Seven Victorians have been selected for Australian Under-17 Women’s and Men’s teams for the 2022 FIBA Asian Championships and FIBA World Cup tournaments.
For the first time since the pandemic began in 2020, the Australian junior teams will represent our country, with our teams set to head across to Jordan (women) and Qatar (men) for the Asian Championships in June. From there we for a chance to battle the rest of the world at the FIBA Under-17 World Cups in Hungary and Spain respectively.
Representing Australia in the Under-17 Women’s team will be Victorian representatives Tabitha Betson and Sienna Harvey and as well as VNPP scholarship holder Sarah Portlock.
Betson was the captain of the Victoria Metropolitan Under-18 Women who won gold in the Australian Junior Championships, held last month in Ballarat. Harvey was a stellar contributor in the Victoria Country Under-18 Women’s team across the tournament while Portlock was named a Victoria Metropolitan emergency for the event and is part of our High Performance pathway.
Our Victoria Metropolitan quartet of Kristian Ferronato, Tristan Devers, Carlin Briggs and Austin Rapp will represent the Australian Under-17 Men’s team, with the four players proving important in the side’s recent Australian Junior Championships silver medal campaign in Ballarat.
Basketball Victoria staff member Zoe Carr has been named as a Sapphires assistant coach while former BV staff member Justin Schueller will coach the Crocs.
The Sapphires will head to the FIBA Under-16 Asian Championships in Jordan from 24-30 June with the FIBA Under-17 World Cup to be held in Debrecen, Hungary from 9-17 July.
The Crocs will square up in the FIBA Under-16 Asian Championships from 12-19 June to earn a chance at the FIBA Under-17 World Cup to be held in Malaga, Spain from 2-10 July.
AUSTRALIAN UNDER-17 WOMEN – FINAL SQUAD
Saffron Shiels - NSW
Lulu Twidale - QLD
SIENNA HARVEY - VIC
Rubi Gray - TAS
Monique Bobongie - QLD
Jayda Clark - WA
Olivia Bradley - SA
Summah Hanson - QLD
TABITHA BETSON - VIC
Isla Juffermans - NSW
Jess Petrie - QLD
SARAH PORTLOCK - VIC
AUSTRALIAN UNDER-17 WOMEN - COACHING STAFF
Head Coach: Tracy York – SA
ASSISTANT COACH ZOE CARR – VIC
Assistant Coach: Kayelee Stuart - SA
AUSTRALIAN UNDER-17 MEN – FINAL SQUAD
Josh Dent - NSW
KRISTIAN FERRONATO - VIC
TRISTAN DEVERS - VIC
Lachlan Brewer - TAS
CARLIN BRIGGS - VIC
Joshua Hughes - QLD
Roman Siulepa - QLD
James O’Donnell - NSW
Rocco Zikarsky - QLD
AUSTIN RAPP - VIC
Jacob Furphy - TAS
Kye Savage - TAS
AUSTRALIAN UNDER-17 MEN - COACHING STAFF
HEAD COACH: JUSTIN SCHUELLER – VIC
Assistant Coach: Greg Vanderjagt – QLD
Assistant Coach: TBC