Live stream: Flynn Pavely, NSW Metro eye success at Basketball Australia Under-18’s National Championships

Flynn Pavely was focusing on his cricket career 12 months ago. Now he’s in the Centre of Excellence and leading NSW Metro’s BA U18 championships title bid. Catch LIVE action from Sunday.

Teenager Flynn Pavely had barely played a competitive game of basketball 12 months ago.

He was focusing more on a burgeoning cricket career.

Now the 16-year-old stands as one of the next big hoops talents, earning a scholarship to the Centre of Excellence and headlining a fresh new NSW Metro squad for the Basketball Australia U18 National Championships.

“To his credit, he’s really switched on,” NSW Metro coach Will Hill said.

“And because he hasn’t played a lot of basketball, he’s almost a blank canvas.”

All of the action from the U18 championships will be available to stream LIVE and EXCLUSIVE on KommunityTV, tipping off on Sunday.

Check the LIVE STREAM SCHEDULE below for full details.

The 16-year-old only has one year of representative basketball under his belt, playing for Manly in the U18 division two Metro Junior League competition in 2023.

Before that Pavely featured for Manly-Warringah in their junior representative teams, playing Green Shield in 2022-23 as well as in their men’s division five teams.

Flynn Pavely is set for his first basketball nationals with NSW Metro.

“I think he always had an interest in basketball,” Hill explained.

“Someone saw him around a year and a half ago and said to him ‘you should trial for basketball’.

“Next thing you know he’s at a state trial and making the state team.”

At 6’9” (210cm) tall, Pavely has a natural build for basketball and Hill said his rapid growth as a player has been down to his dedication and willingness to learn.

James Dyson Merwe.

“He absorbs things very quickly,” Hill said.

“He does his homework, he watches films and he has tons of questions.

“He’s a pretty exciting guy for someone with such mobility and doesn’t have a lot of experience.”

Pavely is one of three players in the Metro team who haven’t been to a national tournament before, alongside fellow James Dyson Merwe and Ethan Marten-Coney from Sydney Comets.

Only two boys are back in the team from last year’s fourth-place finish, with Henry Lau and Joaquin Gonzalez from Norths Bears returning.

“A lot of these boys have never really played together in a nationals environment,” Hill said.

“There’s no substitute for time spent together and that could be a problem for us at the end of the day.

“But the best teams have to step up, the best players have to step up and they have to get it done.”