Basketball Australia Under-20 & Ivor Burge National Championships 2023 live blog day five (U20's & Ivor Burge National Championships)
It was another incredible day of action as the top four sides across the country battled for a shot at gold. This is our top five take-aways from Day 5. Read more in the tournament live blog.
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The referees are warming up, the players won’t sleep and the journalists are praying for coffee.
That’s right, it’s grand final eve, and what a day it was.
From an overtime thriller to an Ivor Burge blowout, the semi-finals had it all and then some.
Brayden May was in the thick of the action on Saturday, and these were his top five takeaways.
THE BATTLE THAT DELIVERED
On paper Isla Juffermans against Jess Petrie was always going to be one of the battles of the tournament.
And it delivered in every aspect.
Jufferman’s power and presence against Petrie’ lightning fast feet and athleticism was a pleasure to watch.
There’s a reason why we’ve written so much about both girls this week and again they delivered.
Petrie finished with 30 points and 10 rebounds while Juffermans had 21 and 19 – but it is the latter who is doing battle for gold.
The first 10 minutes of their meeting was simply stunning. Everything good from either state went through both players and they duly delivered.
We don’t think this will be the last time we see them on the court together – on the same team or facing off.
PLAYERS WHO LOVE THE MOMENT
Victoria and Western Australia’s men’s semi-final had it all.
There’s no doubt the boys from the west were favourites going in but the Vics threw everything at them.
Ethan Elliott (WA) and Bailey Nunn (Victoria) stepped up late in the game to hit clutch threes which eventually sent it to overtime.
The confidence to bring the ball up the court, hit a stepback with the game on the line isn’t something you can teach.
Maybe we’ll get a moment or two like it on Sunday when everything is there to play for.
CAN ANYONE STOP VICTORIA’S IVOR BURGE SIDE?
They’ve been dominant all tournament and will be strong favourites to win the gold.
Led by Jake De La Motte and Jack Innella, they stormed into the final with a monster win over NSW.
They’re a pleasure to watch on both ends of the floor and are absolutely relentless.
WA’S IVOR BURGE SIDE
It’s been a tough week on the court for the WA boys but their spirit has never dipped.
They made plenty of noise while supporting the under-20 men’s team before turning floor sweepers during the women’s game.
Those are the acts we love to see. They deserve a lot of credit.
THE UNSUNG HEROES
The stars are going to do their thing but it’s the unsung heroes who are going to win this tournament.
Early in the day it was Emma Donnelly who provided valuable minutes off the bench for her side against Queensland.
The NSW young gun played key defensive minutes opposed to Jess Petrie and made her earn everything.
For Victoria, AJ Magbegor offered several key defensive acts to keep the momentum in his side’s favour but unfortunately it wasn’t enough.
Jayda Clark carried the scoring load for the WA women in their loss to Victoria with Ruby Vlahov on limited minutes and performed admirably.
It takes 10 men to lift a ring
Western Australian coach Andrew Cooper knows it’s going to take 10 guys to win a national championship gold medal.
Cooper’s side is through to the gold medal game on Sunday after prevailing in an overtime thriller against Victoria.
And he put it down to a total 10-man effort on both sides of the ball.
“That’s what we build our program on,” he said.
“If we’re picking 10 guys, some of them might not get a lot of minutes but the minutes they get are just as crucial as the guys who are playing big minutes.
“It was a total team effort.”
In a game that swayed in either team’s favour, Cooper remained calm reiterating to his players to keep playing their style.
Ben Henshall top scored with 23 points while Alex Condon came away with 20 in an exciting battle with Victorian big man Jensen Bradtke (24 points).
Among the coolest heads in the stadium were WA point guard Ethan Elliott and Victorian
Bailey Nunn who traded triples late in the last quarter to send the game to an extra five minutes.
But calmness was the key theme for whoever was going to come out on top.
“It’s an emotional game,” he said.
“If I’m getting emotional it doesn’t really help them. But they get up and about with excitement.
“I might look a bit calmer than what I am sometimes.”
Cooper said there were areas of his side’s game which improved after the main break.
In the first half, Victoria dominated on the boards – most notably on the offensive end which allowed plenty of second chance opportunities.
But as it has done all tournament, WA responded.
“The boys were definitely challenged at half-time,” he said.
“But we still felt like we were in a pretty good spot. It was tied up and we were doing a lot of things we wanted to do right.
“We were following the scout (reporting), we were just missing a few shots here and there that could have opened it up a little bit.
“They were challenged but we were still pretty happy with where we were.”
WNBL powering Vics to national glory
It’s not often you find six WNBL players on an under-20s state roster, but that’s the luxury Victoria is enjoying at this week’s National Championships.
It’s shown in their play, the Vics going through the tournament undefeated, ahead of a semi-final clash with WA tonight.
Meet the girls who are learning from the WNBL’s best as development players – and putting it into practice on the floor in Geelong.
THE GOAT’S PRODIGY – HOLLY GRIFFITHS
With Southside teammate Nyadiew Puoch on Flyers duties, Holly is the tallest player on the team at 190cms and, while her frame is lean, she is learning her craft from the best of the best - towers Abby Bishop and legendary Opal Lauren Jackson.
Going against that pair has prepared her for the challenge of taking on NSW U20 giant Isla Juffermans and the other bigs at the tournament.
“They’re such great girls on and off the court, they treat me like one of them and they’re really physical on the court and they’re the most welcoming people off it,” Griffiths said of Jackson and Bishop.
“Off the court, they help me, they talk to me, they give me their advice and knowledge.
“I admire them so I want to listen and soak it all up.”
Griffiths has committed to Xavier College in Cincinnati, Ohio, and hopes her path comes full circle back to the WNBL.
Her game is built on defence, with Juffermans and WA star Ruby Vlahov earmarked as her potential lockdown targets, but she is versatile enough to play inside and out on the offensive end.
“I can shoot the three, drag my defender out and open the lanes for my teammates and then I can also etg inside and get to work,” she said.
SISTERS FROM ANOTHER MISTER – PAIGE BURROWS & SOPHIE BURROWS
They share the same surname, both play for the Melbourne Boomers and they’re both on the Vic team but Paige and Sophie Burrows are not sisters - at least by blood.
“We’re not related, but we say we are, we’re basically best mates,” Paige, the crafty, pass-first point guard, says.
“In a game a chick was like ‘are you guys actually sisters’ and I was like, ‘no but we say we are’.”
Sophie suffered a bone contusion in her knee - a bleed on the bone that will keep her out of the rest of the tournament.
“It happened in the first 25 seconds of our fourth game, so it’s frustrating because I’ve missed the rest of the tournament and WNBL finals are coming up,” Sophie, a tall, lean wing, said.
“I’m non-weight-bearing for four weeks and then we’ll see how we go after that.
“I’ve never had a really bad injury, so it could be a lot worse, so I guess I should be grateful that it’s not a long-term one.
“I’m still going to be there for all of my teammates, I’ve just got to cheer well.”
Both are grateful for the opportunity at the Boomers.
“Not every 18-year-old gets to say they’ve played with Cayla George and Tiff Mitchell, so it’s pretty cool,” Sophie said.
Sophie is a dynamic scorer who can shoot it and use her long frame to get on the rim and disrupt at the defensive end.
Paige’s unselfish - perhaps to her detriment at times - loves getting her teammates involved, but her coaches encourage her to look for her own shot more often. She’s planning on a career in sports science or physiotherapy.
Both girls have dreams of representing the Opals, with the younger Paige eyeing a spot in the Australian Gems’ roster.
BENDIGO BUDDIES – DYANI ANANIEV & ERIN CONDRON
Dyani Ananiev’s trip to train at Bendigo Spirit is a long one from St Andrews, so sleepovers at fellow development player Erin Condron’s home in Woodend are a must.
“We’re pretty close and it’s so amazing up there for both of us, we’ve both learnt so much, the team’s so nice,” Condron said.
When she doesn’t stay at Condron’s, Ananiev hits up veteran Meg McKay.
“I love her so much, she’s awesome, she’s nice enough to let me stay at her house every now and then because of my travel,” Ananiev said.
“Her advice is not even just basketball related, she’s got a little garden patch out the back and she’s giving me tips on gardening.”
Big and strong, Condron loves mixing it on the inside and finding open teammates on the perimeter if she can’t force her way to the basket. Shes committed to UC San Diego where she’ll study human biology.
“I’m pretty interested in immunology, like disease research and I got into that a bit over Covid,” she said.
Dyani is just a lover of the game.
There’s no grand plan. She’s off to Portland College later in the year, but she’s just winging it.
“I just love playing basketball,” she said.
“I’m loving every minute of the tournament and playing in the WNBL.
“Even if I’m just standing on the sideline cheering, every minute counts, the stuff that they say, the stuff they do on the court, their experience is just amazing.”
A tall wing who is able to play the four in small ball combinations, Ananiev shoots the hell out of it and is leading the Vics at the tournament with 15 points per game. Her long legs help her cover the court at breakneck speed.
She’s a numbers girl who will study business and is deciding between finance and accounting when she lands in Portland.
TOUGH AS NAILS BOOMER – LILY CARMODY
Lily Carmody’s impressive frame makes her a nightmare for opposing guards - especially at the national champs.
It’s her first ride at the national level, making her a bit of a late bloomer, but the Melbourne Boomers development player says it’s now a goal achieved and a great opportunity to show her wares.
She loves having five teammates who have all been in the WNBL system.
“It’s awesome, we’ve got so many talented girls in this group,” Carmody said.
“Every time you kick it to someone, you know good things are going to happen.
“It gives you so much faith in your teammates, having that trust in them.”
Carmody takes particular delight in using her powerful frame to overpower smaller guards and either get to the basket or find her open teammates in good positions.
A defensive dynamo who loves “getting in people’s grills” Carmody has lofty goals, but is yet to commit to a college program.
“I’m just keeping all options open at the moment and seeing where everything leads,” she said.
NSW BOOKS GRAND FINAL SPOT IN PULSATING PLAYOFF
Felicity Henderson may have been the calmest and coolest player on the court in NSW’s semi-final win against Queensland.
With the game set up for a grandstand finish, the NSW point guard stamped her authority on the contest and broke the game in her side’s favour.
First it was a big three with 4:36 remaining to extend her side’s lead to six before a driving lay up put NSW up by eight.
Throw in a clever assist to a wide open teammate and Henderson had done more than enough to put her side into the gold medal game on Sunday.
She finished with 15 minutes, 11 rebounds and eight assists, playing a whopping 37:29.
NSW coach Tommy Garlepp was quick to sing the praises of his guard.
“For us, she was the player of the game.
“She really represented what we were trying to be about this week and she just played so hard and I really appreciate that from her.
“It was a real leader’s game from her.”
The clash saw two of the best women’s prospects in Australia – NSW’s Isla Jufferman and Queensland’s Jess Petrie – head-to-head.
Jufferman would finish with 21 points and 19 rebounds to Petrie’s 30 points and 10 boards.
It was simply stunning to watch.
“I thought Isla did a really good job,” Garlepp said.
“Jess is a very special player and I really admired the way she went about it today. She had some of our players questioning some of the game plan.
“But credit to Isla, she stayed locked in and fought through the challenge.
Off the NSW bench, Emma Donnelly produced an important display with an impact on both ends of the floor.
Her stat sheet read 14 points, six rebounds, an assist and a steal.
But it was her defensive pressure head-to-head against Petrie, with Juffermans on three fouls, which impressed her coach most.
“She’s a good young player and you can give her a task and she can really focus on it,” Garlepp said of Donnelly.
“She is a young girl who works incredibly hard on her basketball. It was nice to be able to throw that task to her because when you get to see these girls and see the sacrifice they do make, it’s pleasing when you see it all come off.”
After closing out the 79-69 victory, Garlepp spoke of the quality Queensland had brought to the tournament this week.
“We’re pretty thrilled because Queensland are very, very good,” he said.
“We respect all of their players, Basketball Queensland is doing some incredible things right now. For us, we had a lot of respect for what they are as a team.”
THE AUSSIES BEING EYED BY US COLLEGES
The U20 National Championships are a chance for individual players to make a name for themselves and catch the eyes of recruiters and college scouts.
While many of the boys and girls in action already have their futures mapped out with commitments to colleges in the US or development player deals in the NBL or WNBL, for those yet to secure a clear path in the sport they love, the tournament could be their best chance.
Geelong Basketball Arena stands have been packed with scouts, NBL coaches and front office types as well as college recruiting services.
The likes of new Brisbane Bullets coach Justin Schueller, Melbourne United coach Dean Vickerman, Perth boss Danny Mills and coach John Rillie, South East Melbourne assistant Lucas Allen and Adelaide development coach Michael Lake have all been through, while NBL Next Stars recruiter Liam Santamaria has also had his eye on the talent.
Recruiting Boost owner Cassius Bosket is among the faces in the stands, on a month-long visit to Australia to spy talent which is not already on the radar.
His network provides an athletic college placement service that connects young women and men from all over the world with US colleges.
He says the biggest challenge is convincing families the US college pathway is a viable option.
“Some of these kids and families don’t know that college in the US is even an option,” Bosket said.
“It’s very different to America. All Americans think they can play at Duke, some parents here say to me ‘wait, my son or daughter is good enough to play basketball in college?’ I say ‘yes, absolutely’.
“Half the time it’s just introducing them to the concept of actually going to college overseas.”
So who has impressed the colleges he’s been in contact with?
“For Vic Navy we’ve got Joel Foxwell who is playing really well scoring the ball in a variety of ways and he’s getting a lot of college interest,” he said.
“We’ve got Tiernan Stynes, he has two Division I offers and then we’ve got Daniel Poelsma in Victoria who just committed to a Div 1 JUCO in South Carolina – USC Salkehatchie, which is about an hour from Charleston South Carolina, a very nice area.”
Unique WA big man Josh Ibukunoluwa is another on college radars, but the academic program must match the athletic program for him to commit.
“We helped his brother John sign at Division II school West Virginia Wesleyan College and now we’re helping him,” Bosket said.
“He’s a high-academic kid, super skilled, he’ll find a home at a division one school.”
Bosket loves the talent among the U20 girls, where he is zeroing in on players who are yet to find homes.
“We’ve seen a ton of girls who are under-recruited or have no recruitment at all who could be Division I college players,” he said.
“The girls side here is super-intriguing with a lot of talent.
“We saw Grace Foster for WA, she’s very talented, she’s just a tough, gritty guard. She makes shots she guards, she talks, she defends, there’s a lot to like about her.
“We saw post player Ella Gordon for Queensland. She can really move and she’s really tall, she’s good, class of ‘23, she’s talented.
“There’s another guard for WA guard, Malia Tharpe, she’s played really well and has potential.
“Then there’s a girl for Tasmania, her name is Rubi Gray, she scores the ball really well, super-talented.”
U14s CLUBS HUB: How to watch, live stream schedule, key info
Catch up on all the action from a massive final day at one of Basketball Australia’s biggest junior tournaments. Click on the links below to take you to the highlights from all six courts.
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