2024 Basketball Australia Schools Championships girls low down: Rowville’s secrets to national title success
After making BA Schools Championship history last year, Rowville are confident of adding more pennants to the walls of the college’s eastern campus in 2024. See them LIVE from Monday.
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An unrivalled record underpins its reputation as the tournament’s powerhouse.
The Rowville Sports Academy will be looking to uphold a legacy yielding an unmatched golden decade of success at the Basketball Australia Schools Championships.
The school’s Championship women’s team will enter the nationals next week as defending champions, with the 2023 triumph among a run of four gold medals and a silver in the past 10 years.
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Director of basketball Dean Kinsman has overseen the program for 15 years, and said the vision of former long-serving principal, now the Sport’s Academy’s operations manager, Glenn Fankhauser laid the foundation for what would become a school sporting juggernaut following its launch in 2007.
“(Glenn Fankhauser) had a vision that we could provide the kids with an opportunity to grow within their sport within the school time frame, and not a before and after school program,” Kinsman said.
“We were able to manufacture that to happen within school time, with strength and conditioning, all their skill acquisition is all done in school time – that way we’re not competing outside of it.
“We’ve been there (at the tournament) for 12 or 13 years I think it is now, and we’ve won four of them, played in five gold-medal games and that’s unheard of in a short space of time to be able to develop a program that quickly.”
Kinsman said continuity was a cornerstone of the success, with student-athletes typically entering the program from year 7 and remaining through to year 12.
“We see them four days a week, 40 weeks of the year over their lifetime at school – that’s nearly 1000 days,” he said.
“We want to develop that all-round athlete and I think we’re hugely successful in that space to be able to know the person.”
Kinsman said that focus on the person was a crucial piece of the Rowville philosophy.
The program director cited more than 90 per cent of the academy’s cohort over more than half a decade have hit their first preference coming out of school whether it be university, TAFE, a job or heading to the NCAA system in the US.
The coaching director was quick to point out he wasn’t alone in building the students up for success with an impressive line of coaches working under him.
“I think the coaching group we have is incredible,” Kinsman said.
“Most schools have one or two really decent coaches, no question about it, but we’re fortunate to have seven coaches now and five at every training session, which is really rare at school level.”
Among them is head coach and two-time NBL champion Adam Gibson, a former Australian Boomer and Olympian, dual national schools gold medal-winning coach Brian Moyle (juniors), current Casey NBL1 senior women’s mentor Alex Palazzolo and Townsville Fire star, three-time WNBL champion and 2008 Olympian Micaela Cocks.
They are producing an impressive group of talents who have already proven themselves beyond the four walls at Rowville.
Bonnie Deas, who signed a contract with WNBL club Sydney Flames in August and spearheaded the Australian under-18s to the FIBA Asia Cup title this year, is one of the school’s current success stories along with Joel Foxwell, who not long ago signed at NBL power Melbourne United for 2025 and rising star Manuela Puoch, recently snared by the Southside Flyers.
But fine-tuning skills on the court under the watchful eyes of the program’s coaches is just part of what makes the well-oiled machine tick.
The Sports Academy also houses Rise Health Group, which provides the student-athletes with physiotherapy inside and outside of school hours.
The school is coming off a historic result last year at the school championships, and will be eyeing off a similar level of success with an impressive 2024 cohort.
“Our ‘15s and ‘17s feature regularly in medal matches,” Kinsman said.
“Last year, to be the first school ever in the 48-year history where every team walked away with a medal – two gold, two silver, two bronze (in) ‘15s, ‘17s, open girls (and) ‘15s, ‘17s, open boys.
“No school can replicate that across the board, across boys and girls – no-one has that strength.”
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The pennants may stretch wall to wall at the college’s eastern campus, but Kinsman says the expectations remain high beyond the court.
“We talk about being in a high-performing program and what the expectation is, and this year we’ve taken that a step further with live GPAs (grade point averages) to their performance in class, and performance behaviour,” he said.
“They know how they’re tracking every day, week in and week out, and I think that gives a higher level of accountability.
“Not only that, the kids love being there and we love coaching them, and you can just tell they’re engaged when they’re there. It’s a brilliant program.”
Despite the Rowville Sports Academy’s dizzying heights of achievement at the nationals across the past decade, Kinsman, a former Adelaide 36er and AIS head coach says there’s no added pressure as the college looks to continue an indelible legacy.
“We feel that everybody wants to play against us and we think it’s great,” he said.
“But internally … no (pressure), we want our kids to be out there wearing the ‘R’, playing as hard as they can, enjoying themselves and being respectful when they’re doing it.
“That’s been our motto and our vision all the way through – what comes of it comes of it, but we just want our kids to represent themselves well, the school well and their families well.”
GIRLS CHAMPIONSHIP LOWDOWN
WILLETTON SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
KTV pre-tournament ranking: 5th
Squad: 4 Talia Adams, 5 Jordi Perry, 7 Cassidy Wright, 8 Abby Rai, 9 Ashlin Ramsay, 10 Lily Corrigan, 11 Remy Hearn, 12 Matilda Campbell, 14 Rose Clinch, 23 Paris Spencer
Coach: Danika Pisconeri
The West Australian outfit placed second in Pool B last year with a 2-1 record and looks set to wheel out a new-look side this time, boasting five state representatives with Jordi Perry, Remy Hearn (U20 reps for 2025), Ashlin Ramsay (U18) and Rose Clinch and Paris Spencer (WA metro under-16) making up half the team. Perry should cause a few headaches after helping Perry Lakes to the championship in the NBL1 West top-flight with 97 points for the season – including a crucial 11 in a nailbiting two-point grand final. Willetton Senior will be coached by former West Coast Eagles AFLW player Danika Pisconeri.
IMMANUEL COLLEGE
KTV pre-tournament ranking: 4th
Squad: 8 Liv Rogers, 12 Eliana Mifsud, 15 Aspen Crase, 17 Scarlett Hatcher, 32 Charlotte Pedler, 33 Alexis Carman, 43 Krystal Thompson, 72 Sienna Lehmann, 76 Mia Richards
Coach: Tom Hilbig
Last competing in the women’s championship in 2022, three players remain from two years ago, with Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence (CoE) members Aspen Crase and Sienna Lehmann leading the charge alongside 18-year-old Liv Rogers with tournament experience. Crase was fourth for rebounds in 2022 (68) and second for total offensive rebounds (41). Lehmann is touted as one to watch, putting up two NBL1 appearances for CoE this season for an average of 11 points, 4.5 assists, five rebounds and four turnovers, while she also represented the Sapphires in the U17 FIBA World Cup in July. Immanuel edged Rowville for the bronze in 2022, with the college also toasting 10 straight Independent Girls School Sports Association Open A championships last year.
BRISBANE STATE HIGH
KTV pre-tournament ranking: 8th
Squad: 1 Naysa Tate, 2 Jema Sebasio, 3 Gia Vukona, 4 Mia Tang, 6 Laila Kefu, 7 Prasayus Notoa, 8 Ruby Mazzotta, 9 Annika Scott, 10 Georgia Puruto, 11 Sharni Reisinger, 12 Kailee Field, 13 Alleah Hanson
Coach: Char Notoa
Back at the women’s champs for the first time since 2016, the Queensland outfit will be led by Char Notoa, who was crowned the female coach of the year at the 2021 BQ awards. She’ll oversee the likes of Townsville development and Sapphires’ guard Prasayus Notoa, who helped Australia to a fifth-placed finish to the FIBA U17 World Cup in July. She represented Queensland South’s U18 team alongside teammates Sharni Reisinger and Alleah Hanson, also listed in the Sapphires’ squad. New Zealand Tall Fern Gia Vukona – daughter of NZ Tall Blacks great Mika – is also set to feature alongside fellow New Zealand under-19 rep Annika Scott. It’s been a long time between appearances, but the Queenslanders look to be bursting with talent ahead of their first showing in eight years.
ROWVILLE SPORTS ACADEMY
KTV pre-tournament ranking: 1st
Squad: 5 Zoe Shanahan, 7 Ella Campbell, 8 Taia Mcmechan, 20 Larni Campbell, 21 Tayla Galucho, 22 Bonnie Deas, 30 Bethany Schultz, 32 Emilija Dakic, 33 Shaylee Kerr, 34 Tahlee Farrell, 38 Manuela Puoch, 41 Jaymee Wadey
Coach: Adam Gibson
The reigning champions have stuck together and hit this year’s tournament with a wary confidence according to the college’s basketball director Dean Kinsman. Look out for Centre of Excellence (AIS) duo and guards Bonnie Deas and Emilija Dakic, and recently-signed WNBL Southside Flyers forward Manuela Puoch, with the trio posing an almighty headache for opposition sides. Rowville Sports Academy enters the fray as the team to beat – and rightly so – with a decade of unmatched success behind it, stars on every line and a swag of esteemed coaches. Can anyone usurp the throne or will another chapter be written into an already glistening history on the big stage?
BARKER COLLEGE
KTV pre-tournament ranking: 2nd
Squad: 5 Sasha Clague, 6 Jessie-May Hall, 7 Lucy Mead, 8 Leah Fowler, 9 Emma Lukell, 12 Maya Wilks, 14 Chloe Wallace, 16 Keira Hudson, 20 Renee Chen, 21 Chloe Hu
Coach: Shachar Shorer
The NSW champions are back again and ready to spring an upset on their Championship rivals after a fifth-placed finish at last year’s national championships. Incredibly every member of the Barker College squad in 2024 was at the nationals last year, and will be determined to grow from the experience. NSW representative gun Jessie-May Hall, who averaged an incredible 20 points per game for the Hornsby Ku Ring Gai Spiders in the NBL1 East this season, will lead the Barker College charge, but will have a strong support cast including NSW young gun Lucy Mead and Keira Hudson.
CAULFIELD GRAMMAR
KTV pre-tournament ranking: 6th
Squad: 4 Josie Agnew, 12 Rose Davies, 13 Tali Feiglin, 14 Georgia Ryan, 15 Maddy Walec, 18 Keira Price, 19 Emma Anderson, 21 Ruby Iacovangelo, 22 Clea Clark, 23 Mia Kirkham, 26 Charlize McRae, 29 Indi Grey
Coach: Jamie Staib
The Caulfield Grammar girls went undefeated to claim the Associated Grammar Schools of Victoria title in 2024, but fell to rivals Rowville Secondary College in a tough Basketball Victoria Champions Cup final. The Caulfield side has plenty of firepower across the court including two members of the dominant Under-18 Club Championship-winning Melbourne Tigers side – Josie Agnew and Georgia Ryan. The pair played a massive role in Caulfield’s run to the AGSV title this year with Agnew’s lights out shooting from the perimeter likely to cause plenty of headaches for defences on the Gold Coast.
JOHN PAUL COLLEGE
KTV pre-tournament ranking: 3rd
Squad: 4 Nahla Moke, 5 Mya Moke, 6 Novena Va’a, 7 Katie Birt, 8 Ella Moodie, 9 Mia Nakata, 10 Olivia Olechnowicz, 11 Phoebe Stedman, 12 Chloe Bruton, 3 Charlie Shaw, 14 Isabel Bottger, 15 Sophie McMullen
Coach: Andrew Olechnowicz
The Queensland champions will come into the tournament with plenty of ambition after a fourth-placed finish during last year’s national championships. All-round gun Olivia Olechnowicz will lead the team as the on court general with dad, Andrew, in the coaches chair again this year. The guard/forward led the tournament in points (26.17 per game) and was third in rebounds (12 per game) during last year’s championships – and will have some extra help in the form of the Moke sisters – Mya and Nahla. Nahla is making her BASC debut after playing a part in the school’s state title wins at Junior, Sophomore and Open level this year while Mya is coming off an Under-15 Oceania Cup win with Australia.
MARSDEN STATE HIGH
KTV pre-tournament ranking: 7th
Squad: 1 Peata Manumaleuga, 2 Alexis Beasley, 3 Georgia Betham, 4 Malaya Au, 5 Sinai Foai, 6 Leise Reupena, 7 Sienna Bourke, 8 Kara Kaufusi, 9 Charlotte Marley, 10 Wai Joseph, 11 Rachel Kaufusi, 12 Hinekawa Esler
Coach: Char Mellars
The bronze medallists from last year’s tournament have been given a wildcard entry to the Championship division for 2024. The Marsden girls have farewelled some talented players from last year’s squad but still have a bit of experience in their ranks in the form of dynamic guard Malaya Au. The Marsden side will enter the Championships without star playmaker Keriana Hippolite who was a shock omission from the squad list on the eve of the tournament.
Originally published as 2024 Basketball Australia Schools Championships girls low down: Rowville’s secrets to national title success
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