Live stream: Players you need to watch in Basketball Queensland Under-16 State Championships (Under 16 Boys State Titles )
The best young talents will descend on the Gold Coast for the Basketball Queensland State Titles. Find out which players you need to WATCH in our exclusive LIVE STREAM.
Sport
Don't miss out on the headlines from Sport. Followed categories will be added to My News.
The best young talents in the Sunshine State will light up the courts of the Gold Coast this weekend as the Basketball Queensland Under-16 State Championships take flight.
The only place you can tune into the action will be with News Corp, as the Courier Mail with support from our regional mastheads, live stream all the action from the main court over the four days of the tournament.
It will take a team first approach for sides to come out on top in the hunt for state titles glory, something the Northside Wizards boys and Logan Thunder girls proved in last year’s championships.
But there is still several players who are expected to rise to the occasion of the state titles.
We have enlisted the help of our eagle eyed talent scouts across the state to give you a list of the top talents to watch from every region.
BRISBANE CAPITALS
Matthew Amoamo
Forward
The Brisbane Capitals have two of the top five scorers in the league with Amoamo, a versatile forward, sitting in fourth place after the SQJBC season. Forming a high-octane offensive combination with teammate, Emerson Juhasz, Amoamo proved tough to stop with his ability, not only to find his way to the basket, but to find his way to the free-throw line and earn easy points.
Emerson Juhasz
Guard/forward
After just missing out on the SQJBC finals, Juhasz will be looking to help his team turn that around at the state championships. Juhasz was the second leading scorer in the SQJBC competition, averaging 27.4 points per game while also reaching a season-high of 40 points in one round.
GOLD COAST ROLLERS
Indy Cotton
Guard
Coming off a 52 point grand final, captain and a great team player, plays both ends of the floor, one of best point guards in the country, who has proven to be very hard to stop.
Samuel Legassick
Guard
Shooting guard who can put the ball in the net, great mid-range jumper and plays hard both ends of the court.
Skye Adams
Forward
Super athlete, he has the ability to change a game on his offensive rebounding and speed.
LOGAN THUNDER
Ashley McGrath
Guard
A talented and athletic guard who is part of Basketball Queensland’s State Performance Program, McGrath has been in impressive form for the Thunder this season. McGrath was the third leading scorer for the SQJBC season, averaging just more than 20 points per game.
NORTHSIDE WIZARDS
Rohan Barlow
Guard
A consistent performer for the Northside Wizards, Barlow averaged 10.7 points per game during the regular season, hitting a season high 23 points against the Logan Thunder. Barlow and his teammates will be looking to increase their impact for the Wizards to have a successful tournament.
RED CITY ROAR
Zachary McDowell-White
Guard
Having led RedCity to a surprise grand final appearance in the SQJBC competition, the talented guard will be looking to take his team one step further at the state championships. Coming from a talented family, the son of Brisbane Lions legend Darryl White and younger brother of NBL guard William McDowell-White, Zach will be looking to keep the family tradition of winning state gold medals going.
Geoffrey Peterson
Guard
Peterson put together some big scoring games during the SQJBC season, hitting more than 30 points on three occasions on RedCity’s way to a silver medal. With the ability to attack the basket but also connect from long range, Peterson will prove a tough challenge for defences to stop across the tournament.
ROCKHAMPTON ROCKETS
Logan Rebetzke
Guard
An inspirational captain who leads from the front. A talented point guard, he averaged 10 points and 10 assists in each game in the Central Queensland Junior Basketball Competition, and was instrumental in the Rockhampton Rockets going through undefeated. He controls the team and gets everyone to their spots. He ticks all the boxes - he is a good three-point shooter, an accurate passer of the basketball and gets good penetration off the dribble.
Jack Tweedy
Guard/forward
A versatile shooting guard/small forward whose shooting ability is second to none. Was the Rockhampton Rockets’ leading scorer in the Central Queensland Junior Basketball Competition, averaging 19 points a game. A great outside shooter, he can also
get to the ring regularly. A genuine athlete, he runs the lanes hard. The 15-year-old is a member of Basketball Queensland’s State Performance Program.
SOUTHERN DISTRICT SPARTANS
Oskar Olechnowicz
Forward
One of the hardest working and toughest players in the age group, Olechnowicz will be a massive part of the gold medal quest for Southern Districts. Averaging 19.2 points per game, Olechnowicz also makes an impact with his rebounding, defence and energy.
Kurt Siwek
Centre
Forming a dynamic big man combination with teammate Oskar Olechnowicz, Siwek is a dominant force inside the paint for the Spartans. Siwek will look to bring his big game experience into the tournament after being part of Queensland South’s national championship last year as a bottom age player.
SOUTH-WEST METRO PIRATES
Ruben Sambrano
Guard
One of the top scorers in the SQJBC competition, averaging 19 points per game, Ruben Sambrano is a rising talent for the South West Metro Pirates. A player who can get hot quickly from behind the arc as shown by his performances during the regular season.
TOOWOOMBA MOUNTAINEERS
Darcy York
Guard
A great wing scorer and shooter, if opposition sides give York the space, he will generally make them pay. He is a versatile player who can always be relied on.
Sam Moore
Forward/centre
Whether he is playing at the four-spot or at centre Moore is an asset to his team. A physical finisher who is more than solid defensively at the rim.
Koby Wann
Guard
A combo guard who loves to compete and score big. Wann will regularly fill up the stats sheet for the Mountaineers, and can be found at the base of most attacking raids.
TOWNSVILLE HEAT
Jack Abbott
Centre
A three-inch growth spurt has turned small forward Jack Abbott, 16, into Townsville’s answer to Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors. Undersized as a team, 6’2 Abbott is the Heat’s tallest player and will thus play ample minutes at centre as coach Joe Owens looks to get his team pushing the pace to breakneck speed up and down the court.
Regan Blachford
Guard
Jot down this name, basketball fans – you’ll be seeing plenty more of him at the State Championships. Shooting guard Blachford is a 5’9 scorer at all levels of the court at the tender age of 13. Once Blachford adjusts to the physicality of playing rivals bigger and stronger coach Joe Owens tipped his scoring to blossom.
Originally published as Live stream: Players you need to watch in Basketball Queensland Under-16 State Championships (Under 16 Boys State Titles )
Titans win stampede to sign boom Coast twins
The Gold Coast Titans have won a stampede to sign boom Year 9 twins from King’s Christian College, but a Logan City young gun from Cameron Smith’s old school remains hot property.
Deadline revealed for Brisbane 2032 Olympics
The man leading the Australian Olympic Committee has just issued a stark new deadline for the Brisbane Olympics.