2017 Australian U18 Championships Preview
The annual Australian Under-18 Championships will begin this Saturday, despite concern that Cyclone Debbie would damage the stadiums, airport, roads and other associated venues in and around Townsville.
Basketball Australia has reassured that they have stayed in constant contact with Townsville Basketball, and the all clear has been received.
Victoria Metro men will be looking to defend their crown at the tournament, after they went undefeated at last year’s event. However, it’ll be a different looking Vic Metro, with only two players returning from the 2016 championship team – Tyler Robertson and Sean Macdonald.
There is a familiar name lining up for Vic Metro in Austin Bradtke, who is the son of Hall of Famer, Mark. Bradtke has experience in Australian junior championships, representing Victoria at the 2013 Under-14 Boys Club Championships, where he averaged 8.8 points, and the 2015 Under-16 Championships, where the big man posted 11.2 points and 7.6 rebounds per game.
Coach Darren Perry is tasked with securing Vic Metro’s fourth title in the last five years, but it won’t be easy. There is talent littered all across the men’s bracket, with numerous members from Australia’s Under-17 national team taking the court in Townsville.
Lachlan Dent (New South Wales Country), Benjamin Fakira (New South Wales Metro), Samson Froling (Queensland North), Kody Stattmann (Queensland North), Callum Dalton (Queensland South) and Kyle Bowen (Western Australia Metro) will all be hoping their international skills translate to state-level success.
Daniel Vlahov --a distant relative of NBL royalty Andrew-- will line up for Western Australia Metro*.
To view the full fixture for the men’s 2017 Under-18 Championships, click here.
Vic Metro will be looking to continue their dominance in the women’s division, as they seek a fourth consecutive championship. If Paul Flynn’s squad achieves this feat, it’ll be the fourth time in the tournament’s history a team wins four straight titles.
A trio of players will return to the Vic Metro roster, including Keeley Frawley, Cassidy Gould and Maddi Puli.
Similar to the men’s though, plenty of challengers will be looking to dethrone Vic Metro. Three representatives from the Under-17 national team will all line up for different states, with Miela Goodchild (Queensland South), Samantha Simons (South Australia Metro) and Jazmin Shelley (Victoria Country) all looking to lead their teams to gold.
Queensland South is tipped to be one of the title favourites, as they have a core of seven players who won gold at the Under-16’s two years ago – Goodchild, Paige Bayliss, Jessica McDowell-White, Jade Kirisome, Monika Faerber, Brianna Gregory-Johnson and Ula Motuga.
Another name that is sure to attract headlines is New South Wales Metro’s Shyla Heal, the daughter of former NBL Champion, Shane Heal. Other famous names to take the court include Frawley, who is the daughter of former AFL champion Danny, and Isobel Anstey, the daughter of Australian basketball legend, Chris. Both Frawley and Anstey will represent Vic Metro, with Chris an Assistant Coach for the men's team.
To view the full fixture for the women’s 2017 Under-18 Championships, click here.
Team lists
Men
Australian Capital Territory
Bradley Pateman
Alex Archer
Derek Emelifeonwu
Dominick Moran
Jarrod Fenwick
Tristan Scotcher
Zac McDermott
William Mayfield
Josh Brennan
James Gorddard
Head Coach: Daniel Jackson Assistant Coach: Vivek Gupta Assistant Coach: Dylan Simpson
Northern Territory
Keenan Abbott
Jai O'Shaughnessy
James Toohey
Denzel Tulloch
Max Davies
Jesse Schatz
Joel Stevens
Jackson Tremlett
Jordan Sing
Jai Weetra
Head Coach: Rodney Tremlett Assistant Coach: Daniel East Development Coach: Brittany Ward Manager: Cheryl O'Shaughnessy
New South Wales Country
Connor Edwards
Will Cranston-Lown
Alexander Clinton
Lachlan Dent
Ethan Dawber
Askam Reed Nottage
Matur Maluach
Brandon Freire
Max Cooper
Riley O'Shannessy
Head Coach: Matthew Johnston Assistant Coach: Matthew Bishop Assistant Coach: Todd Turner Manager: Gerard Mason
New South Wales Metro
Tyrone Jay
Ted Ferguson
Hunter-Jack Madden
Hayden Blankley
Hunter Goodrick
Isaiah Lee
Benjamin Fakira
Lachlan Charlton
Harry Hughes
Quinn Campbell
Head Coach: Robbie McKinlay Assistant Coach: William Lopez Assistant Coach: BJ Carter Manager: Christopher Morrison
Queensland North
Aiden Krause
Benjamin Wright
Kody Stattmann
Riley Clarke
Jace Arnold
Botond Hajos
Mitchell Knight
Callum Parsons
Samson Froling
Ryan Runnalls
Head Coach: Shane Froling Assistant Coach: Bradley Kann Assistant Coach: Raymond Cooper Manager: Paul Krause
Queensland South
Hussein Kiza
Nicholas Stoddart
Flynn Cameron
Callum Dalton
Dut Chol
Lachlan Mills
Elijah Puna
Chol Guet
Frazer Roberts
Donovan Crowe
Head Coach: Luke Cann Assistant Coach: Sean Carroll Assistant Coach: Kirron Byrne Manager: Julie Maroske
South Australia Country
Marshall Howe
Alex Roberts
Connor Smelt
Zac Florance
Jackson Walsh
Mitch Wellington
Sebastian Bald
Lewis Ridley
Hudson Walsh
Mason Hein
Head Coach: Mark Billington Assistant Coach: Bryan Green Development Coach: Ryan Byrne Physiotherapist: Libby Harrison Manager: Roger Hammond Manager: Jamie Petty Assistant Manager: Jackson Thomson
South Australia Metro
James Adcock
Riley Meldrum
Mark Mudronja
Toby Hunt
Hayden Meakes
Fabian Johnson
Moses Nuangki
Jesse Wall
Anyang Garang
Jarryd Hoppo
Head Coach: Andrew Jantke Assistant Coach: Jason Joynes Development Coach: Cobi Jones Apprentice Coach: Lachlan Coppick Physiotherapist: Jamie Phillips Manager: Joe Tertzakian
Tasmania
Tre Armstrong
Troy Schaeche
Hunter Clarke
Jacob Richards
Lachlan Cocker
Kobe Jackson
Jack Stanwix
Ryan Nibbs
Morgan Lockwood
Nicholas Bingham
Head Coach: Mark Radford Assistant Coach: John Fox Manager: Angella Downie
Victoria Country
Samuel Flanders
Liam Allison
Liam Herbert
Stephen Cumming
Noah Gown
Nick Grantham
Harrison Pepper
Joshua Gatbel Kunen
Jay Rantall
Matthew Cumming
Head Coach: Rebel Noter Assistant Coach: Nathan Cooper-Brown Assistant Coach: Daniel Knaggs Physiotherapist: Amy Decker Manager: Wayne Bird
Victoria Metro
James Spencer
Joel Capetola
Deng Dut
Max Richards
Austin Bradtke
Tyler Robertson
Leaupepe Keli
Samuel Taulapiu
Sean Macdonald
Oliver Hayes-Brown
Head Coach: Darren Perry Assistant Coach: David Peters Assistant Coach: Chris Anstey Physiotherapist: Karina Chilman Manager: Mark Sainsbery
Western Australia Country
Oliver Haste
Chad Miegel
Lucas Goff
Travis Vogel
Alexander Ducas
Matthew Leary
Archie Hall
Thomas Harper
Justyn Beattie
Marshall Kearing
Head Coach: Anthony Deighton Assistant Coach: Aaron Ducas Development Coach: Paul Craig Manager: Leanne Juricev
Western Australia Metro
Lachlan Forrest
Daniel Vlahov
Jayden Stone
Luke Travers
Wani Swaka Lo Buluk
Callum Beard
Hamish Cummings
Luke Jackson
Kyle Bowen
Derek Igbenoba
Head Coach: Daniel Donaldson Assistant Coach: Michael Winter Development Coach: Joshua Nipps Manager: Joanne Beard
Women
Australian Capital Territory
Caitlin Rowe
Rebecca Haisman
Clare Newton
Nikki Worner
Isabelle Bourne
Sarah Cooper
Zoe Ramshaw
Mikala Williams
Emma Rowcliffe
Rosemary Schweizer
Head Coach: Greg Evans Assistant Coach: Christine Wilson Development Coach: Daniel Barnett Manager: Fiona Wright
New South Wales Country
Lucy Chapman
Paris Forcadilla
Serena Waters
Kayla McSpadden
Abbey Morton
Matilda Flood
Melanie Kirby
Isabel Palmer
Ashleigh Fasala
Bianca Green
Head Coach: Martin McLean Assistant Coach: Christine Higgisson Assistant Coach: Russell Potter Manager: Wendy Reilly
New South Wales Metro
Sadie Walsh-Gay
Tatiana Beaumont
Deanna Kalivitis
Binta Salawu
Rebekah Dallinger
Gracie Lee
Shyla Heal
Meg Jefferson
Chloe Bloom
Lauryn Walker
Head Coach: Jenny Lonergan Assistant Coach: Jarrod Moore Assistant Coach: Gail Henderson Manager: Alissa McCann
Queensland North
Haylee Andrews
Summah Evans
Courtney Virgo
Jessica Lorraway
Aliza Fabbro
Sarah Heard
Rashada Kaigey
Madison MacDonald
Alexandra Fowler
Majella Carey
Head Coach: Jenny Froling Assistant Coach: Jamiey Doevendans Assistant Coach: Lisa Thompson Manager: Debbie Virgo
Queensland South
Jessica McDowell-White
Courtney Murphy
Monika Faerber
Ashlee Hannan
Grace George
Miela Goodchild
Jade Kirisome
Paige Bayliss
Brianna Gregory-Johnson
Ula Motuga
Head Coach: Nicole Bairstow Assistant Coach: Jackie Lear Development Coach: Caddie O'Brien Manager: Marilyn Hooper
South Australia Country
Zali Grosser
Shanika-Anne Barr
Tasmyn Biddell
Jordan Adams
Taylah Levy
Emily Winter
Isabella Stratford
Molly Coleman
Tia Bails
Lauren Ross
Head Coach: James Rattus Assistant Coach: Ian Mathieson Development Coach: Steven Smith Apprentice Coach: Danny Millard Physiotherapist: Libby Harrison Manager: Kristine Dalitz Manager: Jamie Petty
South Australia Metro
Elissa Brett
Juliet Gordon
Ella Sawyer
Zoe Walker-Roberts
Gabriella Vidmar
Samantha Simons
Hannah Hank
Jasmin Fejo
Eliza Joynes
Darcy Rees
Head Coach: John Turnbull Assistant Coach: Richard Dickel Development Coach: Georgia Sexton Apprentice Coach: Steve Woortman Physiotherapist: Donny Saleh Manager: June McKenzie
Tasmania
Sharna Thompson
Marnie Shephard
Darian Sutton
Taya Stevenson
Shelby Rayner
Sarah O'Neill
Olivia Crawford
Jayde Brazendale
Samantha Williams
Sophie Ackerly
Head Coach: Tony Webb Assistant Coach: Nick Haywood Manager: Amanda Hayward
Victoria Country
Eve Braslis
Chelsea D'Angelo
Steph Gorman
Ahlise Hurst
Georgia Amoore
Agnes Emma-Nnopu
Innika Hodgson
Jazmin Shelley
Abbey Sutherland
Ella Ogier
Head Coach: Gerard Hillier Assistant Coach: Rob Baker Assistant Coach: Sharon Denham Physiotherapist: Madeline Ellis Manager: Wendy Campbell
Victoria Metro
Isobel Anstey
Keeley Frawley
Lana Hollingsworth
Eliza Hollingsworth
Cassidy Gould
Isis Lopes
Sharna Ayres
Maddi Puli
Emma Nankervis
Last-Tear Poa
Head Coach: Paul Flynn Assistant Coach: Kerryn Mitchell Assistant Coach: Lloyd Klaman Physiotherapist: Michelle Massarany Team Manager: Lucia Kett
Western Australia Country
Grace Lawler
Cian Parsons
Georgia Adams
Emily Winterbine
Gemma Dix
Olivia Bassett-Scarfe
Eleanor Hartill
Mary Burke
Emma Burke
Tayah Burrows
Head Coach: Vladimir Alava Assistant Coach: Darren Austin Development Coach: Zoe Harper Manager: Paige McKenzie
Western Australia Metro
Claire Jacobs
Sophie Doran
Carla Drennan
Suzi-Rose Deegan
Emma Clarke
Jesni Cooper
Claire Giraudo
Imogen Ayliffe
Bella Green
Isabelle Classon
Head Coach: Craig Reynolds Assistant Coach: Christopher Lee Development Coach: Kathryn Macdonald Physiotherapist: Richard Classon Manager: Janell Vlahov
*Thanks to Connie H and Adam G for correcting an earlier error in addressing Daniel Vlahov and his relation to Andrew Vlahov.