See the players who will line up for each school in the 2025 GPS Basketball season
Nine stacked teams will contest the much-coveted GPS First V basketball premiership this season. See which players will line up for each school here, with the key players and best new faces named.
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The GPS First V basketball competition returns on Saturday with a bumper premiership race looming.
Every team looks capable of winning on their day and every game is like a mini grand final.
Four mouth-watering clashes are in store for the opening round.
Brisbane State High host Nudgee College, reigning premiers Churchie welcome The Southport School, Ipswich Grammar play away at Gregory Terrace and Brisbane Boys’ College take on Toowoomba Grammar up on the range.
BBC’s squad is as follows: Oliver Deal, Isaac Dundas, Maximilian Hansen, Charlie Hinson, Archie Howell, Isaac Jones, Castor Leung, Luke Stafford, Noah Stauber, Jagger Tune, Joshua Ward, Jack Wilcox, Cooper Wilson, Charlie Winks and Hamish Wright.
BBC enter a new era after much of the team that won last year’s state championships graduated.
A few returning pieces and some key new additions have the Westside school primed to ruffle some feathers.
The side will be without oustanding sharp-shooter Charlie Hinson who has been ruled out with a knee injury.
Dynamic point guard Cooper Wilson is set to be a key cog in the wheel, as is Charlie Winks.
The athletic Winks, a Queensland South under-18s representative, is about as bouncy as it gets.
The high-class wing will miss round 1 while in America but will return eager to make a difference, especially in the absence of deep-threat Hinson.
Jack Wilcox can help offset hinsen’s unavailabiliy with his sharp-shooting prowess.
North Gold Coast Seahawks prodigy Noah Stauber is a dynamite new addition to the team.
A ripping raw talent, Stauber will be used all over the shop for BBC with his versatility an asset.
In the paint, watch for the emergence of Archie Howell. He is a former Mercy College student from Mackay with strength and representative experience.
When the going gets tough, BBC spark plug Jagger Tune can help turn the tide.
He is a high-energy player who will be important.
Speaking of important, Luke Stafford is BBC’s captain and is the glue guy every team would welcome with open arms.
Toowoomba Grammar’s squad features Adol Adol, Peter Barac, Marcus Franklin, Emmanuel Geu, Elijah Girdler, Riley Lucht, Eddie O’Mara, Lincoln Quinlan, Nash Rodgers, Lachlan Scott, Austin Wilson and Harry Young.
A dynamic duo, Elijah Girdler and Emmanuel Geu, look primed to spearhead the boys in blue and gold.
Power forward Girdler, a Rockhamption junior, has previously represented Queensland North’s under-16s and under-18s teams and has the footwork to make things happen in the low post.
The big-improver will be vice-captain, taking charge Year 12 wing Geu.
A leader who wears his heart on his sleeve, Geu is a passionate and high-intensity customer whose slashing drives to the cup and tough defensive mentality will surely set a high standard for teammates.
Girdler won’t be the only Rockhampton product aiding Toowoomba Grammar’s pursuit of a premiership.
Year 10 centre Austin Wilson will be blooded early and the 202cm tall timber can make his debut season one to remember.
A brick wall on defence and skillful with his back to the basket, Wilson will have senior players Nash Rodgers and Peter Barac backing him up.
In time, young gun Year 10 point guard Lincoln Quinlan, looks poised to fill the shoes left by former program leaders James Nugent and Tawana Ngorima.
Quinlan, a Toowoomba Mountaineers junior, is a natural who possesses a silky-smooth jumper.
He backs it up with relentless effort in defence.
Toowoomba Grammar will look to young Marcus Franklin, a country kid from Miles, to sink threes.
His pre-season form and hard-working habits indicate an efficient campaign is in store.
Gregory Terrace’s squad is as follows: Nick Adami, Luca Anderson, Harry Cook, Charlie Cook, Zach Duncan, Charlie Gough, Cooper Kennedy, Josh Casey, Denver Loli, Sam Stockton, Josiah Israel, Malachi Neill, Matthieu Adom, Julian Black, Harry Small, Derek Ola and Efram Wanandi.
The team will again be coached by college old boy Matthew Hamilton-Smith, who enters his 14th year as head coach and 23rd year as part of the coaching staff.
He has plenty of up-and-coming talent at his disposal.
Year 11 guard Luca Anderson was a point-scoring sensation last year and is sure to light it up again, while captain Denver Loli is back for his fourth year in the squad.
A small forward with a big campaign brewing, Loli is a Mr Consistent who can and will find his spot.
Making his debut in round 1 will be promising Year 11 guard Efram Wanandi, a Brisbane junior who is one half of a new duo that can deliver the goods for Terrace the Brave.
The other half is Year 11 centre Harry Cook, a 208cm young giant.
The shot-blocking terror, an imposing new figure from down the road at Marist Ashgrove, is a big boost on the defensive end for Gregory Terrace.
Year 12 forward Cooper Kennedy, an unheralded team man, will be key in his own right.
Not neccessarily as a prolific scorer but with his team-first attitude, attention to detail and V8 engine running up and down the hardwood.
Harry Small, one of just four seniors in the squad, has an offensive bag and a will to compete on every play, which will challenge round 1 foes Ipswich Grammar.
The Ipswich school look more prepared to make a thud than in years past and have the weapons to shake the competition.
Experienced ace in the pack, Cairns prodouct Peja Ahwang, will be at the focal point.
He was superb last year when hitting buckets at crucial junctures. He will be keen to go out firing in his last season wearing the red and white strip.
New and old will be IGS spearheads because fresh face Usai Bickey is also shaping up to be a revelation.
A top-gun guard of Indigenous heritage, Bickey has come to the school from St Patrick’s College in Mackay where he was a high achiever.
Watch this space.
Zaiden Montanez, the son of current Ipswich Force forward and former Atlanta Hawk Lamar Patterson, returns a year older and wiser after showing flashes of brilliance in 2024.
He is Shifty with a capital S and will play shooting guard or small forward.
He and Ahwang can lace it from down town.
Ipswich Grammar school captain Luka Tripkovic is back for his third and final season.
The athletic sporting all-rounder played First IV Tennis and First VI Volleyball earlier this year.
However it is James Casaquite who will captain the team.
A good bloke for team culture, Casaquite has been around the First V traps since Year 9.
Last year’s 9As MVP, Zyreal Santiago, is up next and can pack a punch that far exceeds his small stature.
The 100 per cent man for Ipswich Grammar will be glue guy Dylan Atkinson, a power forward who sets things in moton with his screen-setting, boxing out and dependability.
The full squad is: Peja Ahwang, Dylan Atkinson, Usai Bickey, Micairee Bin-Awel, James Casaquite, Rafael Demayo, Keer Jok, Zaiden Montanez, Zyreal Santiago, Zephaniah Teaukai, Luka Tripkovic and Uros Tubin.
Round 1 will also see Churchie, the 2024 premiers, host TSS, the 2022 (shared with TGS and BSHS) and 2023 premiers.
Churchie’s squad includes: Andrew Watene, Noah Kirk, Kai Summerfield, Oliver Crum, Samson Kent, Maxim Ure, Lucas Rosiak, Ethan Hoy, Aiden Ball, Campbell Couch and Angus Storen.
Two outstanding premiership puzzle pieces from last year are back in Noah Kirk and Andrew Watene.
Last year Kirk, an elite playmaker and defender from Cairns, hit the step-back three that won a thrilling match against BBC in the final seconds.
He can take over a game.
Rockhampton junior Watene, an Australian representative prospect, is a threat in every meaning of the word and will do a bit of everything on the way to leaving his mark.
Churchie’s captain is Kai Summerfield, a knockdown shooter whose leadership and energy can complement his prowess from beyond the arc.
Maxim Ure is back with a big campaign in his sights.
He is a stretch guard who can lead from the front with toughness, versatility and leadership as his three key ingredients.
Indeed Churchie are going to be a force to be reckoned with. Lucas Rosiak, an athletic, long-armed guard, has upside from head to toe and has been building nicely into the season.
He’s hovering at around the 205cm mark.
Watch for third-year young veteran Ollie Crumb attacking the rim and locking in on defence as well as the emergence of promising Year 10 student Samson Kent, a flexible type who can provide much-needed firepower across various positions.
The leadership of First XI cricket batting weapon Angus Storen, a gritty defensive specialist, will be key as well with developing rookies Campbell Couch and Ethan Hoy getting their first taste at this level.
The Southport School’s squad includes: Ashley McGrath, James Burdett, Jayden Bibby, Alexander Walker, Jack Tweedy, William Pickett, Sam Loughridge, Ty Lockwood, Riley Oberman, Max Board, Marcus Murphy, Billy Brazenall, Ty Khomenko, Tom Petrie, Hunter Cream, Nick Hall, Leo Seremet, Sam Scott and Matthew McGrath.
TSS will be without impressive lefty Ash McGrath in the opening round but he will be back for Toowoomba Grammar in round 2 upon his return from the United States.
McGrath looks primed for a big season after a bad run with injuries prevented him from hitting the floor consistently in 2024.
He is back, sharper than ever, with a booming pre-season under his belt.
His right hand man will be Jack Tweedy, TSS’s First V MVP last season.
The unflappable guard knows no bounds and can score points in a flurry to turn an arm wrestle into a comfortable double-digit lead.
Excitement is also building around Southport local Sam Scott, a young forward who is thriving in his first year at TSS.
Key big man Riley Oberman is also back at the helm after jumping out of the ground last year and becoming an integral piece of the starting rotation.
Himself and fantastic forward Ty Lockwood will hold down the fort.
TSS will also blood, at some point this season, Year 10 rookies Tom Petrie (forward) and Ty Khomenko (guard).
The future looks bright.
Nudgee College will play away at Brisbane State High, with their First V squad as follows: Nick Fernandes-Pembroke, Rocco Bolton, Austin Hollis, Callum Stanton, Ethan Easton, Theo Court, Archie Stay, Vincent Meraveka, Ben Goggin, Isaiah Jorgenson, George Guppy, Tion Townsend, Tom Murphy, Finley Hansen and Angus Anderson.
It is simply hard to believe Isaiah Jorgenson is only in Year 10 given how prominent he was as a Year 9 student last year.
The promising power forward is coming off a dominant showing at the national championships for the Queensland South under-18s and even if he starts slows in the first half, there really is no containing him across four quarters.
The rangy rookie will have help in small forward Archie Stay, who is in tip-shop shape after a ripper off-season with the Northside Wizards under-18s.
Nudgee College has two new First V faces of conisderable potential: Tion Townsend and Tom Murphy.
Townsend, a power forward with skill and a good jump shot, and Murphy, a play-making centre from Victoria, will be to the fore in attack and defence.
Murphy’s mission is to protect the paint.
The school will also have punch off the bench.
Fernandes-Pembroke, an aggressive defender, loves to make life hard for his opposition with plucky defence.
He also creates success in attack.
Callum Stanton, a sharp shooter, will maintain Nudgee College’s intensity when he roars off the bench.
Brisbane State High’s First V squad features: Scott Harrison, Eli Murray, Geoffrey Peterson, Jasper Jones, Elijah Tuupo, Archie Lister, Antonio Teatini-Climaco, Jaymin Green, Asher San Jose, Oliver Johnson, Jordan Amos, Jayden Rogers, Tom Moreland, Austin Browne, Harley McCue and Alek Klaric.
Eli Murray, Geoffrey Peterson and Scott Harrison are co-captains and have a nice blend of power and finesse, as well as leadership qualities.
Big man Peterson is a crushing presence down low but also moves well in transition to resemble a freight train.
A big season is in store for him, as well as Elijah Tuupo.
Tuupo, a Queensland South selection, is a dynamic wing whose handles, jump shot and strength can create a cocktail of success. His best ability however is his ability to drive and kick the ball out.
He has been doing it since Year 8 when the now Year 10 made his debut.
Expect the crafty Eli Murray to carry himself well on both sides of the ball.
Off the bench, watch for High IQ Year 10 Asher San Jose and Jordan Amos.
Asher is the younger brother of energetic 2024 leader Kian and head coach Jaeci while Jordan is the younger brother of 201cm beast Mason (2022) and crafty 2024 old boy CJ.
Brisbane State High Year 10 Oli Johnson, an athletic big, also looks primed for a big year despite despite his tender age.
He was blooded last year as a Year 9 student and is known for putting his body on the line.
Brisbane Grammar have a bye in round 1 before taking on Churchie at home to start their season.
Queensland South Under-18s duo Lennon Bann and Angus Kearney have the respective size and skill to set the competition alight.
They will have help doing so.
Rockhampton junior Gus Loughnan, a boarder, is an exciting new face in the program. Jonas Kowalik, a dogged defender from St Laurence’s College, has also bolstered the BGS roster.
Long, athletic and defiant on defence, Kowalik has potential oozing out of him and has worked hard in a short time to show he means busniess.
He has the work ethic to match his raw talent.
The front-court duo of Loughnan and Kowalik is dangerous.
Brisbane Grammar will unleash a strong supporting cast too with the hard-working Jacob Fox, Xzavier Grey and Orlando Geary not afraid to let it fly from deep.
Brisbane Grammar have depth this year and after a near miss of the premiership in 2024, where they finished second, they will be both hungry and very capable.
Full squad: Lennon Bann, Liam Cook, Marcus Forbes, Jacob Fox, Orlando Geary, Xavier Grey, Gus Loughnan, Angus McNamara, James Middleton, Armaan Timblo, Jonas Kowalik, Angus Kearney and Milos Ilic.
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