Basketball Australia Schools Championships live stream: Meet the Hunter students taking part
Three Hunter schools are sending nine teams to the Basketball Australia Schools Championships on the Gold Coast. We profile the teams ahead of the huge tournament.
The Newcastle News
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The Basketball Australia Schools Championships is one of the country’s biggest junior basketball events, and the Hunter will be very well represented when the tournament kicks off next week.
Nine schools from the region will travel to the Gold Coast for the event, which starts on Monday, November 28, with both Avondale School and Hunter Sports High sending four teams each, while Newcastle Grammar School will send one team.
You can watch their progress over the five days of the tournament LIVE on KommunityTV. More than 127 games will be live streamed, with more than 70 teams from all over Australia and New Zealand taking part.
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Avondale’s under 15 division two boys team will kick things off for the school when they play against the Gold Coast’s Somerset Spartans on Monday at 11am.
In the same pool, Hunter Sports’ under 15 division two team will be the first representatives from their school taking to the courts, tipping off against Queensland’s Chisholm Catholic College at 12:30pm on Monday, while Newcastle Grammar will kick things off early at 8am on Monday against Queensland’s John Paul College.
Ahead of the tournament, we’ve taken a look at the schools to see how the Hunter teams are shaping up.
Hunter Sports High School
As the region’s premier sporting school, it’s no surprise to see Hunter Sports represented with four teams in what is the school’s 18th time participating in the championships.
Teams will be entered in the boys under 17 divisions two and four, the boys under 15 division two and the girls under 15 division two groups.
They will be coached by Brendan Sims, Callan Crapp, Holly Keeble, Alex Bryant and Tim Mallon.
“Hunter Sports High School regards the National Schools Championships as an integral part of the basketball calendar, and each year our student athletes look forward playing teams from across Australia,” says coach Tim Mallon.
UNDER 17 DIVISION 2 – BOYS
Brodie Kirby
Centre/forward
Skilled big man who can shoot the triple and finish with either hand in the paint.
Tallis Evans
Forward/centre
Tough defender and rebounder with high hoop IQ and a sunny smile.
Peni Finefeuiaki
Forward/guard
A leader who can shoot the three, drive the lane and execute plays under pressure.
Mason Liva
Forward
Phlegmatic and balletic forward with silky passing and panache on the offensive end.
Vann Wilson
Guard
High IQ lefty guard who can bomb from deep and find his Bigs with timely passing.
Beau Sharrock
Guard
Electric fast guard who gets downhill like a Swiss Alpine Skier.
Rohan Walker
Forward
Reliable and consistent forward with superb technique on all parts of offence.
Cooper Donnelly
Guard
Deceptive and tough guard who can shoot the three and orchestrate the plans of the team.
UNDER 17 DIVISION 4 – BOYS
Zac Kitchen
Forward
Robust forward who plays with power and strength around the hoop.
Zain Abbas
Guard
A tactician on the court with savvy skills and a bright mind.
Max Buttsworth
Forward/guard
Uncompromising forward with a formidable physical presence who can hit the outside shot.
Max Scanlon
Guard
A skilled, optimistic and crafty point guard who unifies the whole team through good sense.
Max Stapleton
Forward/guard
A sharp shooting forward who loves the game and can string it from deep.
Banjo Hooton
Forward
Brilliantly named forward with a mix of intensity, toughness and style.
Sam Bone
Forward/guard
Wiry and bouncy lefty who can score the ball and rebound the miss.
Harley Hughes
Forward
Steady, smart and unflappable forward who glues the offence together with sound skills.
UNDER 15 DIVISION 2 – GIRLS
Isla Rafty
Guard
Crafty guard who can get to the basket and finish.
Zoe Keeble
Guard
Athletic guard with great versatility on both ends.
Lola Humphries
Forward
Strong and aggressive forward with a knack for mid-range shots.
Marli Gilmore
Forward
Rangy forward with great passing and rebounding skills.
Layla Cox
Forward
Long range bomber who plays with a smile and a flair for the catch and shoot game.
Isabelle Morgan
Guard
Dynamic point guard with explosive quickness off the dribble and tenacity of the D.
Lainee O’Neil
Guard
Athletic and intelligent guard who is great in the open court.
Payton Eaves
Centre/forward
Uncompromising post player who anchors the team’s rebounding and paint defence.
Ruby Sharrock
Forward
Sneakily athletic forward who plays with intensity, strength and bounce.
UNDER 15 DIVISION 2 – BOYS
Noah Fenton
Guard/forward
Silky guard who can consistently find the bottom of the net.
Noah Edwards
Guard
High IQ player with subtlety and guile to burn.
Benji Robson
Centre/forward
Big hearted banger who gives his all on the glass and in class.
Jerome Isaac
Guard
The silent assassin with a sweet shot and deep bag of tricks off the dribble.
Joe Beckett
Forward/centre
Relentless, disciplined and unselfish player who is easy to play with and hard to play against.
Leo Thornton
Guard
Crafty and talented lefty guard with tremendous feel for sniffing out an opportunity.
Cooper O’Neil
Forward
Rangy and skilled forward who can slice through unsuspecting defences like a knife through butter.
Hunter McDermott
Forward
Fearless and quick guard who plays with unwavering concentration.
Newcastle Grammar
One of the new kids on the block, 2022 marks the first year that Newcastle Grammar School is entering a team into the Australian Schools Basketball Championships.
Blessed with a high concentration of representative players in this age group, the school has a team competing in the girls’ under 15 division one section.
The team will be coached by Rebekah Dombkins, with Ella Wilsmore joining the squad on the Gold Coast as a coaching assistant.
“The students from Newcastle Grammar are honoured to be a significant part of the school’s sporting history and excited to play against the best teams in the nation,” says Leah Gilbert, Newcastle Grammar’s head of athletic performance.
UNDER 15 DIVISION 1 – GIRLS
Sosha Hellman
Swingman/Shooting Guard
A Newcastle Falcons and NSW Country representative player whose versatility is key to the team.
Ivy Heslop
Small Forward
A talented small forward who spent 2022 with the Newcastle Falcons under 16 academy.
Keely Rao
Power Forward
The power forward, who was selected for NSW Country under 15s in the D-League, is a key player for Grammar.
Mia Roseworne
Guard
Key in both defence and assisting in attack, the guard is another one of Newcastle Grammar’s representative players.
Sienna Ryan
Power Forward
The Newcastle Falcons under 16 State Cup player is a main cog in the team’s offence.
Abigail Sawang
Point Guard
The Hunter Academy of Sport product will be central to organising the side during the tournament.
Lily Spruce
Trail
Another Falcons and NSW Country representative player who will be key to shutting down the opposition when defending.
Isabelle Spruce
Post
A representative stalwart for the team, Spruce will be a big attacking threat for Grammar with her back to the basket.
Emerson Wallace
Guard
The Maitland Mustangs and NSW under 14 Country representative’s passing and dribbling are a strong asset to the team in offence.
Lucy Wilsmore
Power Forward
The Newcastle Falcons and NSW Country rep player will be key to securing rebounds and other any loose scraps during the tournament.
Avondale School
A regular at the tournament for the past decade, Cooranbong’s Avondale School will also be sending four teams to the National School Championships, with teams competing in the male under 20 division four, female under 20 division two, male under 17 division four and male under 15 division two groups.
In what is arguably the school’s forte sport, Avondale’s strong representation is largely down to its extensive basketball program, which has gone to another level in recent years.
The school will have former NBL veteran Terry Johnson on board for the tournament, with Johnson joining the school in a coaching director’s role this year.
While the school is very well represented in the tournament with four teams, it hopes to bring this up to six next year with a couple more sides in the female divisions.
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