Our four teams will head to Perth, Western Australia from 3-7 July 2021 for the championships, as they return to Warwick Stadium for the first time since 2017.
Our Victorian Under-16 teams excelled at the last Australian Junior Championships in 2019, with both Metropolitan teams winning gold while our Country Men (silver) and Country Women (bronze) also made the podium. While the last 12 months have been challenging for our state team athletes and staff, with the lockdowns and postponement of basketball across Victoria, these groups are ready to impress against the best junior talent in the country.
VICTORIA METROPOLITAN UNDER-16 WOMEN
The 2019 reigning champions, the Victoria Metropolitan Women, are back with 10 fresh faces ready to impress in the national arena. The roster spans eight associations across the state, including Victorian National Performance Program (VNPP) trio Isla Airey (Sandringham), Bonnie Deas (Frankston) and Georgia McBean (Hawthorn), with the latter starring in Hawthorn’s 2019 Australian Under-14 Club Championships triumph alongside teammate Erinn McAlary. McBean and Airey were also emergencies for last year’s Under-16 Metropolitan Women’s team.
For first-time state team head coach Jacqui O’Neill, this team is raring to go after missing most of 2020. The finalised line-up, and strength of the tryouts, also highlight the power of Victoria Metropolitan throughout the state.
“After a year off basketball, it is absolutely wonderful to be back and see all players back competing too,” O’Neill said. “To have the Australia Junior Championships back with the girls able to showcase their abilities at the highest level is especially exciting.
“All those that attended tryouts competed hard and the standard across the board was very high – it made our jobs really difficult and shows that the future of Victoria Metropolitan basketball is bright.
“The team will be quick in offence and disruptive in defence – the guards are great shooters aided by strong targets inside the paint.
“Coaching a state team is a tremendous opportunity and to be coaching a Victorian team is an honour.”
VICTORIA METROPOLITAN UNDER-16 WOMEN – TEAM LIST
Isla Airey (Sandringham)
Edie Clark (Melbourne)
Hannah Day (Kilsyth)
Bonnie Deas (Frankston)
Erinn McAlary (Hawthorn)
Georgia McBean (Hawthorn)
Victoria Meredith (Casey)
Sarah Portlock (Broadmeadows)
Madeline Potts (Nunawading)
Isabella Stewart (Melbourne)
EMERGENCIES
Josie Agnew (Melbourne)
Roseabella Asiata (Altona)
Annabelle Hartman (Hawthorn)
Emilia Markinovic (Melbourne)
Abbey Morris (Knox)
Ella Sutherland (Knox)
COACHING STAFF
HEAD COACH: Jacqui O’Neill (Sandringham)
ASSISTANT COACH: Michael Brookens (Bulleen)
ASSISTANT COACH: Rick Foley (Kilsyth)
DEVELOPMENT COACH: Peter Kotaridis (McKinnon)
TEAM MANAGER: Lisa Page
VICTORIA COUNTRY UNDER-16 MEN
Aiming to go one better than its silver medal finish at the 2019 Australian Junior Championships, the Victoria Country Under-16 Men features a power-packed line-up across the roster.
Highlighted by six VNPP scholarship holders including Jett Garnham (Wonthaggi), Ben Waller (Traralgon), Ned Renfree (Ballarat), who was also selected for the 2020 team, and Geelong United trio Nate Hargrave, Zac McInnes and Jesse Ombega, the Victoria Country Under-16 Men are ready for all challengers when they head to Perth in July.
Josh Waight after working with a number of Victoria Country teams over the years has been elevated to head coach for the first time and is keen to see what the Country Men can do following their 2020 sabbatical.
“It’s very exciting to have the Australian Junior Championships back this year as it is great to get all the best athletes in the country back on the court in one place to showcase their talents of on a national stage,” Waight said. “The standard of the tryouts was particular strong, which made the selection decisions really tough and meant some really talented players missed out.
“We feel as though we will be able to play at a really high tempo as we have some great athletes, which will allow us to play at the high tempo that we would like to play at.
“It is a great honour to represent my state at a nationals and I am really looking forward to the opportunity and hopefully I can represent our state and my home association proudly.”
VICTORIA COUNTRY UNDER-16 MEN – TEAM LIST
Dash Daniels (Bendigo)
Jett Garnham (Wonthaggi)
Brady Hall (Colac/Geelong United)
Nate Hargrave (Geelong United)
Brody Hull (Kilsyth)
Zac McInnes (Geelong United)
Jesse Ombega (Geelong United)
Wil Rantall (Warrnambool)
Ned Renfree (Ballarat)
Ben Waller (Traralgon)
EMERGENCIES
Jesse Brock (Seymour)
Tullan Chimyong (Dandenong)
Riley Morehu (Warragul)
Joel Robinson (Phillip Island)
Sa Vai (Melton)
Cooper York (Whittlesea)
COACHING STAFF
HEAD COACH: Josh Waight (Shepparton)
ASSISTANT COACH: Lucas Allen (Knox)
ASSISTANT COACH: Hayden Annett (Wallan)
DEVELOPMENT COACH: James McKinnon (Sandringham)
TEAM MANAGER: Ben White (Southern Peninsula)
VICTORIA METROPOLITAN UNDER-16 MEN
It’s been nearly two years since the Victoria Metropolitan Under-16 Men took to the court, but the side is ready to defend its hard-fought 2019 title when it heads to Perth in July.
Hawthorn tandem Jesse McIntosh and Phoenix Windsor have risen through the ranks together, with the pair starring at all levels along the way. They took the Magic to within a whisker of the 2019 Australian Under-14 Club Championships title before both earning 2020/2021 VNPP scholarships. The pair lead a cavalcade of elite Metropolitan players and for head coach Jack Fleming, the chance to coach such a versatile and talented team is an exciting prospect.
“The team offers a wide array of length and versatility across all positions, which will provide an exciting brand of basketball,” Fleming said. “I hope you’ll see a group of young men who are about each other, and are built on a tough, stubborn and gritty defence.
“For an extended time period off the floor in 2020, the standard of our tryouts was extremely competitive and made selecting this team very difficult – but it’s a great problem to have as a coach.
“There have been a lot of amazing people who have come before me, many who’ve had a profound impact on my life and it’s an honour to be a Victorian state head coach.”
VICTORIA METROPOLITAN UNDER-16 MEN – TEAM LIST
Harrison Beauchamp (Hawthorn)
Truman Byrne (Casey)
Luke Fennell (Dandenong)
Oscar Humble (Sandringham)
Jesse McIntosh (Hawthorn)
Landon Purcell (Dandenong)
Curtis Putney (Kilsyth)
Cedric Rault (Casey)
Jack Whitbourn (Melbourne)
Phoenix Windsor (Hawthorn)
EMERGENCIES
Ryan Baker (Dandenong)
Keyaan Bongso (Melbourne)
Ryder Cheesman (Hawthorn)
Jamie Gilchrist (Kilsyth)
Levi Iedema (Kilsyth)
Seb Van Den Brink (Casey)
COACHING STAFF
HEAD COACH: Jack Fleming (Hawthorn)
ASSISTANT COACH: Nick Mihai (Dandenong)
ASSISTANT COACH: Duncan Berg (Nunawading)
DEVELOPMENT COACH: Nathan Geer (McKinnon)
TEAM MANAGER: Paul Groat (Frankston)
VICTORIA COUNTRY UNDER-16 WOMEN
A perennial performer on the national stage, the Victoria Country Under-16 Women is out to return to the top of the podium in 2021 following its 2019 bronze medal winning performance in Darwin, Northern Territory.
VNPP duo Sienna Harvey (Geelong United) and Kyra Webb (Sale/Casey) are set to star at their debut national championships in a potent roster across the board. Both were selected for last year’s Under-16 Country Women’s team as bottom-age players, highlighting their skills across their junior journeys so far. For returning head coach Mat Holmes, 2021 is the chance to see the next generation of elite Victoria Country talent make their mark at the national level.
“It’s such a fantastic feeling to be planning for AJCs again – after the disappointment of missing out last year, it’s so enjoyable to be working towards a common goal with a great group of staff and players,” Holmes said. “The Victoria Country team has an abundance of fast, long athletic wings, some smart crafty guards and hardworking creative bigs.
“This will lend us to an up-tempo game style with plenty of heat of the rim.
“Our flexibility in line ups will be a strength, with a number of the players able to play multiple positions, so this group should be able to compete with any team we come across.
“Tryouts were intense this year – the teams were evenly matched; the players went extremely hard at each other, and we saw some exceptional high-level hoops.
“This inevitably led to exceedingly hard decisions in selection, with many talented players missing a spot.
“Although tough on the players and coaches, it’s a great indication that our program is working, and the athletes are committed to it.”
VICTORIA COUNTRY UNDER-16 WOMEN – TEAM LIST
Ally Beale (Sale)
Ash Centra (Sale)
Tayli Dimarco (Sale)
Sienna Harvey (Geelong United)
Hayley Letts (Melbourne)
Asha Nightingale (Traralgon)
Emily Scholtes (Traralgon)
Indy Schwarz (Geelong United)
Sophie Taylor (Warragul/Dandenong)
Kyra Webb (Sale/Casey)
EMERGENCIES
Lavinia Cox (Bendigo)
Indiana de Dios (Moe)
Isabella de Jong (Dandenong)
Grace Larkins (Southern Peninsula)
Elsie Noonan (Macedon Ranges/Hawthorn)
Mackenzie Reddrop (Melbourne)
COACHING STAFF
HEAD COACH: Mat Holmes (Korumburra)
ASSISTANT COACH: Gail Macfarlane (Traralgon)
ASSISTANT COACH: Jo Bowie (Geelong United)
DEVELOPMENT COACH: Simon Nicholson (Sunbury)
TEAM MANAGER: Lisa Chesshire (Terang)
