2025 Basketball Australia Under-16 Nationals: How to watch Queensland go toe-to-toe with nation’s best
The nephew of a former NBL hardman is set to lead an exciting Queensland South side at the Basketball Australia U16 Nationals. Find out how to watch them in action live here.
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They will enter the Basketball Australia Under-16 National Championships as dark horses but their coach believes the team is capable of anything this week in Bendigo.
The Queensland South boys will start their championships campaign on Sunday when they face off against Western Australian Metro.
Last year the Queenslanders lost on the buzzer to the Perth outfit but a new squad boasting a ton of Logan and Gold Coast talent is keen to repay the favour and get off to a winning start.
SEE HOW TO WATCH THE U16 NATIONALS LIVE
“Explosive” and “dynamic” were the two words coach Michael Devitt said best described his “dark horses” who possess great balance across the board.
“We have a good balance of pace and are a smart team which can play in the halfcourt if we do a good job in transition defence,” Devitt said.
“We can beat anyone on our day.”
Devitt has plenty of faith – and why shouldn’t he?
At his disposal there are dynamic guards in Jordan Kaesler and Koby Fata, leaders in Tom Petrie – the nephew of former NBL hardman Anthony – and Ty Khomenko and an all-round “high skill level” across every player in the squad.
The towering front-court combination of Mac Seebeck and Nash Gilchrist is also sure to be a weapon for Queensland with both teens hovering around the 200cm mark.
Much of the squad has been assembled from the fertile breeding grounds of Logan and the Gold Coast.
Dusty Gurney (North Gold Coast Seahawks), Hunter Cream (Gold Coast), Kaesler (Logan), Fata (Logan), Seebeck (Logan), Gilchrist (Logan), Sam Pikunic (Gold Coast), Petrie (Gold Coast) and Khomenko (Gold Coast) all hail from the two regions while there are just a pair of others from outside the area.
Jalen Chalmers is representing the Sunshine Coast and Brandon Nolan the South West Metro Pirates.
Fata and Gilchrist are Marsden Makos from Logan City, while Khomenko, Cream and Petrie are all from The Southport School.
The leadership of returning team members Khomenko and Petrie will be key across the week.
Both can score at will and provide poise and balance on the court.
But it will be their leadership on and off it that can determine how far this unheralded Queensland team can go on the biggest stage of their fledgling careers.
Originally published as 2025 Basketball Australia Under-16 Nationals: How to watch Queensland go toe-to-toe with nation’s best
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