A look back at the Aussie stars in the FIBA U15 Oceania Cup

With the FIBA Under-15 Oceania Cup set to tip off in Canberra next week, we take a look back at the players that have powered Australia's dominance over the event's history.

Since its inception back in 2009, the FIBA Under-15 Oceania Cup has been the first chance for plenty of Australia’s brightest talents to wear the green and gold. The event has undergone plenty of changes in the years since, with a shift in age group and growth from a two-team series to a full tournament, but it remains an intriguing glimpse into the future of Aussie hoops.

Credit: FIBA

The latest edition of the tournament is set to tip off in Canberra in a week’s time, with two rosters stacked with talent looking to maintain Australia’s perfect record of 12 titles across the men’s and women’s brackets. Before the likes of Olivia Olechnowicz and Charlie Wilson take the court and kickstart their international careers, take a look back at some of the players that have powered that Aussie dominance over the years.

2009 Under-16 Oceania Championship

The inaugural edition of the competition was simple; two teams, Australia and New Zealand, going head to head in a three-game series for the championship and U17 World Cup qualification. It would prove to be the start of a dominant stretch, but Australia’s men were made to work against a talented New Zealand side headlined by future NBA star Steven Adams. They blew the visitors out of the water in game one to win by 29 points, before the Kiwis hit back to steal game two and set up a winner-takes-all decider. The Aussies were able to steady, though, and take out the first iteration of the tournament on home soil.

That decisive game three perfectly captured the balanced nature of the Australian squad, with just one player scoring in double figures but six finishing with between eight and ten points.