WITH the NBL1 season all wrapped up, NSW basketball fans’ attention now turns to the Youth and Waratah League finals.

The semi-finals are due to be held on Saturday, followed by Grand Finals on Sunday with all games being hosted at either Sutherland Basketball Stadium or Bankstown Basketball Stadium.

In this article, Rookie Me Central will run you through the finals teams of the Youth League competition, how these teams managed to get this far and highlighting their top players. There is plenty of NBL1 talent lining up in these squads as well match up that are near impossible to predict. 

Waratah Youth League Men

Saturday Semi Final @ Bankstown Basketball Stadium

1:30pm – Maitland Mustangs vs. Manly Warringah Sea Eagles

3:30pm – Hill Hornets vs. Central Coast Crusaders

Sunday Grand Final @ Sutherland Basketball Stadium

3:30pm – TBC vs. TBC

Maitland Mustangs

After falling to Penrith in last year’s Youth League Grand Final and recently losing in the NBL1 East Grand Final, Maitland is out for redemption. Led by Coach of the Year Callum Wade, the Mustangs are stacked with NBL1 talent and have proved themselves as serious title contenders.

They topped the table this year with a 19-3 record which allowed them to advance automatically to the semi final. Their hyper talent line up includes last year’s MVP, Billy Parsons, a seriously strong, dynamic forward who can handle the ball, shoot, rebound and defend every position. Parsons recently dropped 15 points, including two clutch threes, in the Mustangs narrow NBL1 East Grand Final loss and was named to the All Star 5 after averaging 19 points in Youth League.

Small Forward Luka Vea is another top class player who started the majority of the NBL1 season, serving as a defensive clamp and glue guy. Other NBL1 talent on this squad include Will Mortimore, sharp shooter James Beavis and Harley Kent; who averages 15ppg this season in Youth League.

Considering they have held the majority of last year’s Grand Final season, the Mustangs should feel confident about their chances. It’s also quite rare to see so many NBL1 players in a Youth squad, especially those with Grand Final experience. 

Manly Warringah Sea Eagles

Coming off the Youth League Division 2 Championship last season, Manly has continued to rise in 2023. Last week, it won a 2 point overtime Elimination Final over Norths, 87-89.

Guard Liam Doughty led the way with an incredible 28 points with his back court partner Jake Hyman dropping 23. Surprisingly neither player features in the Sea Eagles’ NBL1 squad, yet this may explain the chemistry and buy-in evident on court.

A player who does feature in both squads, Jock McHugh also stepped up with 19 points and is a force to be reckoned with on the inside while having a very solid jump shot.

All three of these players featured in Manly’s Youth League 2 Championship last season, which will give them a quiet confidence they can take it to the next level this season. Keep an eye out for Manly’s bigs Tasman Parnell and Ben Jerome, who hit the game tying three last week. Both led scoring for the Sea Eagles in their last match up with the Mustangs. 

Hills Hornets

Hills was unlucky not to top the table this season after tying with Maitland on a 19-3 record, but ending up second on points differential. The Hornets’ success this season was thanks to strong roster depth, full of quality players, spearheaded by sharp shooter Jaret Wilson. The All Star Five member led the league with 73 threes this season including 7 against the Crusaders.

Joining Wilson in the All Star Five is Sydney Uni and NBL1 talent Mitch Smith. The strong small forward who averages 19 points and will definitely be one to watch. His running mate Jamie Munro has also features in Hills’ NBL1 squad while tearing up Youth League with 17 points. Joe Patmore plays significant NBL1 minutes, but has only featured in nine Youth League games this season. If he suits up for Hills, its championship stock will be very high.

Central Coast Crusaders

In last week’s elimination final, the Crusaders took care of the Sydney Comets to advance through to the semi’s. Leading the way was their potential MVP candidate Alex Bailey, who popped off for 27 points. Bailey is an instant bucket, averaging 22 points this season and was second in the league in three pointers made with 66. All of this while featuring as the sixth man for the Cru’s NBL1 squad.

Another NBL1 talent Jamaal Shoiab was also named in the league All Star Five after the do it all wing averaged 14 points. Rounding out their talented perimeter firepower is Defensive Player of the Year is Isaac Wooler. He is also a deadly slasher who interestingly dropped 16 points in the last match up with Sydney Comets. If all three of these players can go off at the same time, the Cru are almost unstoppable. 

Waratah Youth League Women

Saturday Semi Finals @ Sutherland Basketball Stadium

9:00am – Norths Bears vs Central Coast Crusaders

9:30am – Manly Warringah Sea Eagles vs Sydney Comets

Sunday Grand Final @ Sutherland Basketball Stadium

9:30am

Manly Warringah Sea Eagles

Manly is enjoying a sensational season, winning the minor premiership in both Youth League and NBL1. Boasting a superb 17–3 record, the Sea Eagles have a seriously stacked line up.

They are led by Fliss Henderson, who was recently nominated for NBL1 Youth Player of the Year and is a jack of all trades from playmaking to driving and shooting. Sharpshooter Sari Mowbray has led the way with scoring this year averaging 22 points and was recently named in the All Star Five.

Meanwhile, Ella Gale won Rookie of the Year and has cashed in an incredible 100 threes this season for 20 points. This is before we even get to last year’s Youth League MVP and current Defensive Player of the Year in Zoey Miller. Miller is an electric point guard with a plethora of finishing moves, a solid jumper, lighting speed on both ends and great court vision. Chloe Dix also has NBL1 experience and has anchored the paint all season.

Manly is the defending champions with most of its key players still in the squad. Any team that wants to win this years title will most likely have to go through the Sea Eagles. 

Sydney Comets

Sydney Comets only finished three wins behind Manly on the table but struggled in their match ups with Sea Eagles earlier this year, going down by 35 last time they met. Despite this, the Comets cannot be overlooked due to their talent.

They are led by All Star Five center Eleanor Pinkerton who is a serious paint presence defensively while boasting an array of finishing moves. Point guard Hannah Griffin joined the club from Maitland this season, impressing immediately by averaging 23 points, including 27 last time out against Manly. Griffin, Mikaeyla Minshall and Sarah Wachar all featured heavily in the Comets’ debut NBL1 season. Minshall is a deadly shooter who averages 23 points while Wacher is a real jack of all trades and a master of defence. 

Norths Bears

Norths has been on fire recently, taking out the NBL1 East title and making the NBL1 Nationals Grand Final. Many Youth League players from that squad played serious roles in this success including Carla Pitman, Emma Donnelly, Holly Wills, Caitlyn Martin and Peggy Schell.

Pitman was a nominee for NBL1 Youth Player of the Year and was a crucial part of the Bears’ finals run, averaging 13 points in both competitions.

In her debut season, Sydney Flames Development player Donnelly has been a sharpshooting power forward and was named in the All Star Five after leading Youth League in scoring this year with 25 points.

Martin and Wills were also new signings for Norths with both providing serious defensive presence with Wills previously winning Youth DPOY. Martin’s shooting and play making is also on point. Norths is right up there with Manly in terms of chemistry and talent.

Central Coast Crusaders

Led by Coach of the Year Losalini Bulikalouru Katia, the Cru have a very well-rounded team. Bronte Moore has lead the way scoring wise, alongside fellow NBL1 talent Sam McCubbin who is averaging 11 points. Holding down the paint is a star on the rise in six-foot-three talent Kasey Quigley. The center is piercing together a dangerous offence game to go with her great defence.

All three of these players featured in NBL1 off the bench for the Cru, under coach Mikko Von Luedens, who is renowned for youth development. The Crusaders are a strong unit with plenty of depth, giving coach Katia a lot of versatility to match the Bears. Although they went down to Norths in their two match ups this season, one of those was only by 2twopoints.