The 48 players to watch at Basketball QLD U18 State Championship
NBA prospects and future Opals will hit the court at the Basketball Queensland Under-18 State Championships this week as we reveal the top talents to watch. FULL LIST
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Queensland has always been a breeding ground for future stars of Australian basketball but that trend has reached even new heights in recent years.
With the likes of Rocco Zikarsky, Roman Siulepa, Monique Bobongie and others establishing themselves as some of the top prospects around the country – there has arguably never been a more talented pool of players to watch in our own backyard like there is this week at the Basketball Queensland Under-18 State Championships.
Hosted by Gold Coast Basketball at the Gold Coast Sports and Leisure Centre, the tournament will tip-off tomorrow and run until Sunday as teams battle it out to bring a championship back to their respective clubs.
In the lead-up to the first major tournament of the year, we have revealed the top players to watch at the tournament.
U18 STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS PLAYERS TO WATCH – BOYS
BRISBANE CAPITALS
Roman Siulepa
You can’t go through this age group without mentioning one of the most exciting products, along with the likes of Rocco Zikarsky, to come out of Queensland in years.
Siulepa is non-stop energy with his physicality and high-flying plays set to light up the tournament and help the Capitals be the favourites heading into the tournament after winning the SQJBC title.
Cooper Rowlings
A talented and mobile big man, who forms a dominant front court with Siulepa, Rowlings is coming off an impressive SQJBC campaign for the Capitals, where he averaged almost 19 points per game.
His length and athleticism will prove a tough challenge for opposition teams on both ends of the floor throughout the tournament.
CAIRNS MARLINS
Tyson Crees
A versatile and athletic guard/forward who has been one of the standouts for his age group in Queensland for years now, Tyson Crees shows no signs of slowing down after leading the Marlins to first place in the NQJBC competition.
Crees led the scoring for Cairns with 20.22 points per game, including a season best of 34 points, and he will look to finish his junior career by leading the Marlins to a high finish at the state championships.
Travis Drinnan
Another Queensland North star leading the Cairns Marlins is forward Travis Drinnan, who provides Crees with a running mate as the pair combining for almost 40 points per game between them in the regular season.
Drinnan averaged 19.2 points per game in the north competition and will be another exciting talent to watch on the Gold Coast.
GOLD COAST ROLLERS
Indy Cotton
One of the best young prospects in the country, Indy Cotton has established himself as a player to watch, not only around the country, but overseas after representing Australia and he will look to lead the Rollers to a state title on their home court this week.
Cotton averaged 26 points per game during Gold Coast’s SQJBC season, where they finished runners-up to the Brisbane Capitals, and the dynamic bottom-age guard will definitely be one of the talents to watch at the tournament.
Zai Millane
Forming one of the best backcourts in the age group, Zai Millane is the perfect player to feature alongside teammate, Indy Cotton with the pair averaging more than 45 points per game between them.
Millane had a big SQJBC season, averaging almost 20 points per game, including a season-high 30 points against the Northside Wizards in the semi-final.
MACKAY METEORS
Baxter Norsworthy
A member of the State Performance Program, Norsworthy performed well for a Mackay team, which will be looking for better performances at the state championships after a tough NQJBC season.
Norsworthy averaged almost 10 points per game to lead his team.
Riley Armstrong
Another youngster to watch from the Meteors is Riley Armstrong, who is also a member of the State Performance Program.
Armstrong scored just short of seven points per game for Mackay in the regular season but will need to step it up at the state championships along with the rest of his team.
NORTHSIDE WIZARDS
Rocco Zikarsky
A 219cm big man, who has already established himself as an NBA prospect, with international scouts having their eyes on the former national champion swimmer.
Zikarsky, a Queensland South state team and Australian under-17 representative as well as NBA Global Academy member, returns to the Wizards from Canberra for the tournament, where he aims to lead Northside to back-to-back championships.
Julius Wardzinski
One of the players for the Northside Wizards, who has been part of their remarkable run of state titles in recent years but still goes under the radar somehow.
Julius Wardzinski is a versatile forward, who can play multiple positions on the floor and is also a spiritual leader for the Wizards, and will look to lead Northside to another gold medal after an impressive SQJBC season averaging 19.2 points per game.
REDCITY ROAR
Tyrell Mason
A forward who burst onto the scene with an impressive SQJBC season for the Redcity Roar, averaging more than 18 points per game to lead his team in that area.
Mason has been dominant inside, scoring 108 two-point field goals, along with 38 free-throws with no shots from the perimeter with his season including a season-high of 37 points against Northside 2.
Zachary Mcdowell-White
A high-IQ guard who runs the show for Redcity and has the ability to get his teammates involved and also score when he needs to.
McDowell-White, who averaged 12.2 points per game in the SQJBC season, is a talented passer but can also attack the basket and hit from the perimeter.
ROCKHAMPTON ROCKETS
Keahn Tuakura
A bottom-age big man with a good feel for the game, who was a starter for Queensland North at the under-16 nationals in Perth last year.
Tuakura was dominant for Rockhampton during the central Queensland regular season, averaging 20.46 points per game to lead his team in scoring, but the youngster will be looking to showcase his skills against tougher opposition this week.
Andre Smith
A six foot seven big who has come along after battling injuries over last couple of years and will no doubt be part of the Rockhampton Rockets NBL1 squad in 2023.
Smith was tough throughout the regular season, averaging more than 16 points per game to form a talented trio with Tuakura and Jack Tweedy.
SOUTHERN DISTRICTS SPARTANS
Oskar Olechnowicz
A toughness and work ethic which can arguably only be matched by an opponent like Roman Siulepa, Oskar Olechnowicz continues his impressive rise on the Queensland basketball scene after a dominant past two seasons.
A monster on the boards and attacking the basket, Olechnowicz averaged 20.53 points per game as the Spartans made their way to the semi-finals in the SQJBC season.
Brodie Blaser
A talented guard who will lead the Spartans backcourt as a player who can score in multiple ways – attacking the basket or catching fire from the three-point line, Blaser will need to be in form for Southern Districts this week.
Blaser averaged just more than 15 points per game in the regular season, hitting 16 shots from beyond the arc in the process.
SUNSHINE COAST PHOENIX
Cooper Wilson
An instrumental figure in the rise of the Sunshine Coast Phoenix from the division two competition, which they won, during the SQJBC season to move up to division one for the state championships.
Wilson was the second leading scorer for the Phoenix with 17.31 points per game and the Sunshine Coast will need that to surprise some teams on the Gold Coast this week.
Oscar Nielsen
Sunshine Coast’s leading scorer from their SQJBC division two winning season at 17.75 points per game, Nielsen will lead the Phoenix at this week’s state championships after valuable experience at the division one tournament last year.
Nielsen’s impressive SQJBC season included connecting on 31 made three-pointers for the Phoenix.
SWM PIRATES
Harrison Huber
South West’s main offensive weapon during the SQJBC season, Harrison Huber is a multi-faceted scorer, not only having the ability to attack the basket off the drible but also connecting on 22 three-pointers as well as making 33 points from the foul line.
Huber’s SQJBC season included a season best of 35 points against the RedCity Roar and his team will need every bit of his production at the state championships.
Detroit Kingi
Another sharpshooter from the Pirates, Detroit Kingi led his team in three-point makes with 26 during the SQJBC season, boasting an average of just more than 10 points per game.
He is one of three players to average in double figures for South West and provides much-needed balance in the Pirates team.
TOWNSVILLE HEAT
Kynan McMahon
A point guard, who is crafty and can score in a variety of ways as well as create for others with Townsville’s balanced attack being one of their main strengths.
McMahon is the team’s leading scorer at just 14 points per game, showing the Heat’s willingness to share the ball.
Jack Abbott
An athletic wing who can shoot the ball and will use his length to get to the rim as well as cause problems for opposition teams at the defensive end.
Abbott averaged almost nine points per game for Townsville in the NQJBC competition with a season-high 18 points coming against Mackay.
TOOWOOMBA MOUNTAINEERS
Samuel Geu
Another exciting athlete in this age group is Samuel Geu – a versatile forward who leads the way for his Toowoomba Mountaineers and has represented Queensland South on the national stage before.
Geu, who helped Toowoomba Grammar win a shared GPS title last year, averaged 22 points per game in the SQJBC season and will excite onlookers this week with his athleticism and ability to play above the rim.
James Nugent
James Nugent helps form a dynamic duo for the Toowoomba Mountaineers, running the show with the ball to assist Samuel Geu, with the guard averaging more than 17 points per game from the SQJBC season.
His season included a 31-point performance against the powerhouse Gold Coast Rollers and he was another member of Toowoomba Grammaer’s history-making GPS season last year.
U18 STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS PLAYERS TO WATCH – GIRLS
BRISBANE CAPITALS
Hilary Fuller
A young and athletic forward who will lead the way for the Capitals and already established herself as a talent to watch, not only across the junior scene but also at the senior level after an impressive NBL1 season in 2022 for the Capitals.
Fuller averaged just more than 20 points per game for Brisbane, who almost won a gold medal in the SQJBC competition, with her season-high of 31 points coming against the South West Metro Pirates.
Keriana Hippolite
A new addition to the Capitals this season, Keriana Hippolite helped Brisbane reach the grand final in the SQJBC season, averaging just under 12 points per game to form a talented trio with Fuller and Clare Fraser.
Hippolite is a player who can catch fire on the offensive end, especially from the perimeter, and will need to for the Capitals to go one further than the regular season.
CAIRNS DOLPHINS
Teyahna Bond
One of the best players in this age group, Teyahna Bond can light it up on the offensive end and light it up quickly, as shown by her 24.25 points per game average in the NQJBC season.
Like Fuller, Bond has already established herself at a higher level, starting for Cairns in the NBL1 season, where they made it all the way to the quarterfinals.
The athletic guard can hit from the perimeter and attack in transition with her speed after getting in the lane and causing disruption on the defensive end.
Andrianna Francis
A mobile forward who has been dominant in the junior ranks in recent years for the Cairns Dolphins, including a grand final appearance at the under-16 state championships at Toowoomba last year.
Francis has backed it up with another impressive NQJBC season for Cairns as the team’s second leading scorer with just more than 13 points per game.
GOLD COAST ROLLERS
Jaya Lowe
One of several players who form a tough guard line-up for the Gold Coast Rollers, Jaya Lowe is one of the many talents to watch from the home side this week after a big SQJBC season, where she averaged 15 points per game as the second leading scorer behind Emma Petrie.
Lowe helped Gold Coast reach the semi-finals in the SQJBC season but the Rollers will be looking for more than that this week.
Emma Petrie
From a long line of talented basketball stars, including her parents as well as older sister Jessica, Emma Petrie continues to shine in the junior ranks with her athleticism, versatility and touch on the offensive end proving tough for any opponent to stop.
Petrie averaged almost 20 points per game in the SQJBC season with nine 20-point games from 12 matches.
LOGAN THUNDER
Sharni Reisinger
One of the hardest workers you will see across the junior ranks, Sharni Reisinger has gone to another level this season with several absences in the Logan Thunder group, helping the team go on to win the SQJBC championship.
Reisinger averaged more than 18 points per game, including a season-high of 45 points against the Gold Coast Waves, with the forward’s relentless effort tough to match.
Alleah Hanson
An athletic forward who has already represented her state multiple times as well as being selected for national junior programs, Alleah Hanson is following in the footsteps of her older sister Summah.
Hanson was another key part of the Thunder’s SQJBC title, averaging just more than 10 points per game but causing problems on both ends with her mobility and length.
MACKAY METEORETTES
Monique Bobongie
An Australian and Queensland North representative who has earned a scholarship with the Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence and will aim to lead Mackay to a championship after finishing runners-up in this age group two years ago.
Bobongie is an absolute star and helped Mackay finish on top of the NQJBC competition, averaging 22.75 points per game.
The guard is someone basketball fans need to catch in action before she goes onto bigger and better things in the near future.
Charli Bliss
The perfect big for the talented group of guards surrounding her at the Meteorettes, Bliss is a tough and no-nonsense forward who just gets the job done and played a key role in Mackay’s recent success in the junior ranks.
Bliss was the second leading scorer for Ross Jensen’s side in the NQJBC competition with 17.75 points per game.
NORTHSIDE WIZARDS
Charlotte Melksham
Northside’s top performer from the SQJBC season, Charlotte Melksham is another talented and versatile scorer to watch at the state championships.
Melksham averaged 14.14 points per game during the regular season, including a season-high of 21 points against North Gold Coast, and hitting 10 threes along the way.
Emma Castle
A guard who can run the show for the Northside Wizards as well as score and cause problems on the defensive end.
Castle was also the team’s second leading scorer in the SQJBC competition with just more than seven points per game.
ROCKHAMPTON CYCLONES
Sophie Driscoll
The top scorer for the Rockhampton Cyclones in the CQJBC competition, Sophie Driscoll helped her team to an undefeated 12-0 season, building an impressive line of form heading into the state championships.
Driscoll averaged 15.5 points per game, including four 20-point games.
Bella Janes
Bella Janes was another Cyclone who impressed throughout the regular season, forming a dominant pairing with Sophie Driscoll for the undefeated Rockhampton side.
Janes was the second leading scorer for the Cyclones with 14.58 points per game and hitting eight threes along the way.
SOUTHERN DISTRICTS SPARTANS
Alice Dart
The leading scorer for the SQJBC competition at 27 points per game for the Spartans, Alice Dart is another exciting talent to watch at the state championships as she looks to lead Southern Districts to a top-four finish.
The Queensland South representative can score in multiple ways – attacking the basket and also doing damager from the perimeter as she continues to shine on the court.
Jasmin Lane
An impressive performer for the Spartans throughout the regular season so far, Jasmin Lane was the team’s second leading scorer at almost 10 points per game as her team just fell short of the semi-finals.
Lane will look to provide that offensive impact for Southern Districts to help Dart and lead Spartans to some wins at the tournament.
SUNSHINE COAST PHOENIX
Bonni Buttsworth
After continuing to improve in recent years, Bonni Buttsworth earned herself spots in the Queensland South team as well as at national junior camps and she has kept that form rolling for the Sunshine Coast Phoenix.
The centre helped Sunshine Coast win division two in the SQJBC season and move up to division one for the state championships, averaging 13.5 points per game along the way.
Amelie Robinson
Amelie Robinson has been on fire all season for the Sunshine Coast Phoenix, leading the team in scoring as they captured the gold medal in the SQJBC division two competition and moved up for this week’s tournament.
Robinson averaged 16.75 points per game, forming a duo with Buttsworth that will be hard to stop.
SUNSHINE COAST RIP
Paige Gay
Just like the Sunshine Coast Phoenix duo, Paige Gay had a dominant SQJBC season to lead the Rip to a grand final appearance and a spot in the division one competition at the state championships.
Gay averaged almost 13 points per game during the regular season, proving she can score in different ways after hitting 10 three-pointers along the way.
Katie Graves
Rip’s second leading scorer at just more than 12 points per game, Graves will be looking to step it up to another level at the state championships as the Sunshine Coast take on better competition after moving up to division one for the tournament.
SWM PIRATES
Julia Klein
A key part of South West Metro Pirates’ rise to the semi-finals and almost an upset in the grand final qualifier against Logan in the SQJBC season was Julia Klein, who was impressive throughout the competition.
Klein was the leading scorer for South West with 17.43 points per game, including a season-high 31 points against the Gold Coast Rollers.
Pania-Maia Haereiti
South West’s second leading scorer at almost 12 points per game, Pania-Maia Haereiti will be a talent to watch for the Pirates at the state championships on the Gold Coast.
Haereiti and Klein will need to be onsong for South West to reach the semi-finals again or even go one or two steps further than the SQJBC season.
TOWNSVILLE FLAMES
Bonnie Hughes
The leading scorer for the Townsville Flames in the NQJBC competition, where her team finished second, Bonnie Hughes averaged 14.75 points per game during the regular season.
A talent on the offensive end, Hughes connected on 26 three-pointers for the Flames and will need to replicate that form for Townsville at the state championships.
Ash Farrell
A point guard and the leader for the Flames, who will run the show and is a bulldog on the defensive end, where she will showcase her skills this week going up against some of the best scorers in the country.
Farrell helped the Flames to an impressive NQJBC season, averaging almost nine points per game to go along with her defensive prowess.
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