Aussies announce final teams for Oceania Championships

FOLLOWING a week of training at the Australian Institute of Sport, the final teams have been announced for Australia’s men’s and women’s teams that will be competing at the 2025 FIBA Under-17 Oceania Championships.
The tournament will be held from December 8-13 in Samoa, and will see the best sides from the continent lock horns in an exciting display of some of the young talent emerging from Oceania in the coming years.
Fresh off both the men’s and women’s teams emerging with gold medals from the recent FIBA Under-16 Asia Cup, the Aussies will head into the tournament with plenty of star power under their belt, and will be the favourites in both competitions.
There is no one more exciting on the Men’s Crocs roster than Luke Paul, who has been flagged as a future star of the competition following a breakout campaign at the Asia Cup, which included some massive performances.
A point guard of the mould similar to Joshua Giddey, Paul will be donning the green and gold for years to come, and will be a key piece of Australia’s international teams in the future. If he can replicate his efforts from his most recent campaign with the Crocs, it will be hard to see him not named tournament MVP once again.
For the Women’s Sapphires team, Sandringham Sabres star Madison Ryan will also play a crucial role in the tournament, fresh off a strong campaign in Malaysia. She dropped 15 points in the gold medal match and was one of the most consistent performers for Australia, and should be among the heavy hitters in Samoa.
Another one to watch for the Sapphires is Sitaya Fagan, with the Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence star set to be one of the central figures in the frontcourt. Having dominated at NBL1 level, Fagan is primed for a big week with the Aussies and could break onto the international scene if she can score and rebound.
The Oceania Championship is the first tournament in the 2027 FIBA World Cup qualifying pathway, with the athletes participating in this year’s competition set to progress to Australia’s under-19 teams in the Emus and the Gems.
Australian Crocs Under-17 Men’s team
Wieu Atuer | WA |
Guer Bar | VIC |
Yahya Basaran | VIC |
Harry Cook | QLD |
Jai Fa’ale | VIC |
William Hamilton | VIC |
Bailey Hanson | NSW |
Billy McRae | WA |
Koby Moir | SA |
Luke Paul | WA |
Austin Prosser | NSW |
Isaac Riddle | SA |
Australian Sapphires Under-17 Women’s team
Reece Anticevic | WA |
Eliza Ashby | VIC |
Cheyenne Bobongie | QLD |
Taryn Bond | QLD |
Aspen Crase | SA |
Rebecca Donnelly | NSW |
Sitaya Fagan | VIC |
Jemyma Manyok | QLD |
Olivia Olechnowicz | QLD |
Madison Ryan | VIC |
Andie Smith | TAS |
Isabel Smith | QLD |