Australian U17 Men’s FIBA World Championships team finalised
After the announcement of the extended squad last week, Basketball Australia has finalised the men’s U17 team that will head over to Spain for the 2016 FIBA U17 World Championships.
Ben Fakira, Jason Gregg, Nicholas Stoddart and Alexander Mudronja were the four players to miss the cut, after the coaches observed a selection camp at the AIS over the past few days.
“I am very excited about the 12 players selected to represent their country in Spain,” coach Mark Watkins stated in a press release.
“The team has great depth in each position and a good balance of guards and big's. Kyle Zunic, Lachlan Dent and Sean MacDonald will lead from the point guard position. Patrick Bines, Tom Fullerton, Dragan Elkaz, and Kody Stattmann are the 2/3 players who all bring different skills in those positions.
“In the big man department Mate Colina, Samson Froling, Kyle Bowen, Matthew Johns and Callum Dalton will be a big front line. The team is keen to represent their country with pride at the world championships in Spain in June.”
The team represents a nice mix of inside-outside scoring, as Bowden was the leading scorer at this year’s Australian U18 Championships, while Stattmann hit the second most three-pointers at the tournament.
Before the U17 World Championships begin on the 22 of June, the squad will head to China for a pre-tournament tour.
After finishing second in 2014 after a narrow lose to the USA in the final, the Australians will be looking to go one step further this year. While the current edition of the U17 team doesn’t possess the same star power as that aforementioned 2014 squad, a balanced and deep team should mean Australia has a solid showing at the event. Name State Club School Patrick Bines VIC Metro Melbourne Caulfield Grammar Kyle Bowen WA Metro Perth Redbacks Wesley College Mate Colina VIC Metro / COE Melbourne Lake Ginnenderra College Callum Dalton QLD South / COE Gold Coast John Paul College Lachlan Dent NSW Country Illawarra Holy Spirit College Dragan Elkaz NSW Metro Bankstown Westfields Sports High Samson Froling QLD North / COE Townsville Lake Ginninderra College Tom Fullarton QLD South / COE Maroochydore Lake Ginninderra College Matthew Johns VIC Country Geelong Belmont High Sean MacDonald VIC Metro Melbourne De La Salle College Kody Stattmann QLD North Cairns St Augustine’s College Kyle Zunic NSW Country / COE Illawarra Lake Ginninderra College