ALTHOUGH the result fell the other way, Sitaya Fagan was excellent for the Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence (BA CoE) in their NBL1 East Women’s 2025 opener against the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles over the weekend.

The two sides opened their accounts for the 2025 fixture at the AIS on Saturday afternoon, with the CoE again delivering a new batch of youngsters that will test themselves against fully developed rosters in one of the most successful programs in Australian basketball.

One of those players is Fagan, who already brings international experience at just 16 years of age, having represented Australia with the Sapphires at the FIBA U16 Asia Cup, where she and her teammates brought home the gold.

Fagan now looms as a key figure for the CoE having demonstrated a bright future throughout her junior career, and displayed that in her first game at NBL1 level on Saturday despite the loss.

Although within four points at the final change, the team of youngsters were restricted to just eight points in the fourth quarter and outscored by 11 as the Sea Eagles stormed home to a 15-point win on the road.

Fagan was the shining light for the CoE, posting a hefty double-double and proving a reliable source of scoring for the young team.

The forward was reasonably quiet to start the match, with her sole basket in the first quarter coming in the form of a driving layup in the first minute of the game. Fagan did get involved on the defensive end, closing out Alex Delaney‘s three point attempt and blocking the shot, but the CoE still trailed by seven points at the first break.

The home side trailed by as much as 13 points in the second term, but when Fagan really began to insert herself on the offensive end, the CoE began to have belief. She began to physically assert herself in the low block and the opposition could not contain her, giving away fouls and sending the 16-year-old to the free throw line, where she showed composure.

A highlight came in the form of an and-one from a layup, with Fagan finishing through contact and heading to the charity stripe, where she converted truly. It was a demonstration of the class and strength Fagan possesses, and how hard she is to contain when she shows aggression with ball in hand.

Despite Fagan’s 11 points in the quarter, her side trailed by 10 at half time, but it could have been a lot worse if not for her efforts on the scoring front.

She tried to keep up her productivity in the third quarter, but the shots slowed up as the defensive attention increased. However, her teammates did lift to close the deficit, and Fagan still popped up for some crucial makes, including her first three-pointer of the match, which showcased her ability to stretch the floor.

It proved to be a quiet finish to the match for both Fagan and the CoE, but her performance was still the biggest positive for the match. She finished the contest with 20 points and 10 rebounds as well as three blocks on 7/14 shooting from the field in a bright start to her career.