Live stream: Queensland’s Roman Siulepa in action at Basketball Australia Under-20 and Ivor Burge National Championships

‘There is no one at his size with that speed and athleticism in the country.’ That’s some endorsement for rising star Roman Siulepa ahead of the U20 nationals. Find out how Queensland plans to use him.

Roman Siulepa is the greatest athlete among Australia’s emerging crop of elite junior basketballers.

That is the frank appraisal of Queensland U20s coach Peter Crawford.

“When he switches it on, there is no one at his size with that speed and athleticism in the country,” Crawford said.

The Brisbane power forward, who exploded onto the national stage with a series of Earth-shattering dunks at the Basketball Australia School Championships in 2022, will be a key cog in a star-studded Queensland side at the BA Under-20 and Ivor Burge National Championships.

Get ready for the Roman Siulepa experience.

Every match of the Under-20s and Ivor Burge National Championships will be exclusively live streamed on KommunityTV across all of News Corp Australia’s metro and regional digital mastheads.

Siulepa will prowl the front court in Geelong alongside man mountains Cooper Rawlings and Elijah Kamu, with Crawford giving the rising star license to attack the metalwork.

“His size and strength is great, but when you couple that with his ability to change direction on a dime, it is unbelievable,” Crawford said.

“Once most players get to that size and weight they can’t move like he does. But he isn’t like most players – he is fast and quick and can jump. He is an athlete.

“As long as he has confidence in his game, and he brings that energy and enthusiasm, he will knock down his shots.

“Confidence, concentration and communication. That is all we are asking of him. He is a leader in this team.”

Siulepa ’isn’t like most players’, says Queensland coach Peter Crawford.

While Siulepa’s natural leaping ability makes him a clear threat around the rim, the young playmaker has the handle to drop the ball in the lap of the guys around him.

He also doesn’t mind a shot from deep, and despite a slightly lower percentage from three-point range, Crawford said he would not stop any of his players from pulling the trigger if they saw an opportunity.

“The scout is obviously to stop him getting to the rim, any team that has done their homework will be doing everything they can to collapse in on him and cut off those lanes,” Crawford said.

Roman Siulepa is a leader for the Queenslanders.

Siulepa has done it on the national school stage.

“If that leaves him with an open shot, and he thinks he can knock it down, then go for it. I am happy for anyone on the team to take whatever shot they are confident they can make.

“We just need to make sure everyone is constantly moving, we don’t want guys sitting back on the perimeter watching Roman go to the rim with two on him. We need guys going with him, getting in front and getting those offensive boards.”

Siulepa is eligible for the 2025 NBA draft and Crawford said the young athlete had the makings of a good pick up for clubs in the US.

“He has got that athleticism and body but NBA players aren’t just big bodies and athletes,” Crawford said.

“They spend a lot of time learning and viewing the game and constantly working on their repetitions.

“(Roman) is almost there in my mind. He just needs to get in the right program, spend that time honing his game and use tournaments like this to prove himself.”