Top 20 players ranked from 2025 Basketball Australia Schools Championships
From a WNBL rookie to the brother of famous siblings, the Basketball Australia School Championships was full of game changing performances. Here’s the top 20 players of 2025.
The best young ballers took over the Gold Coast last week, with Brisbane State High and Lake Ginninderra picking up national titles.
But while only two left with team success, a number of players made their own mark on an individual level.
We reveal our top 20 players from the Championship division’s, which includes a WNBL rookie, the brother in a famous family and a number of future stars.
WOMEN
1. Zara Russell (Lake Ginninderra)
The Lake Ginninderra star, and WNBL rookie, looked a class above throughout the tournament. Russell finished as the tournament’s leading scoring with 145 points, averaging 24.17, while she was also fifth for average rebounds (11.3), second for assists (9.5), fourth for free-throw percentage (77.8%), first for total made free throws (28) and total steals (17). She finished the tournament with arguably her two best performances – a 40 points, nine rebounds, seven assists showing in a semi-final defeat to Brisbane State High before a triple-double (23 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists) in the bronze medal win over Rowville Secondary College.
2. Jessie-May Hall (Barker College)
If Hall’s credentials as one of Australia’s future stars weren’t already stamped before the School Championships, they were well and truly at its conclusion. Hall led Barker all the way to the gold medal game, a clash she also played a key role in. She finished the tournament second on the overall scoring leaderboard with 132 points and averaged 22 points and 5.8 assists. Hall was also top three for total assists (34) and first for total steals (22) in a strong sign of her ability to bring teammates into the game.
3. Nikki Parker (Marist Regional College)
The Tasmanian young gun might just be the next big thing to come out of the Apple Isle. Representing Marist Regional College, Parker finished second overall on the average points leaderboard, 23.2, and that was despite her field goal percentage sitting below 50 per cent (48.08 per cent). After a slow start with just 11 points in her first game, Parker exploded with scores of 22, 26, 32 and 25 and produced a points-rebounds double-double in every game of the tournament.
4. Alleah Hanson (Brisbane State High)
The hero of Brisbane State High’s back-to-back triumph, Hanson shouldn’t just be remembered for her last second heroics in the gold medal game given her impact across the entire tournament. Finishing with 131 points, Hanson averaged 21.8 points, 11 rebounds and 2.3 assists. Stood up when it mattered most against Barker, scoring 21 points in the gold medal match that included the winning bucket.
5. Lily Mapp (Lake Ginninderra)
One of the most consistent performers on the Gold Coast, Mapp was terrific on the boards at both ends of the floor. Finishing with 116 rebounds, for an average of 19.3, Mapp topped both rebounding leaderboards. She was just as impactful in other KPIs, finishing fifth for average points, 20.8, while she was first for total blocks (12) and fifth for total free throws made (21).
6. Jay Sebasio (Brisbane State High)
One half of Brisbane’s Sebasio sisters, Jay was a key cog in Brisbane’s success. Shooting at 50 per cent across the week, Sebasio was also a strong performer on the glass with her most impactful game coming in the semi-final against Lake Ginninderra. Finishing with a whopping 38 points and 13 rebounds, Sebasio was the difference in getting her side across the line in the 101-83 win.
7. Prasayus Notoa (Brisbane State High)
The third Brisbane player on this list, Notoa was a monster on the glass across their campaign. Averaging 14.2 rebounds, Notoa collected 85 in total, dropping below 10 just once and registering a huge 24 against Lake Ginninderra in the semi-final. She also registered 16 assists in the victory.
8. Ava Tawake (Lake Ginninderra)
Another rebounding queen, Tawake showed she can match it with the best of them on the Gold Coast. A three-game stretch, where she registered 43 rebounds, showcased the best of Tawake’s elite skills under the rim. She bested all those individual efforts however when she produced a tournament high 18 rebounds in the bronze medal clash against Rowville Secondary College.
9. Sharni Reisinger (Brisbane State High)
The tournament’s best shooter from beyond the arc, Reisinger can also lay claim to arguably the most important steal of the week. Reisinger’s quick thinking steal and pass to Alleah Hanson gifted Brisbane a second straight title and placed her into the history books. The young star finished with a 41.67 per cent three point shooting percentage, making 10-24 from beyond the arc, while she also finished at 50 per cent from the field.
10. Maya Hart (Lake Ginninderra)
Lake Ginninderra’s three point scoring machine, Hart gave her all on the Gold Coast. Finishing with 18 made three pointers, Hart produced her best when it mattered most. Three straight 16 point games aided the Lakers finals charge that ended in a bronze medal win. Averaged 14 points and 1.3 assists per game while also finishing with a 71 per cent free throw percentage.
MEN
1. Alex Dickeson (Lake Ginninderra)
The crafty point guard had a sensational all-round tournament as he spearheaded Lake Ginninderra’s run to the gold medal. With four triple-doubles in six games, there was little anyone could do to stop him as he averaged an amazing 22.83 points, 10 assists and 15.17 rebounds per game. Dickeson’s mid-range pull-up jumper was a joy to behold as he took over in the final days with 43 points in the semi-final and 28 in the final. Countless stars of Australian basketball have gone through the Lake Ginninderra system but few have taken over and caught the eye quite like Dickeson did on the Gold Coast. He has all the fundamentals to become a genuine star in the making.
2. Deng Manyang (Trinity College)
Manyang was a man on a mission as he dominated inside the paint and beyond the arc. Although he couldn’t complete his goal of claiming revenge for last year after picking up the silver medal, Manyang still made his mark. The versatile weapon was a machine on offence as he averaged 28 points and 12.4 rebounds per game. Along with making countless highlight plays at the rim, there was no one more reliable from deep as shot at a tournament-high 47.62 per cent.
3. Ashley McGrath (The Southport School)
An elite two-way talent who had to take on more than most with the hometown heroes battling injuries throughout the competition. McGrath was an inspirational leader who led the competition in scoring with 28.67 points per game. The guard’s best game of the tournament came against the Lakers in the semi-final where he scored 41 points while battling against Dickeson on defence. His impressive leadership in a depleted back-court helped the Gold Coast side take home the bronze medal.
4. Kayden Gordon (Templestowe College)
Gordon spearheaded Templestowe’s stunning run to fourth place and was pure heart at both ends of the floor. Templestowe entered the tournament as underdogs and Gordon embraced that mentality as he constantly played with a chip on his shoulder and was out to prove doubters wrong. In defence, he never gave his opponents an inch and made a competition-high 20 steals. At the other end, Gordon was a perennial threat as he averaged an impressive 19.17 points per game.
5. Ajak Nyuon (Lake Ginninderra)
The Lakers had their very own Kobe-Shaq duo with Nyuon providing the perfect partner in crime for Alex Dickeson. Nyuon dominated the paint with stunning dunks and emphatic rejections. The Lakers big man led the competition in blocks with 15 while averaged an impressive 20.5 points and 7.17 rebounds per game. After a solid tournament, Nyuonstepped up with an amazing performance in the gold medal match where he picked up 35 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and three blocks.
6. Austin Foxwell (Rowville)
The younger brother of stars Owen and Joel, Austin proved he has the skill and class to follow in the footsteps of his older brothers. Foxwell was a floor general who was a weapon on the offensive end. The young guard averaged more than 25 points per game while also making handy contributions as a facilitator as he averaged 5.4 assists per game. He brought plenty of energy and was not afraid to have the ball in his hands when the pressure was on.
7. Mack Schaftenaar (Trinity College)
Few players were as consistently dominant on offence like Schaftenaar. Combining with Deng Manyang, Schaftenaar was near unstoppable whenever he touched the ball. He made an impressive 19 three-pointers at 46.34 per cent and went off against Rowville when he scored 36 points in their narrow pool stage defeat. He ended the campaign third in points per game with 27.6.
8. Bailey Macarthur (Trinity Grammar)
Macarthur was a shining light for Trinity Grammar and a model of consistency. He averaged 25.2 points per game and impressively, scored at least 20 points in all five clashes. Macarthur left it all on the floor in his final match of the campaign as he recorded a 30-point, 14-rebound double-double.
9. Riley Oberman (The Southport School)
Oberman was resilience personified and a menace in the paint. The centre rose to the occasion of playing at the national level and was a rebounding machine with 12 boards per game. Oberman challenged interior defences all week with his greatest performance in the quarter-final win over Trinity Grammar. The big man recorded a monster 27-point, 23-rebound double-double and was three assists off an unforgettable triple-double. He made just five of 22 free throws in the contest but continued to battle on and his physicality at the rim was a key reason why multiple players fouled out of the contest.
10. Ryder Pokoina (Willetton)
Pokoina led Willetton’s charge to an unlikely grand final berth and shot the lights out from deep. The wild Western Australian shooter ended the week with 14 threes at 45.61 per cent and amazingly shot a perfect 10 from 10 from three-point range across his games against Trinity Grammar and Rowville. He was one of Willetton’s main offensive outlets as he averaged a solid 17.17 points per game
Originally published as Top 20 players ranked from 2025 Basketball Australia Schools Championships
