The next generation of Australian basketball will be on show at the Under-20 & Ivor Burge Foot Locker National Championships in Ballarat for six days from Tuesday, January 28.
KommunityTV will exclusively live stream every match of the tournament and ahead of the action, Michael Randall has taken a look at the top men's and women's talents set to take the court.
Dash Daniels (Victoria)
Just-turned 17 last month, Dash Daniels is the youngest player in the tournament but needs no introduction as one of the highest-rated Australian junior basketball prospects ever. Newly-minted as a prestigious NBL Next Star with Melbourne United, the brother of emergent Boomers and NBA star Dyson Daniels has been earmarked for greatness — and is on a fast-track to the NBA. Has the maturity, ability and body to absolutely dominate in Ballarat, coming off a month squaring off with Matthew Dellavedova and Shea Ili at United. A two-way guard who will be the Vics’ organiser and orchestrator at both ends of the floor. MVP is his for the taking.
Jacob Furphy (Tasmania)
Look up leadership in the dictionary and there’s a chance you’ll find a pic of this kid. He’s a damn fine basketballer, too, with an all-court game and fundamentals many veteran ballers would be jealous of. Radiates a bit of an aura that makes his teammates walk taller when he is on the floor. The confidence is built on a methodical all-court game that allows him to play just about any position on the floor. Committed to powerhouse college U-Conn, Furphy led last year’s U20s in assists at 5.86 per game and was fifth in scoring at 20 per.
Prasayus Notoa (Queensland)
Led last year’s U18 tournament with a gaudy 7.88 assists per game, Notoa is a certified dime-dropper. Teammates adore her for her ability to find them with pinpoint passes and superior understanding of offensive schemes, Notoa and teammate Teyahna Bond will form a young, but incredibly talented back court in maroon. Notoa’s imposing build makes her a tough ask for smaller guards to cope with at both ends of the floor, and she knows how to use her powerful frame and strength to its full potential.
Jade Crook (New South Wales)
Could Crook one day take the mantle of Australia’s greatest basketballer? It’s a big early call, but the synergies between the towering Crook and our GOAT, Lauren Jackson, are telling. Crook is 192cm at 17, Jackson was 196cm, both hail from the country NSW border town of Albury and both were physical specimens with elite skill and big raps on their future. A regular wearer of the green and gold at junior level, Crook was named in the All-Star Five at last year’s Basketball Without Borders Asia Camp and is set to form a formidable combination with Jessie-May Hall and Ruby Perkins in a team that is among the tournament’s favourites.
Patrick D'Arcy (South Australia)
Adelaide 36ers development player who is quite simply a flat out scorer. An elite wing shooter who might just be the best in the country at his age, D’Arcy led the entire 2024 tournament in three-point makes with 22 at a ridiculous 40 per cent clip. Reads the game a step ahead of most players, allowing him to play the passing lanes, pick off passes and get out in transition. Opens up the floor for teammates with his elite shooting and plays with a real underdog mentality after facing the disappointment of being cut multiple times in his early efforts to make nationals squads.
Kiara Waite (Western Australia)
Long and strong 190cm tall who has carved out a role in Ryan Petrik’s second-placed Perth Lynx WNBL juggernaut. Expect Waite to make hay in the paint — and from deep — as she steps back down to junior level. Possesses a mature mind and body beyond her tender years — so much so that Lynx coach Ryan Petrik thought she was much older than a teenager when he first saw her play.
Ajak Nyuon (Australian Capital Territory)
There’s athletes and then there’s Ajak Nyoun. The 209cm tower might be the most-gifted athlete in the entire tournament, his remarkable speed and dexterity belying the height and giving him the ability to completely dominate a game at the defensive end. Can guard every position because he’s too quick for the bigger units and too long for the smaller brigade. A walking highlight reel and ACT’s best hope of taking one of the big dogs down.
Sienna Harvey (Victoria)
If Bonnie Deas was the MVP of last year’s tournament, Harvey might have been runner-up if they gave out that award, such was the impact of her 16 points at nearly 60 per cent from the field on a team that went all the way to gold. With Deas out, it’s Harvey Time! The Wodonga product appears ambidextrous on the basketball court, adept with both left and right hands, her handle has improved out of sight and she was already a super tough finisher in the lane — and through contact — a great passer and someone whose workrate puts others in the shade. The 179cm guard out of the Centre of Excellence has signed with Melbourne Tigers in NBL1 South. After committing to the University of Washington, the just-turned 19-year-old is set to go out with a bang.
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