2017 Australian U18 Championships Preview

Victoria Metro 2016 U18 Champions | Credit Kangaroo Photos via Basketball Australia

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


Australian Capital Territory

  1. Bradley Pateman
  2. Alex Archer
  3. Derek Emelifeonwu
  4. Dominick Moran
  5. Jarrod Fenwick
  6. Tristan Scotcher
  7. Zac McDermott
  8. William Mayfield
  9. Josh Brennan
  10. James Gorddard

Head Coach: Daniel Jackson
Assistant Coach: Vivek Gupta
Assistant Coach: Dylan Simpson

Northern Territory

  1. Keenan Abbott
  2. Jai O’Shaughnessy
  3. James Toohey
  4. Denzel Tulloch
  5. Max Davies
  6. Jesse Schatz
  7. Joel Stevens
  8. Jackson Tremlett
  9. Jordan Sing
  10. Jai Weetra

Head Coach: Rodney Tremlett
Assistant Coach: Daniel East
Development Coach: Brittany Ward
Manager: Cheryl O’Shaughnessy

New South Wales Country

  1. Connor Edwards
  2. Will Cranston-Lown
  3. Alexander Clinton
  4. Lachlan Dent
  5. Ethan Dawber
  6. Askam Reed Nottage
  7. Matur Maluach
  8. Brandon Freire
  9. Max Cooper
  10. Riley O’Shannessy

Head Coach: Matthew Johnston
Assistant Coach: Matthew Bishop
Assistant Coach: Todd Turner
Manager: Gerard Mason

New South Wales Metro

  1. Tyrone Jay
  2. Ted Ferguson
  3. Hunter-Jack Madden
  4. Hayden Blankley
  5. Hunter Goodrick
  6. Isaiah Lee
  7. Benjamin Fakira
  8. Lachlan Charlton
  9. Harry Hughes
  10. Quinn Campbell

Head Coach: Robbie McKinlay
Assistant Coach: William Lopez
Assistant Coach: BJ Carter
Manager: Christopher Morrison

Queensland North

  1. Aiden Krause
  2. Benjamin Wright
  3. Kody Stattmann
  4. Riley Clarke
  5. Jace Arnold
  6. Botond Hajos
  7. Mitchell Knight
  8. Callum Parsons
  9. Samson Froling
  10. Ryan Runnalls

Head Coach: Shane Froling
Assistant Coach: Bradley Kann
Assistant Coach: Raymond Cooper
Manager: Paul Krause

Queensland South

  1. Hussein Kiza
  2. Nicholas Stoddart
  3. Flynn Cameron
  4. Callum Dalton
  5. Dut Chol
  6. Lachlan Mills
  7. Elijah Puna
  8. Chol Guet
  9. Frazer Roberts
  10. Donovan Crowe

Head Coach: Luke Cann
Assistant Coach: Sean Carroll
Assistant Coach: Kirron Byrne
Manager: Julie Maroske

South Australia Country

  1. Marshall Howe
  2. Alex Roberts
  3. Connor Smelt
  4. Zac Florance
  5. Jackson Walsh
  6. Mitch Wellington
  7. Sebastian Bald
  8. Lewis Ridley
  9. Hudson Walsh
  10. 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

  1. James Adcock
  2. Riley Meldrum
  3. Mark Mudronja
  4. Toby Hunt
  5. Hayden Meakes
  6. Fabian Johnson
  7. Moses Nuangki
  8. Jesse Wall
  9. Anyang Garang
  10. Jarryd Hoppo

Head Coach: Andrew Jantke
Assistant Coach: Jason Joynes
Development Coach: Cobi Jones
Apprentice Coach: Lachlan Coppick
Physiotherapist: Jamie Phillips
Manager: Joe Tertzakian


  1. Tre Armstrong
  2. Troy Schaeche
  3. Hunter Clarke
  4. Jacob Richards
  5. Lachlan Cocker
  6. Kobe Jackson
  7. Jack Stanwix
  8. Ryan Nibbs
  9. Morgan Lockwood
  10. Nicholas Bingham

Head Coach: Mark Radford
Assistant Coach: John Fox
Manager: Angella Downie

Victoria Country

  1. Samuel Flanders
  2. Liam Allison
  3. Liam Herbert
  4. Stephen Cumming
  5. Noah Gown
  6. Nick Grantham
  7. Harrison Pepper
  8. Joshua Gatbel Kunen
  9. Jay Rantall
  10. Matthew Cumming

Head Coach: Rebel Noter
Assistant Coach: Nathan Cooper-Brown
Assistant Coach: Daniel Knaggs
Physiotherapist: Amy Decker
Manager: Wayne Bird

Victoria Metro

  1. James Spencer
  2. Joel Capetola
  3. Deng Dut
  4. Max Richards
  5. Austin Bradtke
  6. Tyler Robertson
  7. Leaupepe Keli
  8. Samuel Taulapiu
  9. Sean Macdonald
  10. Oliver Hayes-Brown

Head Coach: Darren Perry
Assistant Coach: David Peters
Assistant Coach: Chris Anstey
Physiotherapist: Karina Chilman
Manager: Mark Sainsbery

Western Australia Country

  1. Oliver Haste
  2. Chad Miegel
  3. Lucas Goff
  4. Travis Vogel
  5. Alexander Ducas
  6. Matthew Leary
  7. Archie Hall
  8. Thomas Harper
  9. Justyn Beattie
  10. Marshall Kearing

Head Coach: Anthony Deighton
Assistant Coach: Aaron Ducas
Development Coach: Paul Craig
Manager: Leanne Juricev

Western Australia Metro

  1. Lachlan Forrest
  2. Daniel Vlahov
  3. Jayden Stone
  4. Luke Travers
  5. Wani Swaka Lo Buluk
  6. Callum Beard
  7. Hamish Cummings
  8. Luke Jackson
  9. Kyle Bowen
  10. Derek Igbenoba

Head Coach: Daniel Donaldson
Assistant Coach: Michael Winter
Development Coach: Joshua Nipps
Manager: Joanne Beard


Australian Capital Territory

  1. Caitlin Rowe
  2. Rebecca Haisman
  3. Clare Newton
  4. Nikki Worner
  5. Isabelle Bourne
  6. Sarah Cooper
  7. Zoe Ramshaw
  8. Mikala Williams
  9. Emma Rowcliffe
  10. Rosemary Schweizer

Head Coach: Greg Evans
Assistant Coach: Christine Wilson
Development Coach: Daniel Barnett
Manager: Fiona Wright

New South Wales Country

  1. Lucy Chapman
  2. Paris Forcadilla
  3. Serena Waters
  4. Kayla McSpadden
  5. Abbey Morton
  6. Matilda Flood
  7. Melanie Kirby
  8. Isabel Palmer
  9. Ashleigh Fasala
  10. Bianca Green

Head Coach: Martin McLean
Assistant Coach: Christine Higgisson
Assistant Coach: Russell Potter
Manager: Wendy Reilly

New South Wales Metro

  1. Sadie Walsh-Gay
  2. Tatiana Beaumont
  3. Deanna Kalivitis
  4. Binta Salawu
  5. Rebekah Dallinger
  6. Gracie Lee
  7. Shyla Heal
  8. Meg Jefferson
  9. Chloe Bloom
  10. Lauryn Walker

Head Coach: Jenny Lonergan
Assistant Coach: Jarrod Moore
Assistant Coach: Gail Henderson
Manager: Alissa McCann

Queensland North

  1. Haylee Andrews
  2. Summah Evans
  3. Courtney Virgo
  4. Jessica Lorraway
  5. Aliza Fabbro
  6. Sarah Heard
  7. Rashada Kaigey
  8. Madison MacDonald
  9. Alexandra Fowler
  10. Majella Carey

Head Coach: Jenny Froling
Assistant Coach: Jamiey Doevendans
Assistant Coach: Lisa Thompson
Manager: Debbie Virgo

Queensland South

  1. Jessica McDowell-White
  2. Courtney Murphy
  3. Monika Faerber
  4. Ashlee Hannan
  5. Grace George
  6. Miela Goodchild
  7. Jade Kirisome
  8. Paige Bayliss
  9. Brianna Gregory-Johnson
  10. Ula Motuga

Head Coach: Nicole Bairstow
Assistant Coach: Jackie Lear
Development Coach: Caddie O’Brien
Manager: Marilyn Hooper

South Australia Country

  1. Zali Grosser
  2. Shanika-Anne Barr
  3. Tasmyn Biddell
  4. Jordan Adams
  5. Taylah Levy
  6. Emily Winter
  7. Isabella Stratford
  8. Molly Coleman
  9. Tia Bails
  10. 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

  1. Elissa Brett
  2. Juliet Gordon
  3. Ella Sawyer
  4. Zoe Walker-Roberts
  5. Gabriella Vidmar
  6. Samantha Simons
  7. Hannah Hank
  8. Jasmin Fejo
  9. Eliza Joynes
  10. Darcy Rees

Head Coach: John Turnbull
Assistant Coach: Richard Dickel
Development Coach: Georgia Sexton
Apprentice Coach: Steve Woortman
Physiotherapist: Donny Saleh
Manager: June McKenzie


  1. Sharna Thompson
  2. Marnie Shephard
  3. Darian Sutton
  4. Taya Stevenson
  5. Shelby Rayner
  6. Sarah O’Neill
  7. Olivia Crawford
  8. Jayde Brazendale
  9. Samantha Williams
  10. Sophie Ackerly

Head Coach: Tony Webb
Assistant Coach: Nick Haywood
Manager: Amanda Hayward

Victoria Country

  1. Eve Braslis
  2. Chelsea D’Angelo
  3. Steph Gorman
  4. Ahlise Hurst
  5. Georgia Amoore
  6. Agnes Emma-Nnopu
  7. Innika Hodgson
  8. Jazmin Shelley
  9. Abbey Sutherland
  10. Ella Ogier

Head Coach: Gerard Hillier
Assistant Coach: Rob Baker
Assistant Coach: Sharon Denham
Physiotherapist: Madeline Ellis
Manager: Wendy Campbell

Victoria Metro

  1. Isobel Anstey
  2. Keeley Frawley
  3. Lana Hollingsworth
  4. Eliza Hollingsworth
  5. Cassidy Gould
  6. Isis Lopes
  7. Sharna Ayres
  8. Maddi Puli
  9. Emma Nankervis
  10. 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

  1. Grace Lawler
  2. Cian Parsons
  3. Georgia Adams
  4. Emily Winterbine
  5. Gemma Dix
  6. Olivia Bassett-Scarfe
  7. Eleanor Hartill
  8. Mary Burke
  9. Emma Burke
  10. Tayah Burrows

Head Coach: Vladimir Alava
Assistant Coach: Darren Austin
Development Coach: Zoe Harper
Manager: Paige McKenzie

Western Australia Metro

  1. Claire Jacobs
  2. Sophie Doran
  3. Carla Drennan
  4. Suzi-Rose Deegan
  5. Emma Clarke
  6. Jesni Cooper
  7. Claire Giraudo
  8. Imogen Ayliffe
  9. Bella Green
  10. 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.

Luke Sicari

Written by

Writer, producer at 1116 SEN | Media assistant at the West Coast Eagles | Sport Journalism Student at La Trobe

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