Adam and Matt Hickey run through this weekends’ NBL1 National Finals in Adelaide.

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.

The NBL1 National Finals are back once again, this time heading to Adelaide to decide who sits atop the mountain.

The champions (or in one case the runners-up) for each conference make up the bulk of the competitors, with last year’s two champions filling the final two spots.

From untouchable teams to star players and squads looking to break historic droughts, here is your ultimate guide to the 2026 NBL1 National Finals.

2025 CHAMPIONS

Women | Knox Raiders

2026 Record: 21-4 (def. Waverley 80-54 in SOUTH GF)

Key Players: Alicia FROLING (16.1p/11.8r/1.9a), Paige BRADLEY (15.1p/4.2r/6.9a), Agnes EMMA-NNOPU (10.4p/8.4r/2.3a)

Start engraving the trophy.

Knox went back-to-back in the South and look close to a certainty to do it again at the national level. They are stacked across the floor and play a hard-nosed brand of basketball that suits tournaments like these.

To copy a line from last year… if anyone gets within 15 points it will be impressive.

Men | Canberra Gunners

2026 Record: 12-9 (eliminated in elimination final)

Key Players: Will MAYFIELD (18.2p/8.4r/3.6a), Theus Evan WARDLOW (10.9p/2.8r/3.9a), Cameron PENDER (10.7p/8.4r/2.2a)

2026 wasn’t quite the year the Gunners were hoping for but having claimed national glory in front of their home fans last year, they book themselves a ticket to Adelaide.

Will Mayfield will once again be their heartbeat and their experience at this level could help them cause an upset, but it seems unlikely that they will go back-to-back.

SOUTH

Women | Waverley Falcons (Runners-up to Knox)

2026 Record: 17-8 (lost to Knox 54-80 in GF)

Key Players: Katelyn SHUMATE (14p/6.8r/2.7a), Amelia TODHUNTER (9p/3.2r/3.6a), Carley ERNST (6.2p/4.2r/2a)

Waverley’s Cinderella story didn’t quite have the fairytale ending they were hoping for, but for the third year in a row they will head to the National Finals.

With Knox having an automatic spot booked due to winning in 2025, the Falcons get the nod. Sadly for them they had to play the South grand final without Sophia Locandro, Maddi Utti, and Tayla Dalton. Without them in Adelaide they will be up against it, but the return of Carley Ernst in the back end of the season will give them a chance of making the final.

Men | Frankston Blues

2026 Record: 18-7 (def. Eltham 78-75 in GF)

Key Players: Jeremy COMBS (20.3p/8.3r/2.4a), Dibaji WALKER (16.4p/5.1r/51.8% FG), Lucas BARKER (7.4p/4.1r/4.3a)

Frankston won an absolute thriller in the South decider to secure their place in the National Finals.

They are likely to go into the tournament without Dan Trist and Austin Shelley, with the former having missed the grand final completely due to a knee injury and Shelley playing heavily hampered with what was believed to be a broken hand suffered in training with Melbourne United in the lead-up.

However, the Blues are still a very strong side, with import duo Jeremy Combs and Dibaji Walker capable of filling it up and floor general Lucas Barker one of the smartest true point guards of the NBL1.

CENTRAL

Women | Sturt Sabres

2026 Record: 18-4 (def. West Adelaide 76-70 in GF)

Key Players: Tayla BRAZEL (16.8p/8.5r/3.7a), Paige PADROTH (12.3p/3.3r/2.2a), Nicola MATTHEWS (11.7p/4.4r/3.4a)

Defence, defence, defence. That’s what Sturt based their championship run on, ranking second in the country for points allowed per game (62.9) and defensive rating (78). It will be the key for them at Nationals as well, as they welcome the country’s best to their home.

Tayla Brazel is a superstar of the league, winning the Merv Harris Award for best U23 player and being named in the All-Star Five. She will need to be at her very best for the Sabres to make history as the first winners from the Central conference. However, sadly for Sturt they’ve drawn Knox in their opener

Photo credit: NBL1

Men | Forestville Eagles

2026 Record: 18-3 (def. South Adelaide 77-58 in GF)

Key Players: Greg MAYS (20.7p/7.3r/55% FG), Jordan FORBES (17.7p/5.8r/6.2a), Daniel JOHNSON (16.2p/6.5r/4.2a)

If a team is going to break the Central drought at Nationals, it’s this team.

Stacked with talent that is unlikely to be taken away by NBL duties, the Eagles were expected to be involved in the final weekend of the year in 2025, but suffered a shock loss in the playoffs. They made up for it in this campaign and are a serious threat for the men’s title.

EAST

Women | Bankstown Bruins

2026 Record: 19-4 (def. Manly 90-85 in GF)

Key Players: Shyla HEAL (24.1p/5.5r/5.9a), Tahlia TUPAEA (14.3p/6.5r/4a), Margot DE FREITAS (14.7p/5.8r/1.8a)

Any team spearheaded by Shyla Heal is capable of wreaking havoc. Heal is a handful to guard no matter where in the country you’re from.

She is supported well by Margot De Freitas, Tahlia Tupaea, and Kiahna Davis-White who are all capable of having a big impact. They might have a tough time taking it to Knox, but they should be very competitive against the rest of the competition.

Men | Norths Bears

2026 Record: 19-4 (def. Sutherland 76-64 in GF)

Key Players: Lachlan BOFINGER (16.5p/9.3r/2.6a), Fabijan KRSLOVIC (14.8p/9.2r/3.3a), Ignatius MITCHELL (13.3p/6.3r/2.4a)

Photo credit: NBL1

Norths were statistically the number one men’s defensive team across the country.

They ranked first in points allowed per game (75.7) and second in defensive rating (2nd), and were brilliantly anchored by Melbourne United big man Fabijan Krslovic.

Obviously there hopes will hinge on the availability of their NBL players; Krslovic, Hunter Goodrick and Wani Swaka Lo Buluk. But if they all suit up they could make things happen.

NORTH

Women | Mackay Meteorettes

2026 Record: 15-6 (def. Townsville 2-1 in GF series)

Key Players: River BALDWIN (17.7p/9.4r/2a), Monique BOBONGIE (17.5p/6.9r/3.8a), Cheyenne BOBONGIE (11.6p/4r/6.1a)

Mackay stunned just about everyone when they claimed victory in the NBL1 North grand final series against Townsville, despite having to play the entirety of the series away from home.

They have a high-powered offence ranked third in the league in scoring (91.4) and fifth in offensive rating (113.3), and rely heavily on the Bobongie cousins Monique and Cheyenne.

They’ve had an incredible season but Mackay doesn’t look to be a team that will make it to the decider.

Men | Gold Coast Rollers

2026 Record: 17-2 (def. Ipswich 2-0 in GF series)

Key Players: Jimmy WHITT (24.1p/4.3r/3.6s), Preston LE GASSICK (22.8p/6.1r/7.7a), Jensen BRADTKE (21.4p/9.8r/2.7a)

What a team.

The Rollers offense has more horsepower than an American muscle car show, ranking first nationally in points (113.8) and offensive rating (130.3). They had five players average double digit scoring, with three of those averaging at least 21 points per game.

The Jimmy Whitt-Preston Le Gassick combination should be one of the top watches at the Nationals and with them the Rollers look to be a genuine chance.

WEST

Women | Warwick Senators

2026 Record: 17-7 (def. Cockburn 102-76 in GF)

Key Players: Chloe FORSTER (19.3p/6.3r/5.5a), Jayda CLARK (17.8p/6.3r/4.7a), Mackenzie CLINCH HOYCARD (15.2p/7.5r/3.7a),

The Senators women in the National Finals? It’s almost a given these days.

For the fourth time in five years the Warwick team are heading to the big dance, looking to replicate their historic 2022 title.

There are a number of familiar faces returning, with this well oiled machine just knowing how to get the job done. Opposition defences will need to be ready to run them off the three point line, ranking 10th in percentage of shots taken from deep (44.5%), and second in converting those attempts (37.5%)

They should be involved in the business end of the tournament.

Men | Rockingham Flames

2026 Record: 20-4 (def. Geraldton 66-62 in GF)

Key Players: Isaac WHITE (26.2p/5.1r/4.9a), Emmett NAAR (11p/4.2r/9.1a), Blake JONES (17.6p/10.5r/62% FG)

The Senators aren’t the only returning 2022 NBL1 National Champions from the West, with the Rockingham Flames also back in the big dance.

Isaac White has had an all-time season and Emmett Naar remains one of my all-time favourite NBL1 players. Sadly for the Flames Michael Harris hasn’t played since July 18.

A top 20 defence and a top 10 offence nationally, the Flames are an excellent squad who should be competitive in the fight for the title.

Photo credit: USC Athletics

It’s been a whirlwind year for sitaya Fagan. It was in July last year that she suited up the Australian Gems in their World Cup campaign against Brazil in Czechia. In July this year, she took to the court against China in Melbourne wearing the Opals green and gold jersey with the number 1 on it, her name draped across the back.

The talented forward recently sat down with The Pick and Roll and reflected on these two massive milestones in her life.

“I think, personally in 2025 the World Cup, I was more anxious, more nervous to play on the court. You’d overthink a lot more things and that sort of stuff. But when I got on the court last week, I just felt more composed. I felt like, just give it your best shot, and whatever happens happens.”

What happened was an 18-year-old Fagan clocking 20 minutes across two games against China wearing an Opals singlet. She received a huge cheer in both the pregame and when she stepped on the floor in front of a home town crowd. She even made sure to secure a few highlights when she was out there.

“I love playing World Cups, meeting people from different countries. You get to work out who you’re gonna play in the finals, and it’s just, it’s really fun to watch all the games. So whenever I get to represent at a World Cup stage, it’s the best opportunity in the world. Then, obviously, playing for the Opals is something every Australian girl dreams of, since you were, like, six years old. So to be able to participate in that and not only participate, but play some decent minutes, that’s definitely a really good feeling.”

A lot has happened in that year, and there’s plenty more to come. It feels like everywhere Fagan could have been between those two games, she was.

Read more

Adam and Jacob discuss the latest NBL signings, with a flurry of imports committing over the last month, and some key spots still to be filled.

Photo credit: Dan Cowley / Images by Dan

The business of basketball in Australia is booming, and it’s largely thanks to two factors: An unprecedented uptick in talent, coinciding with a series of bold moves in the boardroom. We all know Larry Kestelman’s stewardship saved the once ailing NBL, and positioned it alongside the nation’s best professional sporting codes. The WNBL is now following a similar blueprint, acting ambitiously in a bid to become bigger and better than ever.

So far, the returns are promising! Last year’s championship was an instant classic, this season will introduce an exciting expansion team, while a host of marquee signings continue coming down under. The league isn’t resting on its laurels either, having recently considered six potential changes to trial at the Townsville Tip-Off, and this morning confirming three new rules for the pre-season tournament.

The proposed changes varied from minor tweaks to major modifications, with some that seemed logical, and some laughable. From the six changes the league considered, they ultimately landed on three: Player only timeouts, maximum points for free throws, and immediate inbounds in the backcourt.

It’s an exciting twist to pre-season, and helps the tournament serve a higher purpose. After all, the legaue is in the business of growing the game into the best possible product, and won’t know without some trial and error.

But, has the league landed on the right rules? And which changes could actually be worth implementing?

Read more

Thankfully, there’s still plenty of Aussie and New Zealand talent heading back the other way. The NBL’s 2026 rookie class looks to be as deep as any in recent memory, with a handful of players ready to step right in and make their mark. As the league continues to grow and the talent level rises, we’re looking at some of the young stars that look set to rise with it.

Max Mackinnon, Brisbane Bullets

He’s the son of an NBL legend, but Max Mackinnon is ready to create his own legacy in the league. The most accomplished college player in this year’s rookie class, he joins the Brisbane Bullets with a real chance to play a significant role from day one. While it won’t be his first time in a Bullets jersey, having played five games as a development player back in NBL22, he joins a vastly different club, one that is looking to finally find some stability under Will Weaver after seven straight years outside of the finals.

With eight fresh faces on the roster, Mackinnon is primed to establish himself as a face of the new-look Bullets from day one. “A lot of stuff was happening, a lot of options, but you just kind of wanted to know somewhere you’re going to be able to impact and play,” Mackinnon told NBL Now last week. “Obviously I’ll earn that spot, but Will had a great vision, and it was just a no-brainer to be back in Brissy.”

Looking at his career to date, there’s no reason to believe the 22-year-old won’t find early success in the NBL. Playing at three different schools across his four-year college career, he continually stepped up to higher levels of competition and thrived every time. In the Colonial Athletic Association with Elon, he averaged 11.7 points per game over two seasons; with Portland in the West Coast Conference, that jumped to a team-high 14.5 points; and as a senior in the gauntlet of the SEC, he led LSU in scoring at 15.7 points per game. Throw in a dominant campaign at this year’s Adidas EuroCamp, and he’s more than proven that he can rise to every occasion.

After an NBA Summer League stint with the Charlotte Hornets, he now lands in Brisbane ready to make a running start to his professional career. It’s looking increasingly likely that he’ll be a starter for the Bullets, lining up in the backcourt alongside last year’s EuroCup assist leader, Arnas Velička. It’s a perfect fit to ease Mackinnon into life in the NBL – a 38% three point shooter last season on almost six attempts per game, he’ll surely see plenty of open looks generated by the playmaking of Velička and the interior presence of Tyrell Harrison.

That shooting is his most bankable skill, but he’s got the tools to be more than just a spot-up shooter. He’s always shown the ability to create off the dribble, and at six-foot-six, he’s able to rise and shoot over defenders from all three levels. Weaver has assembled a balanced roster in his first season at the helm, but the most glaring hole is a lack of scoring punch and creation outside of Velička. It might be unfair to expect Mackinnon to be a star from day one, but he has the potential to fill some of that void, and eventually grow into the go-to scorer that every successful NBL team needs.

The NBL is a worse place when the Bullets are incompetent, and there’s hope that this season and their new regime can finally turn things around. For Mackinnon and everyone involved, that’s the number one goal. “I’ll earn that spot, but I’m super keen just to impact in whatever way I can in Brisbane and help bring back Brisbane to winning,” he told NBL Now.

Harry Wessels, Sydney Kings

Long touted as one of Australia’s most promising young players, Harry Wessels is still yet to really show what he can do. The big man came through the Centre of Excellence, has already represented the Boomers, and was consistently in the rotation across four years with Saint Mary’s in the NCAA. Despite that, a true breakout never really came – he started 23 games as a senior but still played a supporting role, averaging 17 minutes and five points per game.

That production might be modest, but the 24-year-old’s potential is still sky high. That’s why he landed a spot on San Antonio’s Summer League roster, posting a near-double-double in the consolation rounds, and why he was a no-brainer signing for the Sydney Kings. He’ll now join the defending champions as they chase back-to-back titles with much of their core still in place, but with the chance to be even better in NBL27.

Big men don’t grow on trees, and Wessels is a big, big man. Standing at seven-foot-one, he’s the tallest player currently signed to an NBL team, and that will immediately give the Kings a point of difference on the court. More importantly, he knows how to put that size to good use – despite his limited minutes at Saint Mary’s, he still finished in the top ten in program history for blocked shots. Across his senior year, he averaged a block per game, but in games where he played 20-plus minutes, that number jumped to 1.6.

Last season’s Kings were already the best defensive team in the league, with the versatility to mix and match their lineups to suit any opponent. A lot of that success was built around Xavier Cooks and Torrey Craig, with their ability to guard multiple positions allowing the Kings to play smaller and stay effective; now, they’ll also have the option to pivot hard the other way and play bigger than any other team. It may not be a staple of their gameplan, but you can guarantee that head coach Brian Goorjian will find ways to use that to their advantage.

The same goes offensively, where Wessels is unlikely to move the needle as a scorer, but where he’ll be a useful weapon in Sydney’s arsenal. Guards across the NBL will dread facing the Kings – as if stopping reigning Grand Final MVP Kendric Davis isn’t hard enough, they’ll now have him running them into a heavy dose of bone-crunching screens from Wessels. He won’t create for himself, but with good touch around the rim and as a 74% free throw shooting across his college career, he should be an effective play finisher and a big target for Sydney’s playmakers to hit.

While the Kings have kept the bulk of their championship-winning core, the biggest shift has come in the frontcourt. Import centre Tim Soares has departed, and while Keli Leaupepe was expected to step into his starting role, he’ll miss a second straight season through injury. They’ve reportedly added G League forward Andrew Carr in recent days, who brings a similar skill set to Soares as a six-foot-eleven floor spacer; it seems safe to assume that he’ll start alongside Cooks and Craig.

Even still, there’s room for Wessels to play key minutes as a backup, and that shuffling of the deck leaves the door open for him to carve out an even bigger role for himself. It’s also the perfect situation for him to continue to develop, learning from senior players like Cooks and Matthew Dellavedova, playing under a legendary coach in Goorjian, and spending time around two of Australia’s greatest ever bigs in Andrew Bogut and Luc Longley. The Kings won’t need him to be a star just yet, but Wessels could well emerge as one before his time in Sydney is done.

Anthony Dell’Orso, Perth Wildcats

Across the last three years, Ben Henshall became an invaluable member of the Perth Wildcats. The Western Australian native went from an up-and-down rookie to a key starter, a national team player, and a legitimate two-way threat in the NBL. His departure for Ole Miss in the NCAA this offseason was a big blow for the Wildcats; thankfully, they’ve got a ready-made replacement coming back the other way.

It’s not quite a like-for-like swap, but Anthony Dell’Orso is more than ready to step in and play from day one. After spending the last two seasons with one of the best teams in college basketball, he worked out for 12 NBA teams ahead of the draft and played at Summer League with the Sacramento Kings. Now, he joins a Wildcats squad with championship aspirations, playing for a club and a fanbase that expects excellence and nothing less.

It’ll also be a reunion of sorts, with Dell’Orso enjoying a close relationship with Wildcats head coach John Rillie. “[Rillie] kept in touch from my freshman year at Campbell and was a big influence on some of the decisions I made moving forward… he’s been a great person to have in my corner,” Dell’Orso said after signing with Perth. “JR made it really clear what my role could look like and how I could fit into the team, so it was an opportunity I couldn’t really say no to.”

It’s easy to envision what that role will be, and it’ll be much the same as his role over the last two years with Arizona. Playing for a powerhouse program that finished each of the last two seasons ranked in the top 15 in the country, Dell’Orso established himself as one of the best shooters in the country. In both of his seasons there, more than half of his total field goal attempts came from behind the arc, and he finished as a career 36% three-point shooter. At six-foot-six and with a quick release, he’s able to punish late closeouts and give opposing defences fits when moving off the ball.

That will be a godsend for a Wildcats team that’s built around a pair of frontcourt stars in Kristian Doolittle and Jo-Lual Acuil, both of whom are a matchup nightmare when teams are forced to guard them one on one. It’s a role that Dell’Orso filled with aplomb in Arizona, spacing the floor for eventual NBA draft picks Koa Peat and Brayden Burries and punishing teams that sent a double their way.

Henshall came to the Wildcats with a reputation as a shooting specialist, but he developed into a well-rounded guard, able to run the point and defend at a good level. There’s reason to believe Dell’Orso can do the same – he’s shown flashes as a shot creator and a passer, and his size and smarts should hold him in good stead defensively. At the very least, though, he’ll step straight in as one of the best shooters in the league, and that alone will make him immensely valuable.

Ben Gold, Tasmania JackJumpers

For the second straight season, the Tasmania JackJumpers are putting all of their faith in a rookie big man. In NBL26, they desperately needed Kobe Williamson to be NBL-ready, and that just wasn’t the case. One year later, they cut him after just one year of a two-year deal, and replaced him with another college product in Ben Gold. There’s reason to believe, though, that the 23-year-old New Zealander can enjoy more success than his predecessor.

Gold heads south after four years with Marquette, where he helped the Golden Eagles to make three straight NCAA Tournament appearances in his first three seasons. Across those three seasons, he went from a spot contributor off the bench to a key starter thanks to a lot of the attributes that JackJumpers coach Scott Roth values – versatility, hard work, and high character. His true breakout came as a junior, where he started all 34 games for a team that went 23-11, bringing a strong presence around the basket at six-foot-eleven while also shooting over 37% from three on more than four attempts per game.

The biggest concern is Gold’s senior year, where both he and his team took a step backwards. Marquette won just 12 games, and while Gold’s raw numbers stayed fairly steady, his efficiency plummeted and he struggled to be effective. Coming off that career-best shooting year, he made just 26% of his threes, with that regression sapping so much of his value on the court. The important caveat is injury – he spent the back half of the season battling an ankle injury that left him in a moonboot and on crutches at their end-of-season celebrations.

That makes it tough to get a good read on what Gold could bring in his first NBL season, which in turn could have a big impact on Tasmania’s success. He’ll enter NBL27 as the team’s backup centre, but even that doesn’t fully describe his importance. That’s because he’ll be backing up Will Magnay, who has played just 97 of a possible 166 games since joining the JackJumpers. Last season, Magnay played a career-high 24 games, but that still left nine games missed through injury, a span in which Tasmania went 2-7. At this stage, it would be foolish to think he’ll play a full season without interruption, which leaves a lot of pressure on Gold to hold things down when he goes to the bench or is sidelined once again.

The JackJumpers had some success playing small last season, with Majok Deng and Josh Bannan filling in at the five, but Magnay’s layoff showed that that wasn’t sustainable long-term. In a league with just five seven-footers, Gold is a legitimate big body at six-foot-eleven, which should help to ease the transition into the pros and give Tasmania a better shot if lightning strikes Magnay for the umpteenth time. In their best-case scenario, he’ll rediscover his shooting touch and continue on the trajectory of his first three years in the NCAA.

Jayden Stone, Sydney Kings

He’s yet to play a second of professional basketball, but Jayden Stone will still bring a wealth of experience to the Sydney Kings. The 25-year-old has lived a full hoops life already, making the move to the US at just 15 years old and then spending time at four different schools during a five-year NCAA career. From struggling to find his footing at Grand Canyon, to grinding and growing at Detroit Mercy, sitting out his lone year with West Virginia due to a serious neck injury and resulting health issues, and finally a winning last season in the SEC with Missouri, he’s seen it all and become a serious player in the process.

All of that experience gives him some valuable perspective as he now steps into the professional ranks, joining a Sydney squad that won the title last season. “That allows me to come here with a humbleness, not to think I’mma be the saviour of the team or anything – they’ve got their structure, they’ve won, so just come in and learn,” Stone told NBL Now last month.

A 20-point-per-game scorer with Detroit Mercy, he stepped up a level into the SEC last season but continued to shine for Missouri, averaging 13.5 points per game while shooting over 38% from three. Most importantly, he slid into more of a supporting role with ease, spending less time with the ball in his hands but still finishing as the team’s second-leading scorer and doing so more efficiently than ever. That bodes well for his transition into the pro game and his fit on a Kings roster that’s jam-packed with playmakers.

On paper, Stone has all of the tools to be a valuable NBL player. Offensively, he’s a versatile weapon, able to play off the ball and space the floor as a career 36% three point shooter in college, or handle the ball and attack off the bounce. Defensively, Missouri often used him at the point of attack, where he was disruptive in passing lanes and generally held up well. He’ll step into the league as a plus athlete, and at six-foot-four, he’s got the size to guard one through three comfortably.

The unknown is how all of that will translate to the professional game early in his career. The Kings have some depth on the wings to ease him through any teething issues, even after the loss of Bul Kuol and Kouat Noi in the offseason and the reported looming departure of Jaylin Galloway. Craig will start and play big minutes, Tyler Robertson and Makuach Maluach continue to grow and improve, and they’ll employ some guard-heavy lineups with Davis and Dellavedova. It’s a perfect spot for him to develop, but there’s no reason he couldn’t earn some spot minutes early, and maybe even more opportunities if he impresses.

Share

Australia will enter the 2026 FIBA U18 Asia Cup as defending champions, hoping to build on a dominant 2024 tournament where they blew out New Zealand 96-33 in the finale. Here are five players to watch from the Emus’ final twelve man roster.

Read more

Adam and Lukas cover the most recent WNBL signings, as well as the Opals squad announcement for the upcoming FIBA World Cup.

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.

Image credit: SEM Phoenix

For Luke Brennan, the newly appointed head coach of the Emus, Australia’s U19 Men’s team, instilling a competitive fire into his group is his priority number one.

“Whether it’s at training, the first game, or the last minute in a gold-medal game, you have to compete at a level that wearing the Australia jersey warrants. That’s the first thing that we really want to do,” he says.

“Hopefully, the guys can go out and play really hard regardless of when or where.”

Read more

Aside from the WNBA in the US, NBL1 here back home, and the occasional international competition, this seems to be the quietest time of the year for hoops around the globe.

With that in mind, what has piqued my interest in my time covering Aussie basketballers is that there seems to be some specific overseas destination hot-spots or hubs that have always seemed to attract and feature Australian representation - whether it be athletes or coaches.

It’s awesome to step back and look at the fact that Aussies have become so good and reknown for their basketball that they can use their basketball expertise as a passport to pursue their passion across the globe. Australians have done this in countless geographies and by an ever increasing number of players and coaches. The fact that they tell me about those experiences never gets old, and that they trust me with their story is a responsibility I’m always humbled by.

I’m currently on my own travels and am in the Netherlands after a 30 hour stopover in Guangzhou, China. With a pit stop in Ireland for a few Guinness’ (and not that brown dish water we serve in Australia with the Guinness label on it) around the corner, I will be contemplating this feature across four different timezones, so it feels like the right time to write it. I have the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Berlin in my sights. It’s been the thing I’ve been most excited for over the past four years, so I’m counting my lucky stars that I’ll be able to cover the Opals throughout the tournament.

But that’s getting a little off track.

There are these Aussie hubs of varying notoriety dotted across the globe, so I’m going to try and put them in the right order, with all things considered. Choosing between first and second has been one of the trickier things I’ve done in a while, which goes to show how easy my life is. I deliberated it over it in a few time zones, but ultimately I think this is the right decision. Anyone who’s heard me talk to Adam Webster on Unwrapped will know where my biases lie, but in this case I clearly went against them.

San Antonio Spurs, NBA

An iconic NBA franchise, rich in identity both with the team and the players themselves. They’ve always had these oblong characters, whether that’s the stars or the guys at the end of the bench. The HEB ads with Kawhi Leonard, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker was the perfect illustration of how all these different pieces mismatched, and it worked. They even had one with our own Patty Mills.

Mills is the best place to start, along with Aron Baynes. For Mills, he played in San Antonio for a decade. He had 665 regular season caps and an additional 85 playoff games while Baynes played 139 regular season games and 22 in the playoffs across three years. During their time with the Spurs, they went to the NBA Finals twice and came back with a ring in 2014. They might have gotten a bit carried away here, but as they should.

Where the lore thickens is that Patty Mills represented Australia in three Olympics (2012, 2016, 2020 (2021)) during his tenure with the Spurs and was by far and away the biggest reason the Boomers were able to achieve their first podium finish during an Olympic games. Sure, these weren’t things that he did with the Spurs, but breaking new ground in this way while he was a member of the team adds to the allure of Mills’ stardom. No Australian will ever forget his 42 point performance against Slovenia in the bronze medal match, where he put the nation on his back and took us home.

It came during a tournament where the Boomers had lost the services of Baynes after just the second group phase game due to injury, which accelerated the emergence of Jock Landale, another Spur. San Antonio was Landale’s landing spot in the NBA a few years after playing for Partizan (who might be coming up a little later). He spent the 2021-22 season with the Spurs and has stuck in the league ever since.

Wind back nearly two decades and you find yourself at Shane Heal’s cameo at the end of 2003. A couple years earlier and you get to the man who started it all, Andrew Gaze. He played in 19 infamous games with the Spurs in the 1998-99 season, winning a title. Gaze’s Boomers and NBL career speak for themselves, but his icon status is only truly understood down under.

Someone who’s icon is understood around the world is Gregg Popovich. He leapfrogged every Aussie to play for the Spurs, taking on the role as head coach in 1996 and officially retiring last year. He won five NBA championships, two with the help of Australians. He and R.C. Buford, who has held every role under the sun with the Spurs, were pioneers of the international movement within the NBA. Whether it was bringing in an Aussie or an Argentinian, they played a huge part in propelling the international growth of the league forward.

Since 2014, the team has employed Matt Nielsen in a variety of roles. The Spurs have seen success in various forms with Nielsen on the bench, as well as gone through a very successful rebuild. They also had Jacob Chance in the lead chair for their G-League affiliate, the Austin Spurs, in the 2025-26 season before he was announced as the head coach of Melbourne United for the upcoming NBL season.

Seattle Storm, WNBA

Lauren Jackson almost single handedly landed Seattle the top spot. She was the early frontrunner for GOAT in the WNBA, not only for Australians, winning three MVP’s and two championships between 2003 and 2010, with a DPOY in there too. That’s the headline for LJ’s career in the States, but for this article, she also planted the seed for the Aussies to follow in Seattle.

But the Aussie that was drafted by Seattle at pick 57 in the 2000 draft, Katrina Hibbert, started in the Storm’s first ever WNBA game and would ensure she became the answer to a trivia night question when she scored the franchise’s first ever points in the league. Hibbert would play just 20 games in her one and only season in the WNBA - with the Storm no less.

In 2003, Sandy Brondello and Tully Bevilaqua joined Jackson who was embarking on her third season with the Storm. In 2004, Seattle won a ring with Jackson and Bevilaqua before subbing out Bevilaqua for Suzy Batkovic in the following season. Batkovic then went on WNBA sabbatical for the three seasons following while Jackson was all alone in the US northwest before Batkovic came back for one last dance in 2009. In 2010, Abby Bishop hoisted up the championship with Jackson in Seattle. Belinda Snell rounded out the single season cameos with Jackson in 2011 before LJ’s career was cut short due to injury during the 2012 season.

Aside from Bevilaqua’s concurrent seasons in 2003 and 2004, no Aussie stuck with Jackson for more than one consecutive season. 2013 would host zero Australians for the first time since Seattle’s rookie season in 2000. 2013 was also the last time Seattle didn’t have an Australian on the roster. Jenna O’Hea spent three seasons with the Storm, starting in 2014. In 2015, Bishop rejoined the franchise in Jewell Loyd’s rookie season. I don’t know why, but the fact that they overlapped with Jewell Loyd just isn’t adding up to me, but it obviously happened. In 2016, the two Aussies had their final season with the Storm and in the WNBA as they welcomed Breanna Stewart to the league.

“Rookie” Sami Whitcomb landed in Seattle in 2017 and won a ring there the next season. She would stick for four seasons with the Storm and be a veteran presence for a rookie Ezi Magbegor who has been with the franchise for the entirety of the 2020’s. Magbegor has seen two seasons with both Steph Talbot and Jade Melbourne in that time as well as Whitcomb leaving, coming back for two seasons, and leaving again.

Reading through all that, there have only been two seasons in Seattle’s history that haven’t featured an Australian so maybe I should have trusted my gut and placed them ahead of the Spurs. As is always the case, my confirmation bias was right once again.

A distinguishing factor that separates the Spurs from the Storm is that, during the Jackson years, no Aussies really stuck in Seattle, whereas there was and is a huge investment in Mills, Baynes and Nielsen as core members of San Antonio’s fabric. The Spurs are the model franchise in the world of basketball and a contender for the sporting world at large, so finding the value of having Aussies play such a substantial role in that will look different to the eye of the beholder.

Heal and Gaze are out and out icons so simply having them in a San Antonio Spurs jersey immortalises the franchise in Australian lore.

Since Whitcomb joined the Storm in 2017, every Aussie who has come since has been a contributor to the franchise for multiple years. Seattle have won two WNBA championships in that time, both with Whitcomb and the latter with Magbegor, so their Australian representation has been stronger than the Spurs over the past decade. Much like Popovich with the Spurs, Sue Bird outlasted all of the Aussies that came through, aside from Magbegor.

Between 2003 and 2010, Jackson reached higher peaks than any Aussie had with the Spurs, but that felt more like a story of LJ rather than Australia more broadly. The integration of Aussies in San Antonio also spans for longer, which is a matter of hating the game, rather than the player, as the NBA has been around for significantly longer than the WNBA.

On hating the game, the postseason in the NBA features four rounds, rather than three in the WNBA. A ring requires 16 wins, while the WNBA currently has its highest requisite win total for a championship run at nine. In turn, the quantity of games for a championship run in the NBA means more opportunities to have bigger moments, which makes the runs into the Finals feel more potent as there are more moments to be had.

For instance, when Whitcomb and the Storm won the title in 2018, she played a total of six games. In 2020, she played three games while Ezi played six. That’s 15 total games shared between the two in two championship runs.

In 2014, Patty Mills played 23 playoff games en route to his title, with Baynes at 14. Over their entire WNBA careers, Whitcomb has played 28 games and Magbegor has played 17. Mills and Baynes are in pursuit of those numbers, respectively, with their 2014 run.

Aussies know how good Whitcomb and Magbegor are and how frequently they make it to the postseason. The Opals are expected to podium at international events, a completely unfair but rightly earned expectation. In the current iteration of the team, Magbegor and Whitcomb are two of the key contributors. As it pertains to the WNBA and the NBA, this is hating the game, not the player.

Can you see now why this took me so long to choose between?

Okay, the rest of these won’t be as much of a commitment, I swear.

Partizan, Serbia

Speaking of Patty Mills…

Recent news reports suggest that Mills will be teaming up with Tony Parker once again, this time with Parker as his head coach, but Partizan was apparently VERY close to landing the Boomers legend.

Partizan probably has the best basketball crowd in the world. Either them, Panathinaikos or Olympiacos. It’s hard to pick where to start with Partizan, as every Australian that has played there arrived at such different stages of their careers.

Jock Landale might be the best, as it could very well be the start of his breakout on the global stage. During the 2018-19 season, he started his professional career in Belgrade and came out of the gates hot averaging 12.4 points, six rebounds and two assists in the ABA. In the EuroCup, he averaged 11.2 points, 6.5 boards and 63.2% from the floor in 16 games. For a first year pro starting his professional career in Serbia, that earned him a lot of respect, quickly. He was selected in the ABA League Ideal Starting Five and won the Serbian Cup during his sole stint in the league.

Wind the clock back to the 2009-10 season and Aleks Maric had taken home the cup himself, which Nathan Jawai matched the following season. In the 2022-23 season, Dante Exum found himself in Belgrade between NBA stints. Funnily enough, the last time I went to Europe, I met one of my dads cousins in Macedonia and went out for dinner with her and her husband. We decided to go back to their place because I told them I was a basketball fan and they told me there was a basketball game on. Turns out, it would be Dante Exum’s last EuroLeague game for Partizan.

All four players only played one season in Belgrade.

Tom Wilson had signed a three year deal with the team in 2017 but a contract dispute led to him never playing a game there. He would have been the longest tenured Australian to ever play at the club.

Technically, Michael Curcija also played for the club… but on the soccer team!

Japan

Japan has entered the chat in recent years. I’m aware it’s an entire country including an entire league and significantly more opportunities and roster spots, but they have made major moves with Aussies throughout the B.League.

Nick Kay and Brock Motum are the most notable players, as Kay has become a part of the furniture with Shimane Susanoo Magic. If you haven’t been keeping up with him, you probably won’t be shocked to learn he has become the captain of the club, with five consecutive years of service. Keanu Pinder also recently finished up his stint in the league with the Akita Northern Happinets.

Perhaps it is within the coaching ranks that the Australians are making their biggest impression, with Trevor Gleeson and Shawn Dennis having both made inroads in the B.League, providing a distinct Australian playing style. Andrej Lemanis has been the head coach of Altiri Chiba for the past five years, most of which has been served in the B.League 2. Dean Vickerman recently left the NBL to take charge of Nagasaki Velca, and Mick Downer is the head coach of the Akita Northern Happinets. The latest Australian to make the journey across to Japan is Robbie McKinley, joining the Sunrockers as an assistant coach.

Sopron, Hungary

This was the first geography that made me realise how little I knew about the world of basketball. Mainly because Ezi Magbegor spent her first WNBA offseason that wasn’t in the WNBL, here. Located on the border of Hungary, it’s quicker to get to the capital city of Austria and Slovakia from Sopron than it is Budapest.

Sopron has boasted a very talented depth chart of Opals beyond Magbegor; Cayla George, Steph Reid, Alice Kunek, Hanna Zavecz and Kathleen Macleod. Hungary has grown significantly in the world of women’s basketball, both domestically and internationally since they co-hosted the EuroBasket in 2015.

Elsewhere in Hungary, Abby Bishop played a season in Szekszárd. Darcee Garbin played two seasons in Diósgyőri, winning the championship in the 2023-24 season before moving to Győr the following season. Yet the green and gold of Sopron has a familiar feel to it for the Aussies, as a home away from home.

Gorzów Wielkopolski, Poland

This was the second. When I learned about Sopron I realised how little I knew, but learning about Gorzów opened my eyes. I really didn’t mean that to sound poetic, I’m talking about basketball for God’s sake.

Gorzów has been an interesting landing spot, similar to Sopron, in the sense that it’s only attracted absolute ballers. Steph Talbot, Alanna Smith, Chloe Bibby, Steph Reid; who would be the fourth best player in that quartet?

The other intriguing part about Poland is that they don’t have a strong international presence, but a solid domestic league. That really isn’t something you see very often.

Poland also saw Tess Madgen and Shyla Heal playing for Lublin, Bec Allen playing for Gdynia, Hannah Hank playing for Poznań, Lauren Mansfield playing for both Polkowice and Toruń and Alice Kunek playing for both Gdynia and Toruń. None of these Aussies teamed up while they were in Poland, however.

Colleges, colleges & colleges!

This is a broad brush stroke, but we’d be here all day naming players, both men and women, who played at Saint Mary’s and Hawai’i. Davidson has had a strong Aussie connection on the women’s side in recent years, mirroring Portland.

There are other pockets that pop up here and there, like Nebraska a few years ago with Jaz Shelley and Issie Bourne, but the stars of this show are Saint Mary’s and Hawai’i.

With Adam Caporn being the first Australian to go Saint Mary’s back in 2001, there has been a seemingly unbroken chain of Aussies ever since. In Hawai’i, Patty Mills is now the general manager of the men’s program. We could list names until the cows come home, but the fact that their links start and end with Caporn and Mills tells you more than I can.

It seems that, once a basketball team gets one Aussie, they’re stuck with us forever.

Adam chats to University of Sydney coach Jacob Jackomas and player Keanu Goehring as they prepare for their opening game of the 2026 Asian University Basketball League, held in China.

Australians can watch USyd in the group stage of the tournament from 9:30pm AEST on Sunday 2 August as they take on Tsinghua University, and from 7pm AEST on Monday 3 August when they meet Waseda University. More information can be found at aubl.com.

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: FIBA

It might not quite be ESPN’s Brian Windhorst covering a high schooler named LeBron James in Cleveland back in 2003, but The Pick and Roll has proudly been there since day one of Issie Bourne’s professional career.

We hosted her first professional interview in 2023, ahead of her debut with the Adelaide Lightning. Unlike her days at Nebraska, there was no press pack inside a bustling and brightly lit media room. Instead, it was inside an echoing tunnel, deep in the bowels of Adelaide 36ers Arena.

That piece first revealed the WNBL’s best kept secret. Once the secret was out, we then deep dived into how she completed one of the best rookie seasons in recent history. As her star kept rising, we were there when she first became an Opal.

So really, Bourne’s selection into Australia’s upcoming World Cup team really wasn’t all that surprising - at least not to us. The signs have been obvious all along. Less obvious? Exactly how Bourne has elevated herself into one of the nation’s best bigs. Here’s how she’s gone from a rising rookie to the real deal.

Read more

With new national champions now crowned, we’re taking a look at a handful of the players that stood out across the men’s and women’s tournaments.

Read more

Playing time is often limited, and the stakes are high, with players afforded only a handful of matches to make an impression. Here are four takeaways from the Australian contingent that suited up for the 2026 NBA Summer League.

Lachlan Olbrich belongs in the NBA

Lachlan Olbrich was selected by the Chicago Bulls in the 2025 NBA draft and defied his late second round position (55th overall) by making 37 regular season appearances, including two starts. Playing on a two-way contract, Olbrich spent much of the season in the G League, where he averaged an impressive 19.2 points and 8.6 rebounds for the Windy City Bulls. Olbrich thus had some runs on the board, but still came into the 2026 Summer League with plenty to prove, hoping to show NBA scouts that his debut season wasn’t a fluke.

In eight preseason games for the Golden State Warriors, Olbrich averaged 9.0 points and 3.1 rebounds while shooting 59% from the field. He only played 16 minutes per game, but made his mark in limited playing time, and described himself as a “glue guy” in an interview with The Mercury News.

“Being the ultimate glue guy, connector guy, kind of what Draymond Green does with Golden State,” Olbrich told the Mercury News. “I’m just trying to be better in those areas, being able to defend all five positions is what I’m trying to get to, and just getting the ball from side to side.”

Olbrich particularly excelled in one game where he dropped 21 points on 100% shooting from the field. The 22 year old has shown he is an above the rim athlete, and flashed his versatility by making a series of left handed finishes. Olbrich has also realised the importance of his passing game, averaging a touch under two assists in the preseason. For him to crack an NBA roster however, the development of his jumper will be an area of major interest. Olbrich made two of four three-point attempts across his eight matches, showing a very low volume of shots, but he just needs to keep the defence honest when left open.

Overall, Olbrich’s output shows he belongs in the NBA. At 6’8 he is considered undersized compared to most big men, but can make up for that with playmaking vision, tenacity on the boards and a developing jumper. NBA teams will be watching him closely heading into the 2026-27 season.

Rocco Zikarsky is ready

When Rocco Zikarsky started his NBA career in 2025, he was considered a project. He never quite earned significant playing time with the NBL’s Brisbane Bullets, and to many onlookers, a few years in the G League seemed likely. However, the 20 year old enjoyed a stellar debut season with the G League’s Iowa Wolves, averaging 14.8 points and 8.9 rebounds, before taking that form into the 2026 Summer League.

Zikarsky averaged 12.2 points and 5.8 rebounds in 24.3 minutes for Minnesota’s Summer League team, and more importantly, blocked 2.0 shots per game - showing his potential as a disruptive rim protector. He couldn’t quite find his three point shot, hitting just 21.4% of his looks from downtown, but encouragingly attempted 2.8 three pointers per game. Zikarsky has signalled his intent to develop into a stretch five, and that could be valuable for Minnesota in the post-Rudy Gobert era.

In one particular game where he showed all-around brilliance, Zikarsky dropped 16 points and seven rebounds against the Los Angeles Clippers. He was a dominant force in the dunker spot, but also showed some finesse by hitting long range floaters, and even attempted some dribbles from the perimeter. Adding five assists to his stat sheet that day, Zikarsky showed potential as a playmaker out of the post, throwing some impressive bullet passes to find open shooters.

Watching Zikarsky move around the court, he doesn’t have the stereotypical stiffness or slow gait often seen in players that stand 7’3 tall. The former age group swimming talent has impressive mobility and fluidity for his size, making him a tantalising prospect at both ends of the court. If Zikarsky continues to make strides with his three ball and mid-range jumper, he will become a part of the Timberwolves’ NBA rotation sooner rather than later. The team already has a noted rim protector in Gobert, but Zikarsky could add another dimension to their offense with his perimeter skills.

Oscar Cluff has serious potential

Oscar Cluff went undrafted in the 2026 NBA draft, and at the age of 24, doesn’t have time on his side compared to most other prospects. He faced long odds to crack an NBA roster, but nonetheless found an opportunity to suit up in the Summer League for Houston. Cluff was afforded a touch under 20 minutes per game, posting averages of 4.0 points and 7.6 rebounds, while shooting 46.7% from the floor.

The 6’11 centre is a big body who can set screens, and thrives on high percentage looks around the paint. His ability to gobble up rebounds would have piqued the interest of NBA scouts at the Summer League, although offensively his game is perhaps too limited to earn an NBA call up just yet. Cluff has never been a noted shooter, and did not attempt a single three-pointer in his last season of college basketball at Purdue. The big man is also not known for prolific rim protection, averaging 0.9 blocks in that same year at Purdue.

Nevertheless, Cluff can fill the role of a prototypical old-school big man, and NBL clubs will be circling a player of his caliber. Alternatively, it’s also possible that Cluff could spend some time in the G League, or in a best case scenario, land a two-way contract. Cluff shot 68.3% from the field at Purdue, proving to be one of the most efficient big men in the whole NCAA Division I competition - this will be a major selling point, as well as his insatiable desire to corrall rebounds at both ends of the floor.

As a 70% free throw shooter at Purdue, one would think Cluff has the potential to expand his shooting range. This would completely change the way that professional teams view him, and make a major difference to his NBA roster candidacy.

Mixed success elsewhere

While Zikarsky, Cluff and Olbrich were afforded plenty of opportunities to get into a rhythm, it wasn’t the same story for many of their compatriots who suited up in NBL26. Flynn Cameron flew the flag well for New Zealand, averaging 10.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists in a well-rounded display, but for much of the Australian contingent the minutes were hard to come by, or the shots just didn’t fall.

Cameron won NBL26 Most Improved Player honours, and took this form into the Summer League, where he was on song for the Portlant Trail Blazers. He sunk 43% of his 14 looks from beyond the arc, over four games, proving to be a real sharpshooter. Cameron’s playmaking ability was also on display, dishing out 3.2 assists in just 14 miuntes of average playing time, while ceding only 2.0 turnovers per game.

Cameron turned out to be one of the surprise packets of the 2026 Summer League, and will return to Adelaide with his eyes set on a larger role. He has the efficiency and all-around game to become one of the NBL’s top players, and it would not be a major surprise if he elevated his game to All-NBL level this season. The New Zealand national team have a potential cornerstone player in Cameron, who also happens to be the son of Tall Blacks legend Pero Cameron.

Davo Hickey averaged 3.6 points, 3.9 rebound and 3.0 assists for the Los Angeles Lakers, but shot just 39% from the field. The 27 year old has improved rapidly with Illawarra in the past few seasons, and showed his potential as an all-around contributor. NBA teams will be looking for a bit more aggression on the offensive end; if Hickey were to develop a more potent jumper, he would not be far off an NBA call up.

Luke Travers was waived by Cleveland in January but joined Milwaukee for the 2026 Summer League, hoping for a way back into the NBA. He averaged just 4.8 points and 2.8 rebounds, while shooting 29.4% from the field. In a limited sample of matches the shots just didn’t quite fall for him, and his next move will be interesting to watch. Melbourne United have already lured Travers to the NBL - if the 24 year old elevates his game to All-NBL level the NBA will likely come calling again.

Harry Wessels, Anthony Dell’Orso, Kuany Kuany and Will Johnston all averaged 13 minutes or less, thus receiving limited opportunities to make an impact. Wessels was the most productive of the aforementioned quartet, averaging 3.0 points and 3.8 rebounds in under 10 minutes of playing time, but ultimately it’s difficult to impress NBA scouts in such limited minutes. Dell’Orso has been signed by the Perth Wildcats, while Wessels was snapped up by the Sydney Kings, with the lure of the NBL too strong for those that couldn’t find an NBA breakthrough.

Share

Adam chats to Bronze Medalist from the recent FIBA U17 World Cup, Olivia Olechnowicz, about her experience at the tournament, continuing to grow her game and her future aspirations.

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: Iowa State Athletics

This time last year, the Australian Gems had just tied up their Under 19 World Cup campaign against the US in the gold medal game. They came home with silver as a class of young Aussie hoopers who were set to embark on their freshman year at college.

Two of those players were Emilija Dakic and Sienna Harvey, having gone to Florida and Washington, respectively, in their first yera of division one college. They recently sat down with The Pick and Roll to discuss their journey so far, as the pair both transferred to the Iowa State Cyclones for their sophomore years. Dakic was quick to share of her experience in representing Australia on the international stage.

“I think for me, it’s a massive honour. Not everyone gets to do it and so it’s a great opportunity to be able to represent your country, but also your family on an international stage. I think, yeah, just proud, I guess.”

Read more

Image credit: FIBA

Australia’s Sapphires entered the U17 Women’s World Cup in Brno, Czechia as one of the heavyweights, and signalled their intent early in an impressive win over Latvia to kick off the group stage.

The team’s ability to apply full-court defensive pressure was pivotal in the contest. Remarkably, both Isabel Smith and Olivia Olechnowicz broke the team’s record for steals in this competition with seven each, eclipsing Abbey Wehrung’s six back in the 2012 tournament. Madi Ryan also gave an early display of her all-round ability, leading Australia in scoring (14, tied with Sophie Richardson for a team-high) and blocks (four).

The might of the USA, who had won the last three U17 World Cups, awaited Australia next. The USA team boasted names like Ivanna Wilson Manyacka (the tournament MVP), Eve Long and Caroline Bradley, who were all named in the top five of ESPNW’s Class of 2027 rankings, but Australia was undaunted by the challenge. Trailing by nine with a minute to play, a pair of threes to Sophie Richardson set up a nail-biting finish before Australia’s inbound pass on the buzzer went astray. Still, the result had underlined the resilience of the Sapphires as well as their talent and it ended up being the USA’s closest game of the event.

In the Sapphires’ remaining group game against Côte d’Ivoire, they simply had far too much talent for their opponents, and coach Tom Garlepp was able to give some different players court time, including bigs Lily Mapp (six points, seven rebounds and three blocks) and Jemyma Manyok (13 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks) and guard Jasmine Jones (15 points, five threes and four assists) in the 87-39 rout as Australia broke their record for most assists in a game at this tournament.

The Round of 16 clash against Germany was similarly one-sided and Australia had basically sealed it at quarter time, where they led 27-3. A late flurry from Germany against Australia’s bench group made the scoreline more respectable, but Australia’s starting five had been utterly dominant.

That result set up a quarter final against a Japan side headlined by dynamic point guard Miya Takeuchi (who had 32 points in the game). Australia never quite looked comfortable but managed to finish ahead 70-64. The Sapphires’ greater size was telling with a 44-26 rebound led by Matilda Trout’s 14 boards.

The dream of a gold medal clash with the USA was alive late into the semi-final with Spain, where despite some cold shooting from Australia (they only went 4 from 24 from three-point range), a Sophie Richardson three-pointer tied it up at 50-50 in the closing minutes. Another all-round display from Madi Ryan (12 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two blocks) got Australia, who never led and trailed by 13 late in the second quarter, back into the contest. But a relentless and balanced Spanish team dominated the final stretch to run away 59-51 winners.

The loss to Spain left Australia to battle Canada for third place. It was another close contest, but this time the Sapphires were the more poised team down the stretch and they got some huge late stops to change the momentum of the game. Forward Jay Sebasio had her most impactful cameo of the tournament, troubling Canada with her cutting to record eight points in quick time. A three from Olivia Olechnowicz, who was huge on both ends, pushed Australia to the lead with just over a minute to go and Smith, Ryan and Olechnowicz were all perfect from the line as Australia ran away with a 64-57 win.

Madi Ryan has been a prolific winner at junior international level even while playing up an age group and was again Australia’s star of the tournament. At 191cm, the Sandringham Sabres star has the size for the frontcourt but handles the ball, makes plays and knocks down mid-range jumpers like a seasoned guard. Her basketball IQ is tremendous, and her versatility is rarely seen at this level. Seamlessly moving between different positions depending on what the team needed and holding up across big minutes (she played every minute of the semi-final against Spain), she ranked in the top 10 in scoring (14.1 points per game), field-goal percentage (47.2%), blocks (1.3 per game) and efficiency (a rating of 16.1 per game) and was selected in the tournament’s All-Star Five.

Olivia Olechnowicz also cemented her status as one of Australia’s brightest backcourt prospects across the tournament. A multi-level scorer who can post up, get downhill or shoot from outside (40% from three-point range), she ranked in the top 20 for scoring with 12.1 points per game. She was even more impactful on the defensive end, using her aggressive mindset and instincts to hound opposition players and rack up 3.3 steals per game, good for second in the tournament. Selection as the Best Defensive Player and in the All-Second Team were just reward for her non-stop hustle.

Isabel Smith was another huge contributor with 11.9 points per game. She consistently got to the line across the tournament (and made her free-throws at 80%, placing her in the top five of this category) and her ability to get a step on defenders was on full display against the USA’s bevy of long and athletic wings, where she had a tournament-high 20 points. Even when her shots weren’t falling, Smith found a way to contribute; against Latvia where she went two from 15 from the field, she contributed seven steals and two blocks.

In the frontcourt, Sophie Richardson (eight points per game) looks the modern prototype of a successful wing player; she is long and athletic and can get up and down the court, knock down outside shots and contribute on the glass. Matilda Trout gave the team a mobile big, and her 7.6 rebounds per game placed her in the top 10. She finished with a cumulative plus/minus of 68, behind only Ryan and Olechnowicz. Queenslander Jade Sherrington played hard and unselfish basketball in her court time and has great playmaking instincts at 184cm.

Finally, Jemyma Manyok only played limited minutes but continues to improve and is an intriguing long-term prospect. While she is still developing her offensive repertoire, her shot-blocking is already otherworldly, highlighted in a five-block effort in the bronze medal game. She was the tournament’s leading shot-blocker despite playing just over 14 minutes a game and recorded an outrageous 6.5 blocks per 40 minutes.

Credit: FIBA

It took a collective effort from the squad to win their first medal at this level since 2018 and highlights the depth and talent of this generation of Australian basketballers.

Share

Sapphires squad: Eliza Ashby, Jasmine Jones, Jemyma Manyok, Lily Mapp, Olivia Olechnowicz, Sophie Richardson, Madi Ryan, Jay Sebasio, Jade Sherrington, Isabel Smith, Matilda Trout

Adam and Lukas discuss the Opals’ two wins over China and the Sapphires’ performances in the U17 World Cup.

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.

There’s a World Cup on the horizon, we’ve got more Aussies in the WNBA than ever, and the Opals have just wrapped up a triumphant international series on home soil. While names such as Magbegor, Smith, Talbot, Melbourne and Borlase are likely locked in for the trip to Berlin, there’s still a swathe of spots up for grabs as Australia looks to make another run at the podium.

So what exactly did the 2-0 series win over China teach us about a potential World Cup roster?

Read more

The feeling was very different this time two years ago, when the Crocs slumped to a 15th-place finish at the 2024 FIBA Under-17 Men’s World Cup. That marked Australia’s worst-ever result at the event, and made it four straight tournaments finishing outside of the top five. There were some promising signs, but for a country with ever-growing hopes and expectations on the court, it was a disappointing step back.

Last month’s World Cup in Türkiye was a chance to bounce back, and the Crocs did exactly that. With a new-look coaching staff and an uber-talented squad, they stormed through the early stages of the tournament and ultimately walked away with a bronze medal.

Credit: FIBA

That result was a huge tick for not just the program, but for so many of the players who were able to impress on the world stage.

Aussie depth steps up to break medal drought

It was a welcome return to the podium for the Crocs, who won back-to-back silver medals in 2012 and 2014 but had failed to reach the semi-finals in the four tournaments since. While they finished one step lower this time around, their 6-1 win-loss record was actually Australia’s best ever at the event – they were beaten by the United States twice in 2012, and in 2014, they fell to Canada in the group stage before again coming up short against the Americans in the final.

This year, they were untouchable up until the semi-finals, where they again ran into the American buzzsaw. Prior to that, the wins were impressive, including a 22-point blowout of eventual silver medallists Serbia, another double-digit win over a talented Canadian squad, and a composed bounceback effort to take down the hosts Türkiye in the bronze medal game.

There were stars that led the way – more on them later – but it was a top-down effort from the entire Crocs squad. Of their 12 players, 10 averaged double-digit minutes across the tournament, and all made plays when their number was called. “What impressed me most wasn’t necessarily the points scored or the highlights, it was the willingness to sacrifice for the team,” head coach Greg Vanderjagt told Basketball.com.au after the tournament. “Different players carried us on different nights, and nobody cared who got the credit as long as the group found success.”

Point to any player across the depth chart, and you’ll find a key contributor to one or more of Australia’s wins. Andrew Watene was a backup to the team’s lead guards, but he starred against Serbia and stayed ready for his spot minutes throughout. Alex Mabbott played a similar role at centre and brought a rugged edge with his rebounding and shot-blocking. Riak Akhuar was the ultimate defensive Swiss army knife, guarding multiple positions at a high level and finishing fourth in the tournament in blocks. John Aryang started but played a supporting role, and he produced countless highlights and just as many key plays.

Maybe most impressive of all was how Vanderjagt and his staff used that depth, and their ability to bring out the best of every single player. It’s been a turbulent last few years for the head coach with the Brisbane Bullets and their coaching carousel, but an escape from the pro ranks might have been the perfect remedy. The Crocs were a well-oiled machine throughout, blending the trademark Aussie grit and intensity with a level of execution and organisation that can be rare in junior teams.

“We never spoke about outcomes during this journey with this group of athletes, we focused on our process of getting better every day and ensuring that would drive our outcomes more than anything,” he told Basketball.com.au.

Luke Paul is the real deal

Very few players came into the World Cup with more hype than Luke Paul. The youngest player to ever sign a contract with the NBL’s Next Stars program, he claimed MVP honours at last year’s Under-16 Asia Cup, was named to the All-Star Five at the Under-17 Oceania Cup, and starred for WA Metro at June’s national championships. It’s easy to see why FIBA ranked him as the eighth-best prospect ahead of the tournament, and why plenty rated him even more highly.

Safe to say, the 17-year-old more than lived up to the hype. He was the engine of Australia’s offence, finishing third among all players in assists while also being a top-15 scorer; he stuffed the stat sheet, averaging 15.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, 7.1 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.3 blocks, and finishing as the only player to average more than 10-5-5-1-1; and he earned selection in the tournament’s All Star Five, joining Dejan Vasiljevic and Dante Exum as the only Australians ever to do so. Most importantly, he led from the front as the Crocs climbed onto the podium, culminating in a 19-point, 10-rebound and seven-assist masterclass in the bronze medal game.

Already regarded as one of the best playmakers in the world for his age, Paul’s offensive skillset was on full display. Australia finished third in the tournament in assists despite generally playing at a slower pace, and that started with their point guard, who was unselfish to a fault at times and always looking to get his teammates involved. He processes the game so much faster than most in his age group, able to see the play unfolding and wait for an opening to exploit as it does.

Always a streaky shooter, he showed some promising signs of development in Türkiye, shooting 55.6% from three with a tidy and smooth form. As the Crocs ran him through a heavy dose of screens, that forced defences to make tough decisions – go over the top and let him get into the paint and create, or go under and give him the open three. Most teams did the former, and he showed great patience in navigating the heart of the defence and making plays; when Slovenia tried the latter, he torched them for 20 points and five made triples.

It wasn’t all roses, and Paul struggled with turnovers throughout, posting four or more in five of Australia’s seven games. That was most glaring in the semi-final, where the length and athleticism of the United States brought him undone. The Crocs struggled to break the Americans down, scoring just 65 points in a blowout loss, and Paul finished with six turnovers and three assists. That could be cause for concern as he prepares for the grown men of the NBL, and later the elite athletes in the NBA; he’ll never play with the same sort of talent deficit that the Crocs faced, though, up against a team with an average winning margin of more than 50 points and elite NBA prospects at every spot.

Even with one down game, the good far outweighed the bad for Australia’s brightest young star. It made his bounceback effort against Türkiye all the more impressive, and his performance on the whole should have Cairns Taipans fans excited for their next two seasons together. He’ll surely still be eased into the action in NBL26, but with the Taipans building a strong group of veterans, coach Adam Forde might be willing to throw him into the fire sooner rather than later.

Yahya Basaran: Australia’s next great big man?

Ahead of the World Cup, The Pick and Roll’s Ayush Gautam took a deep dive into Australia’s best young big men. Not since Andrew Bogut have the Boomers had a dominant paint presence at their disposal, with stretch bigs and small ball fives manning the middle in recent years. One player he flagged was Yahya Basaran, with the 17-year-old seven-footer coming off a dominant Under-18 National Championships campaign and his first few months with the Basketball Centre of Excellence.

Still relatively untested at the international level coming into the World Cup, Basaran played just two games at last year’s Under-17 Oceania Cup but did plenty to impress. That had him flagged in Australia as a player to watch, but in Türkiye, he announced himself on the world stage. He finished the tournament second among all players in blocked shots, averaging 9.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in just 20 minutes per game, and proving to be a legitimate two-way force around the basket.

His size alone was a huge point of difference – listed at seven feet on the dot, he was one of just five seven-footers at the tournament, and the only one playing for a top-four side. Maybe he’s had a growth spurt since his last measurements, but he looks even bigger than that on the court, and with long arms to match, he eats up a huge amount of space in the paint. That showed up most on the defensive end, where he was able to block shots and vacuum up rebounds even when caught a little out of position.

It would be easy for a player at his size to fall into the trap and try to bulldoze the opposition offensively, particularly against smaller juniors, but Basaran is already a more polished player than that. While his scoring numbers don’t jump off the page, they did place him in the top ten for centres, and it’s the way that he got those points that was most impressive. He showed a level of patience in the post that belied his years, making subtle moves and waiting for his defender to bite before rising up or stepping through to shoot.

Seeing that, it should be no surprise to learn which NBA player he takes inspiration from. “I study Nikola Jokić’s footwork and try to learn from it,” he told Anadolu Agency during the tournament.

He attributes his recent rapid development to his short time so far at the Centre of Excellence, which bodes even better for his future as he continues to put in work there. “Every day I’m improving there, and that’s showing in my performances… it brings together the best 12 players in the country on one team, and that has helped me improve tremendously. I feel like I’m getting better every day,” he told Anadolu Agency.

State team stars to elite role players

In any national team – any country, any sport, any age group – players will need to take on new roles. Just about every player to ever represent their country is a star at the lower levels, but not all can be the star as they keep stepping up. Most will need to take a step back and join the supporting cast; some can’t make that work, but some can do so and thrive.

Every player on the Crocs roster seemed to truly embrace their role, but two players embodied that balance more than anyone. For years now, Antonio Browne and Will Hamilton have starred at the national championships as the leaders and focal points for their respective states. By now, both are also veterans in the national team program – the World Cup was Hamilton’s fourth tournament representing his country, while it was the third for Browne – but both were more impressive than ever in Türkiye.

Browne has long been a highlight machine for New South Wales Metro, playing as the lead guard for a team that consistently competes for national titles. At the World Cup, though, he proved to be the perfect foil for Luke Paul, providing secondary playmaking and a pressure release when defences keyed in on the point guard, and then running the second unit with aplomb when he went to the bench. By tournament’s end he’d done a little of everything as needed, averaging 9.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.4 steals per game.

He did all of that even as he struggled to find his shot, making just 23.5% of his threes and failing to make a shot from deep in five of Australia’s seven games. In the end, that didn’t even matter – he was able to get downhill easily and often, either by breaking down his man off the dribble or attacking a shifting defence off the catch. Just as he helped Paul, Paul was able to draw attention and set the table for his running mate; hopefully, this was just one of many tournaments that the two will play together.

@basketballaustraliaThe best of Will Hamilton on the world stage 🌍 🐊 #basketballaus #CrocOn #FIBAU17 #WillHamilton

Tiktok failed to load.

Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser

At state level, Hamilton has always been able to lean on his physicality. Standing at six-foot-five, with the burst of a guard but the strength and power to match any big man, he’s long been able to overpower just about any matchup thrown at him in Australia. Even at the World Cup, he was able to show off those physical traits, but they alone wouldn’t have been enough to make him effective.

Instead, he showed incredible growth in what has always been viewed as his biggest swing skill. Never a consistent shooter, he was lights out in Türkiye, shooting 42.9% on four three point attempts per game and becoming the perfect floor-spacer alongside Australia’s dynamic guard rotation. It was a remarkable step forward for the Victoria Country star, and even more impressive that he did it after going 0-6 from the field in the opening game of the tournament. Sometimes viewed as a ‘tweener’ and without a clear role projection as a future pro, Hamilton’s tournament was a great first step towards changing those perceptions, and a testament to his work rate and development.