Live stream: See which athletes will feature at Basketball Australia U16’s National Championships
Her sister made an impression last year, now Mya Lomu gets her chance to shine at the Basketball Australia U16 Nationals. Check the ACT and NT teams in our final player tracker ahead of the tournament.
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Her sister made a big impression at the Basketball Australia U16 Nationals last year, now Mya Lomu gets her chance to shine.
Lomu is part of an ACT girls team with limited experience on the big stage and looking to improve on an 11th place finish in 2023.
Catch the teams from the nation’s capital LIVE and EXCLUSIVE from the Red Energy Arena on KommunityTV from Saturday.
Hena Lomu scored 62 points at almost seven points per game in 2023. Mya played in the U14 Club Championship in 2023 in Melbourne for Canberra where she averaged 6.38ppg
The sisters are the daughters of former rugby league player Andrew.
BA U16 NATIONALS HUB: All the info, full schedule, daily links
Lucy Hoffmeister and Molly Lacey, who shot at an impressive 28 per cent sucess rate from beyond the arc, return from the 2023 squad.
Another player to watch is Jordyn Townsend. She played in the U14 Club Championship in 2023 and averaged almost nine point per game.
On the boys side, Parker Hobbs is a player certainly worth keeping an eye on.
He impressed at the 2023 Southern Cross Challenge, where he scored 78 points from six games, before playing reduced minutes at the U16 Nationals.
He still shot at over 50 per cent, averaging over thre ppg. He also performed well in 2022 U14 Club Championships where he averaged almost 14 ppg.
Check the full LIVE STREAM schedule below.
ACT U16 GIRLS TEAM
Kaiya Barsby, Millie Boutzos, Maya Hart, Lucy Hoffmeister, Tessa Kelley, Jariah Kivalu, Molly Lacey, Mya Lomu, Sophie Pine, Poppy Smith, Tearia Teaiwa Mortimer, Jordyn Townsend
ACT U16 BOYS TEAM
Oliver Farrell, Parker Hobbs, Ashton Law, William MacLeod, Karel Maury Laib,
Hamish O’Sullivan, Daniel Schultz, Ben Schultz, Emmanuel Shirley, Peter White,
Mitchell Wise
NORTHERN TERRITORY U16 BOYS TEAM
Darcy Bevis, Seth Bunting, Hayden Gregor, Steven Griffiths, Luis Maddalozzo, Dillon Mallard, Daniel Mbemap, Kade Milne, Terrence Shun Heng Loi, Ryder Young
NORTHERN TERRITORY U16 GIRLS TEAM
Tarli Agius, Jodicee Duggan, Maddison Kennedy, Ellah Mukundi, Abigail Neve, Lily Nicklin, Taniesha Payne, Charlie Rumpff, Tharuki Weradiwa
Basketball Australia the approval of 2 further athletes not selected in their respective interstate regions to be added to the Northern Territory team for the Championships.
Tough tune-ups show Tassie teams ready to impress
Tasmania has certainly had one of the more interesting build-ups to the U16 basketball nationals.
The boys played up in the U18 division at last month’s Mid-Winter Classic in Launceston - and nearly won.
Meanwhile, the girls took on the boys in the U16 division at the same tournament - and landed a killer blow in their final game.
The boys won three of their four games in Launceston, with skipper Oscar Turale scoring 73 points, while Harry Blythe and Johnty Dynan were other big contributors.
Blyth, who also impressed at the Country Cup in Albury earlier this year, returns for a second shot on the national stage. He averaged 7.71 points per game as an under ager in a 2023 side that won only two games and finished 10th.
The girls suffered three losses before ending the Launceston tournament with a 43-37 win as Matilda Neate and Brydee McPherson found their range.
Neate finished as highest scorer with 46 points in four games and looms as key to their chances of doing well in Bendigo.
She also averaged 7.38 points per game at the 2023 U16 Nationals and combined well with the impressive Andie Smith in a Tassie team that made the quarterfinals before bowing out to NSW Metro in a thriller.
TASMANIA U16 GIRLS
Inika Barnes, Libby Buckby, Maya Davies, Sophie Dean, Elka Hutton, Taryn Lowe, Maddison Mayne, Brydee McPherson, Kirra Munns, Matilda Neate
TASMANIA U16 BOYS
Nash Armstrong, Ajay Blizzard, Harry Blyth, Liam Dolliver, Johnty Dynan, Lachie Mayes, Riley Powell, Oliver Rattray, Jacob Singline, Oscar Turale
Young gun ready to fire up challenge from the west
Keira Robinson first caught the eye on the national stage two years ago at the U14 Club Championships in Sydney.
Now she a key player in the WA Metro girls squad for the Basketball Australia U16 Nationals in Bendigo, which start next weekend.
Robinson was part of a Warwick Senators team in 2022 that made the trek over the Nullarbor to finish with a bronze medal in the Shield division.
Her performance catapulted her into the top 10 players of the tournament, with this special note.
‘Robinson was a standout for the Western Australia side. She was one of the tournament’s highest point scorers, averaging more than 14 points a game.’
She continued that form as an under ager at last year’s U16 nationals in Brisbane, scoring 70 points at an average of 7.78 points per game and showing her prowess from range with a 26 per cent success rate.
Western Australia Metro finished seventh last year and they will be looking to Robinson to inspire a higher finish in 2024.
Meanwhile, Western Australia Country boys put a disappointing start behind them last year to win their final two matches in some style.
Four of the players from that team - Joel Gillett, Max De San Miguel, Nicholas Brabozan and Trent Faulkner - are back for their second tilt at the age group.
Gillett had an excellent introduction to his nationals career in 2023, shooting at over 50 per cent from the floor, 32 per cent from range, averaging 8.25ppg.
Meanwhile, Faulkner, who averaged 6.75ppg, finished fifth in three point percentages in 2023, going 16-40 from range.
WA COUNTRY U16 GIRLS
Caitlin Musitano, Cassie Ferris, Charlotte Castle, Jordanae Leito, Kenzie du Bois, Kianna Manu, Kiara Lawty, Legacy Harris, Michel;le Ninyette, Sahba Horstman, Sienna Eade, Sophie Kirkpatrick
WA METRO GIRLS
Sasha Augustus, Cameron Brown, Rose Clinch, Jasmine Giles, Evelyn Hawley, Tamsin Hill, Sasha Nona, Keira Robinson, Kaia Rukuata, Paris Spencer, Hannah Summers, Ayla Pizzuto
WA COUNTRY U16 BOYS
Joel Gillett, Max De San Miguel, Byron Winder, Austin Forrest, Trent Faulkner, Lucas Jacob, Luke Websdale Jnr, Riley Fong, Will Teasdale, Nicholas Brabazon, Luke Riegert, Beau Jones
WA METRO U16 BOYS
John Aryang, Conor Bradley, Andre Dweh, Alexander Edwards, Jadan Exeter, Kailen Harrison, Hunter Hearn, Samuel Johnson, Faitala Patu, Luke Paul, Everett Pavic, Jaelan Toby
National champs powering NSW Country challenge
There is a distinct Illawarra Hawks flavour to this year’s NSW Country girls side for the U16 national basketball titles in Bendigo.
And it’s no wonder, after all, the Hawks did win the U14 Club Championships last year, taking down Kilsyth 45-41.
Addison Bonham and Taylah Curtis were the spearheads behind that title success.
Bonham was brilliant under pressure in the final, scoring 18 points. She hit an incredible 187 points at an average of almost 24 ppg for the tournament.
And that came on the back of scoring 15ppg as an under ager in the same tournament 12 months earlier.
Guard Curtis hit the dagger three in that 2023 decider, which proved to be a major difference.
The duo also played together in the Southern Cross Challenge earlier this year for NSW Country, where Bonham was a standout, scoring 138 points, including a 30-point haul against SA Blue.
They are joined by clubmates Alina Pasakarnis and Molly Coble, who are both holdovers from last year’s U16 nationals team.
To add even more to the Wollongong mix, Michael Turton will coach the team and Maddison Delaney is assistant coach.
Meanwhile, it’s all out, all change for the NSW Metro girls team, who will be turning to the likes of Sydney Comets duo Mia Minshall and Marley Sialeipata and Norths’ Izabelle Mansory for inspiration.
Guard-forward Minshall scored 85 points at the recent National Junior Classic in Melbourne, including a 20-point haul against Casey.
Sascha Clague provides height and defensive stability.
She played for Barker College in last year’s Schools Championships and then performed well for NSW Metro at the Southern Cross Challenge earlier in the year.
NSW COUNTRY U16 GIRLS
Addison Bonham, Molly Coble, Taylah Curtis, Hayley De Friskbom, Charlie Gibson, Jazzy Gordon, Elley Hawken, Zoe Keeble, Alina Pasakarnis, Tully Pickering
NSW COUNTRY U16 BOYS
William Dobbins, William Dooley, Noah Fenton, Rohan Greentree, Solomon Liu, Rory Milross-Rose, Samson Nathan, Oluwakorede Olutayo, Jack Rumble, Logan Tupaea
NSW METRO U16 BOYS
Obi Adler, Antonio Browne, Emin Joldic, Archie Lucas, Riley McNulty, William Rintoul, Luka Stevanovic, August Straker, Kingston Tutani, Max Venardos
NSW METRO U16 GIRLS
Sasha Clague, Sienna Fishpool, Lani Gremmo, Caitlyn Grima, Emma Lukell, Izabella Mansory, Mia Minshall, Marley Sialeipata, Peyton Skinner, Angela Tako
How Meteorettes success now powers national challenge
Just like they did last year, the Mackay Meteorettes side from the 2022 U14 Club Championships will provide the backbone of the North Queensland girls U16 nationals assault.
And that continuity makes them a very dangerous opponent.
Success has followed Isabel Smith, Lily Mapp, Maggie Thorburn, Eden Catip and Skye Vaughan around the last two years.
Two years ago, all five were part of the Meteorettes side that finished runners up to Nunawading Spectres in the U14s showpiece.
Smith scored 140 points and was named in the tournament starting five with this note: ‘The Meteorettes secret weapon leading into the national championships is certainly not a secret anymore.’
Four of the five then helped take North Queensland to third place in last year’s U16 nationals, with an under age Smith again a stand out with 123 points.
She played a massive part in the overtime bronze medal win over NSW Metro, landing two crucial buckets under enormous pressure.
While there will be no Taryn Bond this year, the emergence of Smith as one of the best of her age in the country and the cohesion with the other four, certainly augers well for their prospects.
Queensland North won five of their six pool games in 2023, beat Queensland South in the quarters before losing to eventual champs SA Metro in the semis. Smith averaged 14 ppg, as well as three assists and seven rebounds. Thorburn was close behind, averaging 13 ppg.
Throw in rising Townsville star Clara Kolb and you can see why they could have quite an influence.
QUEENSLAND NORTH GIRLS U16
Addison Davey, Clara Kolb, Eden Catip, Ella Duroux, Isabel Smith, Isla Shackleton, Lily Mapp, Macey Lahrs, Maggie Thorburn, Skye Vaughan, Tahlia Jensen
QUEENSLAND NORTH BOYS U16
Austin Wilson, Cooper Curie, Declan Garnham, Gus Loughnan, Jaylen Mitchelhill, Keenan Williams, Keenan Williams, Kobi Teasdale, Rayniel Vanguardia, Treyce Ciantar, Usai Bickey, William Imhoff
Rising stars give Queensland big advantage
He was a star for Queensland North as a 13-year-old at the 2023 U16 nationals, now Andrew Watene spearheads an exciting Queensland South line up at the 2024 version.
The former Rockhampton Rocket is now with Logan Thunder, a club that is contributing no fewer than nine players to the Queensland South boys and girls cause in Bendigo from July 6 to 14.
Last year, the plaudits spruiking his ability came thick and fast.
His Queensland North coach, Geoff Benson, said: “He’s fearless, that’s the big thing for him. Nothing worries him, he’s not scared to take some big bodies on and he does all the little things.”
News Corp basketball writer Michael Randall said: “Hard not to love this kid. One of the most confident 13-year-olds you will ever meet. Looking forward to see how his basketball pans out.”
His game has gone to another level since then.
Just to highlight that, at the recent Queensland State Championships, he dropped a cool 46 points in a one-sided final.
He leads a line-up dominated by Thunder teammates, including the imposing Trae Dombroski, Elijah Tuupo and Jayden Cecil.
Cecil, who has worked with trainer to the NBA stars Jordan Lawley, hit 24 points in that recent state championship win and was an impressive contributor to the Queensland South cause in 2023.
On the girls side, Olivia Olechnowicz scored 183 points at a competition-best average of 22.88, including a ridiculous 37-point haul against NSW Country, averaged 6.5 rebounds and almost three assists.
All of this came as an under ager at last year’s U16 nationals.
Again, not unlike Watene, imagine what she could do in 2024.
Queensland South are loaded with scoring options to compliment her, while not forgetting their duties at the other end of the court with some solid defensive players.
Maddison Reisinger is one to keep a close eye on.
She impressed at the Southern Cross Challenge earlier this year
QUEENSLAND SOUTH BOYS U16
Andrew Watene, Elijah Tuupo, Harley Baker, Isaiah Jorgenson, Jayden Cecil, Sam Lauret, Tadiwa Chirikure, Tom Petrie, Trae Dombroski, Ty Khomenko, Zephaniah Teaukai
QUEENSLAND SOUTH GIRLS U16
Georgia Puruto, Jade Sherrington, Jay Sebasio, Jovana Ilic, Lily Bartholomaeus, Maddison Reisinger, Mia Gurney, Mya Moke, Olivia Olechnowicz, Sinai Foai, Violet Johnson
The two players who make SA teams real threats
A revolving door throws a whole different perspective on the South Australia Metro U16 basketball nationals boys and girls title push this time around.
The defending champion girls have only two players backing up from last year - Annaliese Elliott and Caitlin Hardin - with the likes of Aspen Crase, Kiera Gardiner and Abbey Jones moving on.
The boys finished fourth in 2023 and have the same issue with Koby Muir, Luke Pfitzner and Harrison Chambers not around.
Not that all four SA sides - Metro and Country - are struggling for talent. On the contrary, they are stacked with some impressive young players.
Chief among them are Isabelle Daly and Daisy Hocking.
Daly has built quite a resume of achievements in the last couple of years and showed she was ready for the big stage with a dynamic performance for Eastern Mavericks at the recent National Junior Classic in Melbourne.
Daly scored 99 points in six games for the bronze medal-winning Mavericks. That haul included 19 three-pointers, including six in one game against Geelong United.
With a sweet left-handed lay-up, a strong presence under the basket at both ends and a deadly three-point shot, she is a true all court player.
She was the top scorer at the Southern Cross Challenge earlier this year with 128 points, again a haul sprinkled with its fair share of three pointers, and she has already impressed on the national stage at U14 level.
Club teammate Hocking headlines the SA Country team. She had a massive U16 tournament in 2023, averaging over 20 per game.
Hocking warmed up for this event with a 31-point haul for Eastern Mavericks in the bronze medal-playoff at the National Junior Classic.
News Corp’s basketball Michael Randall has this to say about her after last year’s championships.
Listed at 170cm, Daisy’s game is enormous. Do-it-all is often used to describe players, but it is perfectly apt in this instance – Hocking led the tournament in assists (5.1), was second in points (20.4), steals (5.25) and free throw makes (44), and third in rebounding (10.62). That’s some statline for a 170cm point guard. Lived at the free throw line – opponents couldn’t stop her – and will be even more dangerous if she can improve her 60 per cent clip from the charity stripe.
Hocking and Reed are joined by Ava Woosnam, Mia Richards and Ruby Stockley from last year as SA Country go with a touch of familiarity in 2024. Emerson Beeching, yet another Mavericks player, will also be a player to watch out for.
The SA Country boys were beaten in a thrilling final last year by Vic Metro and won’t have the services of Ethan Macdermott, Kale Matthews-Hampton and William Wimshurst, but they have some exciting players capable of rising to the occasion.
SA COUNTRY GIRLS U16
Ashlee Dean, Ava Woosnam, Daisy Hocking, Emerson Beeching, Jayla Sanders, Keeley Molyneux, Lily Milosevic, Mia Richards, Ruby Stockley, Stella Reed
SA COUNTRY BOYS U16
Arnhem Jarrett, Cooper Clayfield, Harry Breadnam. Hudson Boal. Hudson Croser, James Matthias, Johnathan Vosser, Kolbi Weight, Oscar Potter, Thraviz Coronel
SA METRO BOYS U16
Joshua Dartnall, Jack Isaac, Arlee Jamieson, Josh Louis, Tex Launer, Awak Machar Jr, Cohen Mortimer, Giancarlo Nalupta, Zemes Pilot, Samuel Uzcategui Monetenegro
SA METRO GIRLS U16
Alek Deng, Annaliese Elliott, Ava Thomson, Caitlin Hardin, Isabelle Daly, Isobelle Purdie, Lara Gribben, Maia Freemantle, Poppy Dix, Shamah Gabriel Yak, Zoe Jaekel
Excellent mix gives Vic Metro girls real title shot
Not since the days of Nyadiew Puoch, Sophie Burrows and Tess Heal have Victoria Metro girls ruled the land at the U16 basketball nationals.
Sure, Covid wiped out two years of competition, but they have found SA Metro (twice) and NSW Metro too good in the three years when the tournament has been staged.
Last year they came close but ran into generational talents Kiera Gardiner and Aspen Crase in the decider.
The class of 2024 features several players returning for their second shot at U16 level as well as a fresh bounty of up and comers rising from the U14 ranks. It does make for a tasty mix.
Elisa Brown, Marianela Fakalata and Madison Ryan are all returnees from 2023. Throw in the imposing Matilda Trout, who averaged seven points per match playing for NSW Metro in 2023, and there is plenty of experience.
The newcomers include Valerija Ljubicic, Jasmine Jones and Indy Springett.
Fakalata, who was a star of Nunawading’s 2022 U14 Club Championship success, transferred her national success to the U16 stage last year, averaging almost 10 points and three assists per game.
Ryan was one of the stars of the show in 2023 and has since been selected in the U17 Sapphires national team. She certainly left News Corp basketball writer Michael Randall seriously impressed.
‘In all seriousness, Ryan might have had the most impressive natural basketball build at the tournament. She’s so long, lean, athletic, can shoot it, has the strength to finish inside and already has an extensive basketball IQ. Ryan led the Vic’s in scoring at 13.9 per game and did everything else, too – 9.3 rebounds, 3.4 steals, 2.4 assists – but most impressive was her ability to protect the ball: she was under 2.4 turnovers per game, well below most other girls who handled the ball so much.’
Jones played a star turn at last year’s U14 club championships at Casey for Kilsyth, who were runners up to Illawarra.
She averaged 18.75 points per game and dropped a nice 27 points in a game against Sandringham.
Springett averaged 10 points per game for Kilsyth in that U14 tournament while Ljubicic was part of the Nunawading success in 2022.
Meanwhile, Victoria Metro boys are eyeing four straight titles in 2024.
In one of the best games seen at that level in recent years, they took down SA Country in last year’s decider 112-106.
Three players from that success are back - Tom Dammers, Alexander Mabbott and Charlie Wilson.
Add the likes of Benjamin Ware-Drakeford, who was one of the stars of Dandenong’s U14 club championship success last year, and Nunawading’s Chandler Siegle and they again look one of the teams to beat.
Ballarat dominate the Victoria Country boys team, with Joseph Buckle, Lucas Byrne, Oliver Cape and Riley Dilges all named.
Max Connick and Nicholas Harvey will be players to watch, especially on their home court.
In the Victoria Country girls team, Shepparton’s Charlotte Ogier will be playing in her second national titles in two months.
Ogier represented Victoria in April as part of the 15&U side at the national netball championships in Frankston.
UNDER-16 METRO BOYS
Ragge Abeil, Archie Coady, Tom Dammers, Ryda Devers, Liam Keogh, Alexander Mabbott, Josh McCann, Mitchell McIntosh, Chandler Siegle, Benjamin Ware-Drakeford, Charlie Wilson, Jake Witkowski
UNDER-16 COUNTRY BOYS
Christian Beecroft, Joseph Buckle, Lucas Byrne, Oliver Cape, Max Connick, Riley Dilges, William Hamilton, Nicholas Harvey, Lenny Maxwell, Zacharie Morrell, Dashiell Smith, Jacob Stefek
UNDER-16 COUNTRY GIRLS
Marley Alimpic, Eliza Ashby, Georgia Baensch, Ayisha Balogun, Jada Button, Lexie Fennell, Ruby Mewett, Elise Napier, Charlotte Ogier, Amily Smith, Willow Smith, Neve Terpstra
UNDER-16 METRO GIRLS
Elisa Brown, Marianela Fakalata, Taya Hanan-Datson, Evie Haywood, Jasmine Jones, Valerija Ljubicic, Sophie Richardson, Madison Ryan, Laura Seiz, Indy Springett, Vanessa Tavete, Matilda Trout
Live stream: BA U16 National Championships, Court 9, Day 2
Get ready for an early blockbuster girls showdown on Court 9 when a new-look NSW Metro take on a Daisy Hocking-led SA Country. See four games LIVE. Check the schedule.
REPLAYS: BA U16 National Championships, Court 1, Day 1
Victoria Country got their BA U16 Nationals girls and boys campaigns off to a flying start in front of a parochial home crowd in Bendigo on Saturday. Catch up on both the REPLAYS.