THE National Basketball League (NBL)1 season has wrapped for 2024, and the young guns were fit and firing again for Basketball Australia’s Centre of Excellence (CoE) team across the entire fixture in a promising sign for the future of the sport.

The CoE have been competing in the NBL1 East competition since its inception, putting together a lineup of the most exciting young prospects in Australian basketball. Playing against some of the best players in the nation that are in the prime of their respective careers, the season allows these young players to put their craft to the test at a high level.

The Men’s team was the success story of the 2024 season, booking fourth spot in the standings at fixture’s end courtesy of a record of 14 wins and six losses.

Despite suffering a loss to the Canberra Gunners in the first week of finals, having the double chance proved crucial for the CoE, bouncing back to advance to the preliminary final as they continued their charge towards the championship.

Unfortunately, they were defeated by the eventual champions in the Maitland Mustangs, but can still hold their heads high after an eye-catching campaign that highlighted the bright future of Men’s basketball in Australia.

There was plenty to like about the performance of James O’Donnell throughout the 2024 season. He averaged a double-double of 14.3 points and 11.1 rebounds per game, and was a constant threat on the glass, while maintaining strong inside scoring.

Meanwhile, Luke Fennell was the leading scorer for the team, with the 18-year-old guard averaging 15.3 points per game. He started the season like a house on fire with scoring performances of 26, 22 and 34 points, showing just how high his ceiling is in terms of offensive production.

The Women’s team was also rock solid throughout their 2024 campaign, recording 10 wins from 20 games. The CoE took some big scalps and given the high level of talent on the roster, were a chance of making a deep finals run.

However, they were victim to poor timing, with international duties calling away several of the team’s players, and they had to withdraw from the finals due to a lack of availability, which is always a risk for either the Men’s or the Women’s team. Regardless, it was still a positive campaign that showed some excellent talent emerging from the CoE.

One of the breakout stars of the entire competition was Monique Bobongie, who showed tremendous scoring ability throughout the team’s 2024 campaign. She averaged a whopping 19.8 points per game, and was one of the best offensive players in the entire NBL1 East. With the ability to score across all three levels, Bobongie was at her best when aggressive from behind the arc, and carried the team to victory on several occasions.

Bonnie Deas also impressed, translating her eye-catching junior career to NBL1 level and thriving with the CoE. She posted averages of 16.4 points and a team-high 8.6 rebounds per game, and was a constant presence when on the court with a powerful presence inside.