentina, which every other nation was able to take care of comfortably, if not dismantle.

It must also be said that the Opals carried poor health with them into the Turkey game, which included Ezi Magbegor and Chloe Bibby not touching the floor. Steph Reid and Steph Talbot faced various health issues which also impacted them in the game against Hungary the day prior.

Against Canada, the Opals were back to their ways. Heck, they won quarters two and three against Turkey with relative ease. The Canadian team they were facing were fighting for a World Cup berth after going 2-2 in their first four games. Historically, they have been a great basketballing nation but in recent years they aren’t far ahead of the pack. They would be around where Hungary and Japan are, yet definitely better than Turkey, who they lost against in their opening game. Canada’s fortunes are a cautionary tale to every team who made the World Cup, as they missed out on a tiebreaker having finished the qualifiers with a 2-3 record.

In that opening game against Turkey, Canada were down 21-8 at the end of the first. This is where Turkey won the game as Canada were playing catch up the rest of the way. Canada even had a 69-67 lead with two minutes remaining in the game but they had thrown their last punch and ended up losing by two. It’s a game veteran centre Kayla Alexander would love to have back as she finished on zero points and seven shot attempts.

Cometh the moment cometh the woman, and Alexander had left a bullet in the chamber for the Opals. She finished with 26 points on only 16 field goal attempts and 13 rebounds, while co-star Bridget Carleton added 17 points. It was a great showing by Canada and a high character win by Australia who never gave the scoreboard up after it showed 47-47 with six and a half minutes remaining in the third quarter. This was in large part due to a vintage Sami Whitcomb performance who had 23 points on a perfect 5-5 from deep and five assists. This locked up her tournament MVP as she stepped up in the absence of Magbegor and Talbot.

It was a gutsy, professional win by Australia and a great note to finish the qualifiers on. They didn’t rest on their laurels, having guaranteed a spot in the World Cup back in July of last year. Across the 200 minutes of game time, complacency might have crept in for 10 of them, if that. They stuck to their game and controlled the controllables.

Since the last World Cup, the roster has changed considerably. The team in 2022 consisted of perennial features in Lauren Jackson, Tess Madgen, Darcee Garbin, Kristy Wallace, Marianna Tolo, Sara Blicavs, Bec Allen as well as an up and coming Anneli Maley. That team felt like the stars had aligned for the Opals as they arrived at the most suitable unit for the campaign.

Four years later, that sentiment is alive and well. Thinking about the current Opals unit, Tolo is still two months away from her due date which is three and a half months before the World Cup tips off. In recent times, there have been rapid returns to professional basketball from mothers who have recently given birth, such as Kelly Wilson and Napheesa Collier, but that is far from the norm. Tolo would fit right in to this team as a great defensive option backing up Smith and Magbegor, but it’s a near certainty that she won’t be available. The four bigs Australia took to Turkey worked well as a unit and a system and making changes to it would carry a risk. If Tolo were to be added, like a dodgy club, it would have to be one in one out.

Bec Allen has been harbouring a different sort of injury for what feels like all of the 2020’s. She would be another great fit in this Opals squad whose only wings seem to be Steph Talbot and Alex Fowler. A third option here could be a safe move to make considering teams at the World Cup will be bigger than those Australia saw at the qualifiers. A healthy Allen is also close to the best Australian in the world of basketball right now.

Courtney Woods also adds height to the unit at 6’0 while possessing a guard skillset. She has shown an unmatched propensity to just get the damn job done. She might not have experience on the wing at a major tournament but she could be the third option behind Talbot and Fowler while boosting the backcourt height if she were to play at the guard.

Now, of course, these players can’t just join the team, it would have to come with a player being cut, which isn’t the suggestion. This is an exercise in identifying any potential advantages within the margins and Opals fans puffing their chests out, flexing their depth of talent. The suggestion would also be, by process of elimination, that one of Allen or Woods would have to take the spot of a guard that was in Turkey. The question then becomes; do you want five guards and two wings, or four guards and three wings?

Having seen the success in Turkey, what’s known works well. It’s well known that the Opals’ strength is the defensive end of the court, which leads to transition opportunities that guards optimise. The team also leans on ball movement and clean looks rather than individual scorers, which also relies on guards and great playmaking. The Opals have this in spades. Having Steph Reid as a depth piece to be a steward of the offence, dictate the pace and make the opposing point guard’s life a nightmare is a luxury most other nations can only dream of.

The inventiveness, which is actually a real word, from the Opals backcourt is a huge competitive advantage. Putting the US aside and looking at France and Belgium, they have great guard play but not without their limits. Starting with Belgium, they have the second best starting five behind the US without any shadow of a doubt. Julie Allemand and Julie Vanloo are efficient playmakers and shooters, with Allemand hanging her hat on her ability to give away little to no turnovers. It’s been hard to place where Emma Meesseman ranks as a basketball player as she’s spent the past few years in Europe and foregone the WNBA, but if she were American she would walk on to the US roster. Kyara Linskens is listed at 6’4 but plays a little taller than that, maximising her length and size. She has an ability to spread the floor and protect the rim to a high degree making her an ideal candidate at the five in modern basketball, especially next to an elite unit.

Australians might remember Antonia Delaere as the player Steph Talbot iconically blocked to save the bronze medal at the 2024 Olympics. Ironically, those players make great comparisons to one another, with Talbot simply a better version. Delaere had a great qualifying campaign but on the bigger stage her production isn’t something the Cats rely on. After that, there’s quite a drop off to their rotation pieces. Brondello was masterful in making their Olympic meeting a 40 minute slog that necessitated depth and this Opals unit is just as well suited to do so.

This will also be key against France, who have some size that could cause issues for Australia. Gabby Williams is a bigger guard and athletic, which is a matchup nightmare for the Opals. Standing 6’2, Janelle Salaün is a three level scorer who oscillates between the gaps that this French team generates organically. She seems like a task for Talbot, but there will need to be help on guards like Williams or Marine Johannes. The court is Johannes’ easel, flying around making no look passes or pulling up from wherever and whenever at the three point line.

Then there’s Dominique Malonga, born a year after Victor Wembanyama and possessing a similar skillset, yet much more raw. At 6’6 with a 7’1 wingspan she stands taller than most players she will come up against in the World Cup. She has the ability to stretch the floor but understands her weapons and first establishes herself on the inside, while swatting away everything on the other end. On a fastbreak in France’s qualifier against the Philippines, she got out and made a dunk look like light work.

The mix of Johannes, Williams, Salaun and Malonga at the same time makes defending them near impossible. It’s likely most opponents lose the matchup against France here, but if the Opals can make it a slog like they did against Belgium, that’s the formula. Once the armour of that core is pierced, it all starts to unravel for France. Three-and-D role players like Mamignan Touré are deadly and compound the issues that France cause, but they can equally take them away if the team isn’t in a rhythm. Marine Fathoux and Iliana Rupert also didn’t make it to the qualifiers due to injury and the latter is a sure fixture for the World Cup if she’s healthy.

One through seven, France is probably even with Australia, but, again, the Opals will need to ensure they use their strength in their depth. The Opals also have better coaching and if Brondello can win this battle early, Jean-Aimé Toupane is often criticised for not having a plan B. The blueprint to beating France will be a similar game plan to that against Belgium, no complacency from the Opals and sticking to their own gameplan. These are things that the Opals laid the foundation for in their World Cup qualifiers.

At the pointy end, the world of women’s basketball hasn’t been this strong in a while. On the other hand, that next tier down from that fifth to twelfth spot feels like it hasn’t been this weak in a while, which could be in part influenced by how far ahead the top four teams are. This might be crazy to say, but the US even seem a little weaker than we’re used to seeing. Their frontcourt talent is incomprehensible as it always is, but there has been a changing of the guard in their backcourt. The US team of old had a backcourt that set up the frontcourt, but this new crop, headlined by Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers, lead with their scoring. They might have to adjust to this dynamic shift on the fly. Even still, they’re still better than every other nation by quite the margin.

The Opals are the most successful sports team in Australian history. A legacy of greatness that has been upheld for three decades and has shown no signs of slowing down. Spain has risen and fallen, France has figured themselves out, Belgium has had this golden era, Russia has…

All of these things have bobbled up and down, but Australia has remained at the top throughout it all. They are, again, suited to find themselves at the end of a major tournament with a medal around their necks.

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How they get there will be the story to watch in Germany.

Sacramento State guard and Tasmanian Rubi Gray joins the show to chat about her sophomore year.

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It’s 1998, and Rachel Sporn - arguably Australia’s best basketball player - is headed to Detroit for training camp with the newly formed Shock. If she wins a spot on the roster, she might sign a contract worth $15,000.

By 2011, Lauren Jackson has delivered Seattle two titles, won three league MVPs, and is indisputably the best player in franchise history. As a true titan of the global game, her salary is just a fraction over six figures.

Fast forward to 2026, and Izzy Borlase - the 20th overall pick in 2024 - could earn three times that just by signing her rookie deal.

The WNBA’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) - officially rubberstamped on Tuesday by the league’s players and board of governors - is an unprecedented triumph for women’s sport, and a major coup for women’s basketball. Let’s break down the basics: Each team’s salary cap has skyrocketed to $7m, up from just $1.5m. The supermax salary - reserved for the league’s biggest names - is up to $1.4m, from $249,244. Minimum salaries will now start at $270,000, a massive jump from a paltry $66,079 last season. And most incredibly, the average player salary will now hover around $600,000, a staggering rise from just $120,000. And keep in mind, this is all in USD.

Put simply, these are life changing numbers.

Izzy Borlase’s rookie deal will likely be worth more money than her brother’s AFL contract.

Jade Melbourne could eclipse her entire WNBA career earnings with her next contract alone.

Alanna Smith could potentially become a million dollar athlete when free agency opens. The Athletic recently ranked the league’s reigning DPOY as the 7th best forward on the open market, as teams prepare to open their chequebooks next month.

After years of feeling unappreciated and being unfairly compensated, WNBA players are understandably giddy at the thought of what this bold new future holds.

But make no mistake, they could have major ramifications on the WNBL.

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Less than a year and a half later, Duncan and the Bullets “mutually parted ways” just nine games into the NBL23 season. GM of Basketball Sam Mackinnon stepped in as interim coach, but just weeks later, he stepped right back as assistant coach Greg Vanderjagt took over. “We’re excited to see where he can take the group for the remainder of the season and the Club is right behind him,” then-Bullets CEO Peter McLennan said.

That support lasted through to the end of the season when Vanderjagt was replaced by Justin Schueller, with the highly-respected coach signing on as Brisbane’s leader of the future. “We believe he has all the necessary traits to lead our group moving forward. Justin’s vision, goals and values align well with what the organisation want to achieve,” McLennan said.

Schueller did at least last two years, and seemed to make some inroads in that time; he wouldn’t stay any longer, though, as the club parted ways with him ahead of NBL25 and kicked off a “comprehensive search” that ended in an internal hire. Bullets Senior Basketball Advisor Stu Lash was the answer to their prayers, and his three-year contract showed the club’s confidence in that fact. “Myself, along with our ownership, players and staff, firmly believe that Stu has the ability and mindset to unlock the full potential of the Bullets and lead the team to success,” CEO Mal Watts said.

Midway through the first season of that deal, Watts was forced to make another public statement. “We went down a route that at the time was well intentioned, but it hasn’t worked out,” he said of their decision to sign Lash, who was removed as coach after just 18 games and returned to his advisory role. Darryl McDonald saw out the season as interim coach, but with the Bullets slumping to a 6-27 record and a last-place finish, there was always going to be more change to come.

Those empty words upon empty words go some way to explaining the legacy of mediocrity that the Bullets have built since returning to the NBL in 2016: nine seasons with one playoff appearance and zero postseason wins, and over the last five years, a 34% win rate under six different head coaches. Amongst those numbers are countless embarrassments, from the debacle of three coaches in a year, to Schueller’s firing after starting some sort of cultural reset, to the many very public swings and misses in free agency, right through to Lash’s stint as coach despite having no real prior experience.

Now, 19 years on from Brisbane’s last championship and after five consecutive losing seasons, Will Weaver arrives as their latest saviour. The one-time Sydney Kings head coach confirmed his return to the NBL last week, joining the Bullets as head coach and President of Basketball Operations.

There was a fear that he might become yet another swing and a miss for the club – he was first linked with the Bullets back in early January, followed by more than two months of radio silence – but patience proved to be a virtue for their tortured fans.

Now that it’s finally confirmed, there’s hope that this will be a turning point for the club. “Will has all the attributes of a great coach and his resume attests to that… we know that when we pull together as a club and a city we have the potential to do something special and we are excited to begin this next chapter with him,” Watts said last week.

They’re the kind of words we’ve heard plenty of times before, but maybe this time there’s reason to believe. Weaver is the kind of coach that can transform a club, one that took Sydney to new heights in his lone season there in between time with a number of NBA programs. The Bullets have given him full control with his dual role, too, and something close to a completely clean slate. Off the court, Lash has quietly departed the club altogether along with McDonald and Vanderjagt, while they have just four players contracted heading into the offseason.

That leaves plenty of work to be done, though; is Weaver the person to get it done and drag them back to relevancy, and maybe to their former glory? While that remains to be seen, the chance to do so is what drew him to Brisbane. “The commitment that ownership has shown, in my many conversations with them, has convinced me that they’re serious,” Weaver told ESPN, “and that we’re gonna be given the opportunity to build something very special. And that’s a rare opportunity.”

Weaver is something that the Bullets haven’t had since Lemanis, a coach that’s proven at the level and with plenty of experience. Duncan was a veteran, but was fired from his lone previous head coaching post; Mackinnon, Vanderjagt and McDonald were all respected but untried as head coaches, as was Schueller; and Lash was, to put it bluntly, not a basketball coach. While Weaver’s head coaching resume is fairly short, it’s undeniably impressive – G League Coach of the Year in his first season, a minor premiership with Sydney, and also Paris Basketball’s first season in the EuroCup. While in Sydney, he interviewed to be the head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder; if things had broken differently, he might have been an NBA champion by now (I know, it’s a long bow, but stick with me).

Dig a little deeper, and you’ll see a coach that can set the foundation for success. Most coaches will tell you that winning, and even just a winning mindset, starts on the defensive end. Weaver’s Long Island Nets squad was middling offensively, but a top-four defence carried them to the best record in the league; it was a similar story with the Kings, where his team sat seventh in offensive rating, but led the league defensively by a wide margin, per Spatial Jam. For a Bullets team that sat second-last in defensive rating this season and dead last the year prior, even competency on that end of the floor would be a positive step.

Now for the obvious caveat; that Kings roster had more talent on it than any Bullets side since their re-entry into the league. Five of their players came from or would go on to the NBA, with three of them named in that year’s All-NBL teams; in the last six years combined, the Bullets have had just two All-NBL players in Nathan Sobey and Casey Prather. Throw in a deep supporting cast of accomplished role players, and it was one of the more impressive roster builds in recent memory.

That’s where the second half of Weaver’s dual role will come into play, and it will be even more important than his coaching. As President of Basketball Operations, he’ll have control of the team’s recruitment and roster construction, giving him more scope to lead the hard reset that the Bullets clearly need. “You’ve got to get the building filled up with great people; you’ve got to do business in a way that everyone acknowledges is setting the standards,” Weaver told ESPN of the role.

Weaver played a key role alongside Kings CEO Chris Pongrass when building that 2019-20 Sydney squad. His lone offseason at the helm saw the Kings bring in a wealth of talent, luring Xavier Cooks home from Europe and away from his hometown Illawarra Hawks, signing star imports Casper Ware and Jae’sean Tate, bringing in NBA draftee Didi Louzada via the Next Stars program, and adding depth with Craig Moller, Shaun Bruce and Jordan Hunter.

Anything close to that kind of recruiting class would be a godsend for the Bullets, who have struggled to recruit high-level talent in recent years despite taking a swing at almost every marquee free agent. That might seem strange in a liveable city with great weather and a club with ample opportunities to give to players, until you remember the organisational dysfunction and coaching carousel of recent years. Players want to win, and they want to further their own careers, ideally doing both at the same time; while Weaver can’t guarantee the former, he’s got a pretty darn good track record, and he delivered on the latter when in Sydney, helping Tate to jump to the NBA and pushing Cooks to start on a similar path.

While the Bullets have just a handful of players currently under contract, that group gives Weaver a platform to build from. Tyrell Harrison has established himself as one of the better local bigs in the league and could still have more room to grow, Jacob Holt and Taine Murray both showed promising signs in their first year out of college, and Mitch Norton is a veteran leader that can still provide a steady hand off the bench. It’s the kind of core that the Bullets have had in the past, but that they’ve struggled to build on with consistent hits on the marquee and import market.

NBA and overseas connections always help in recruiting reliable imports, and Weaver has those contacts in spades. A local marquee would really open things up for the Bullets, though, and there’s reason for optimism there, too. Will McDowell-White has spoken previously about his desire to play for his hometown team, while Weaver has links to Mitch Creek through the G League and Joe Ingles with the national team. Taran Armstrong and Luke Travers would both still have NBA aspirations, and a strong season under Weaver could be their launchpad back into the league. The sky really could be the limit – people want to play for Weaver, and ESPN’s Olgun Uluc recently shared on The Marketplace that he’s already spoken to high-level players that can attest to that.

Of course, as of right now, everything is hypothetical in Brisbane. The clubs that they aspire to be are still fighting for this season’s championship, and until free agency starts, the Bullets will remain a blank canvas. The signing of Weaver is a vital first step, though, a big name for a club that has long scared away the big names, and one that is uniquely positioned to drive more meaningful change into the future. Most importantly, his all-encompassing role is maybe the first sign that the higher-ups at the club are willing to take this thing seriously and stop getting in their own way.

After spending years trying to dig down out of the tunnel, maybe they’ve taken their first step towards the light at the end of it.

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Joel Foxwell - Portland Pilots

20 year old Joel Foxwell landed in an ideal situation for a freshman guard, commanding hefty minutes from the get go for Portland. In an up-and-down season for the Pilots, where they ended on a 15-19 record and lost in the third round of the West Coast Conference, Foxwell was a shining light. The Victorian averaged 15.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game, showing from day one that he was one of the premier guards in his conference. Foxwell led the nation in assists among freshmen, alongside Darius Acuff Jr. of Arkansas (who also averaged 6.5), and was named to the All-West Coast Conference First Team.

Foxwell has a polished handle for his age and is comfortable pushing the ball cost to coast in transition. He can score anywhere between the paint and the three-point line, although his 31.9% clip from downtown suggests some room for improvement. Foxwell particularly excels at using the backboard to sink layups, and his playmaking ability allows him to find open teammates when the opposing defence collapses upon him. With three years of college eligibility ahead of him, Foxwell is a candidate to enter the transfer portal, where he would be a highly sought after high major prospect.

Roman Siulepa - Pittsburgh

At 6’6 tall and with a well-built 99kg frame, Roman Siulepa is one of the most exciting teenage athletes on the Aussie hoops scene. The 19 year old routinely uses his physical strength to bully his way inside, which is unsurprising given his strong rugby background. Siulepa took some time to find his feet early in the season, but eventually became an integral member of Pittsburgh’s rotation, averaging 26.6 minutes per game. He posted averages of 10.0 points and 5.5 rebounds for the season, which is an encouraging start for a young freshman, although his shooting percentages don’t exactly jump off the page.

The biggest knock on Siulepa, since his junior career in Australia, has been a lack of shooting consistency from both the free throw line and three-point line. Siulepa has made just 50% of his 106 free throw attempts this season, and shot a less-than-stellar 29.6% from beyond the arc (on 3.0 attempts per game). It’s encouraging that he has the confidence to continue attempting threes, but to develop into a perimeter forward at the professional level, his jump shot will be a priority. Siulepa clearly has the physical gifts to succeed at the next level, as evidenced by his above-the-rim finishing and offensive rebound average of 2.9 per game, but at 6’6 he doesn’t quite have big man size. The 19 year old would do well to morph his skillset into that of a wing.

Emmett Adair - Loyola Maryland

Emmett Adair had a distinguished career at junior level, winning MVP honours at the 2024 FIBA U18 Asia Cup, so it’s no surprise that he has started strongly in Division I college basketball. The 6’9 forward has been an integral player for Loyola Maryland in the Patriot League, averaging 14.6 points and 5.4 rebounds in just 25.4 minutes per game. His role slowly increased throughout the course of the season, to a point where he logged 31 minutes in the Greyhounds’ last game of the season proper, a quarterfinal exit in the Patriot League championship. Loyola Maryland struggled to find consistency throughout the year, slumping to a 12-20 record, but Adair proved to be a fantastic recruit.

Adair does his best work in the paint, where he is an accomplished interior finisher and a prolific offensive rebounder. While is rebound average of 5.4 per game isn’t eye-popping, over 40% of these were corralled on the offensive glass, highlighting his ability to compete for second chance points. Adair also averaged 5.3 three-point attempts per game, in a sign of his development into a stretch big. He only sunk 31.5% of these attempts, but an underlying free throw clip of 81% suggests that he has the shooting potential to become a perimeter forward. It was recently announced that Adair is entering the transfer portal, and a move to a high major school may be on the cards. The Patriot League All-Rookie forward has plenty of college basketball ahead of him, and right now projects as one of Australia’s top perimeter big man prospects.

Abass Bodija - Fordham

Power forward Abass Bodija has proven he belongs in the Fordham rotation, averaging a touch under 20 minutes per game in his rookie year. Bodija has averaged 7.3 points and 5.0 rebounds in an encouraging start to his collegiate career, although like most names on this list, has also struggled to find team success. The Fordham Rams finished on a 17-15 record and were knocked out of the Atlantic 10 tournament in just the second round, so Bodija will be chasing postseason wins next season. Bodija had previously transferred from UC Riverside as a redshirt freshman, and this proved to be a shrewd decision, with Fordham head coach Mike Magpayo finding room for him in the regular rotation. The 21 year old has also been able to play alongside countryman Roor Akhuar, a true freshman.

At 6’10 tall, Bodija excels in the paint, and maintained a 78% clip from the charity stripe this season. He is still developing as a three-point shooter, with 33.3% success rate on a low sample size of 0.8 attempts per game. The Brisbane native will be hoping for an increased role next season, and if he shows that he can spread the floor, his stocks will continue to rise. Bodija boasts a 7’4 wingspan and applies his length to good use on the boards, with an average of 1.9 offensive rebounds per game. Professional scouts will also be scrutinising his potential as a rim protector, in addition to his continued development as a scorer and rebounder.

Roor Akhuar - Fordham

Roor Akhuar was recruited to Fordham alongside Bodija, and has wasted no time in making an impact on his new team. Akhuar has the body of a wing at 6’7, and from his shooting profile, it’s clear he aims to develop into a perimeter swingman. The 18 year old is younger than everybody else on this list, but has proven he belongs in Division I basketball, averaging 6.1 points and 3.5 rebounds for Fordham. Over 70% of his field goal attempts have been three pointers, and he has shown an impressive clip of 37.2% from downtown.

The Rams hasn’t used Akhuar much as a slasher or a driver, and as a result, we’ve barely seen him at the foul line. Akhuar has made five of his eleven free throw attempts (46%) for the season, but it’s far from alarming given the small sample size. He has also shown potential as a rebounder, with over one third of his boards corralled on the offensive glass. Akhuar’s age makes him one of the most exciting Aussie prospects in Division I college, as many of his compatriots start their freshman year at the age of 19, 20 or even later. Scouts will be keeping a close eye on Akhuar’s defensive abilities, as he currently projects as a “3 and D” prospect at the next level. With added experience his coaches may also entrust him with increased ball handling responsibilities, or ask him to attempt more drives from the perimeter.

Joshua Dent - Saint Mary’s (honourable mention)

Joshua Dent is a sophomore rather than a freshman, but he finds himself in a similar age group to the other names on this list. Also, Dent saw very little playing time as a freshman, averaging just 3.5 minutes. The 2005-born prospect saw an explosion of minutes this season, in his second year at Saint Mary’s - a school famed for their pipeline of Australian talent. Dent averaged 13.0 points and 5.7 assists in a whopping 36.2 minutes per game, thus proving himself as the go to floor general for Saint Mary’s. The young guard has shown remarkable growth as a shooter, making 40.1% of his three-point attempts this season (on 4.4 attempts per game), while maintaining a 91.8% strike rate at the foul line.

Dent experienced considerable team success with Saint Mary’s, who finished on a 27-6 record and shared their conference regular season title with heavyweights Gonzaga. However, the Gaels were eliminated in the first round of the NCAA Division I tournament, giving Dent and his returning teammates plenty of motivation ahead of next season. The 20 year old still has two years of college eligibility left, and could go down as a Saint Mary’s legend, much like Matthew Dellavedova, Patty Mills or Jock Landale before him. It’s clear that longtime head coach Randy Bennett trusts him to run the point, giving Dent a platform to really put up numbers. Dent’s efficiency will definitely draw the interest of professional scouts, and right now he projects as a high level point guard prospect at the professional level.

Honourable mentions continued

Ethan Elliott (Northern Kentucky) - Started 31 of his 32 games for Northern Kentucky, and entrenched himself as a starting guard, averaging close to 30 minutes. Elliott averaged 5.1 points, 4.6 assists and 2.8 rebounds, showing potential as a playmaker, but scoring efficiency remained a challening. He finished on shooting splits of 33.5% from the field, 25.6% from downtown and 48.6% from the foul line, suggesting plenty of room for improvement in this area.

Harry Beauchamp (Central Arkansas) - Averaged 4.5 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.0 assists in limited minutes. Showed impressive scoring efficiency with a clip of 43% from three point range (2.5 attempts per game) and 85.7% from the free throw line. The vast majority of Beauchamp’s shot attempts were three pointers, indicating that the 6’5 Victorian will develop into a quality off-ball shooting guard.

Jesse McIntosh (South Dakota) - Averaged 7.5 points and 3.5 rebounds for the 16-16 Coyotes, with a gradual increase in his role throughout the season. Injuries hampered his progress, but the young guard will be a prospect to watch in years to come. He only shot 29.8% from beyond the arc, but did post a 82.4% clip from the foul line, which is an encouraging sign for his underlying shooting mechanics.

Ben Waller (UC Riverside) - Season averages of 4.3 points and 2.4 rebounds don’t quite capture Waller’s rise through the Highlanders’ depth chart. The talented guard from Traralgon saw increased minutes in the back end of the season, and scored in double figures in three out of his last five matches. He will be one to watch in year two, if UC Riverside’s coaching staff continue to trust him with an expanded role.

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Adam, Tom and Jacob are back again to preview the NBL Finals between Sydney and Adelaide, and discuss the four teams eliminated from the playoffs.

Unwrapped is presented by C2C Sport. Get 10% exclusive discount on your initial order, use code PICKROLL on the checkout page at c2csport.com.au. Valid for custom orders. Contact sales@c2csport.com or call 02 6581 1558 if you need help.

Photo credit: NBL1 / @jcpphotovideo

The NBLI South season is knocking on our door and there’s talent wherever you look.

From reigning champions, to players at new clubs it’s hard to know what to keep your eye on and who actually will finish on top as both a team and individually.

In a bid to help you with that conundrum, here are a few 2026 NBL1 South awa…

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The 28-year-old continued her steady improvement into one of the league’s elite players, recording 15.22 points, 6.1 assists per game (second in the WNBL) and 1.96 steals per game (fifth in the league) across the season.

Credit: Dan Cowley Photography

Her assists numbers were a career best and a vital part of the Fire’s championship win. Woods explains that her improvement as a playmaker began midway through WNBL25, when she sat down with Shannon Seebohm to address what she saw as a flaw in her game – taking too many contested shots.

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There’s a cohort of them leading their teams from the front. There were valiant efforts from the likes of Tess Heal (Kansas State), Hannah Wickstrom (UC Riverside), Max Mackinnon (LSU) and Joel Foxwell (Portland) in their respective conference tournaments, but ultimately they missed out on the mayhem to come.

One great sign from those mentoned above, as well as the players we delve into further below, is that they shine when the lights are at their brightest. It’s a promising trendline for both the Opals and the Boomers for the next two decades. Let’s look ahead to the tourney now, shall we?

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Adam and Ayush discuss Dyson Daniels’ poor three point shooting this season, and the part he plays in the Atlanta Hawks’ future - as well as the devastating injury to Johnny Furphy, if Josh Giddey’s gaudy numbers can translate to sustained success for the Bulls, and Tyrese Proctor’s up and down rookie experience.

Unwrapped is presented by C2C Sport. Get 10% exclusive discount on your initial order, use code PICKROLL on the checkout page at c2csport.com.au. Valid for custom orders. Contact sales@c2csport.com or call 02 6581 1558 if you need help.