A MARVELLOUS shooting performance from Nash Walker has delivered Tasmania a crucial victory over New South Wales at the 2025 Under-20 Men’s Basketball National Championships on Thursday night.

Coming into the clash, Tassie was looking to lock in a quarter finals spot, having produced gutsy performances throughout the tournament. With Jacob Furphy leading the way in every match, the team certainly had the potential to go deep into the finals. However, given how dominant Furphy had been, an overreliance on the young gun could prove costly against quality opponents.

It was a close start to the match, with Tasmania coming out of the first term with a three-point lead, but both sides were nailing their chances from the field in a high-scoring 10 minutes of play. However, Tassie broke away in the second quarter, tightening things up on the defensive end by restricting New South Wales to just 14 points to lead by as much at the main change.

Tassie continued to be restrictive defensively in the second half, holding New South Wales to just 15 points in the third term and boosting its own lead out to 20 points to essentially put the game to bed. Although New South Wales put up much more of a fight in the final term, it was too little too late, with Tasmania cruising home to a 19-point triumph.

The performance of Walker was reflective of where the game is going, with his impact on the game defined by his presence from behind the arc. With the game much more centric on three-pointers and long range shots, the Tassie gun was able to show his value as a serious shooting weapon.

In the win over New South Wales, Walker poured in a game-high 28 points in 32 minutes of action, with the six-foot-four shooting guard at his best from behind the arc and punishing the opposition for giving him too much space.

All nine of his makes came from behind the three-point line, and he did it on an accurate 13 attempts (69 per cent) to truly leave his mark on a crucial contest. The talented shotmaker was electric and combined well with Furphy, who still had an impact with 21 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three blocks.

Walker is still only 17 years of age, but has been able to excel amongst older teammates and opponents, walking into his three-point shots with plenty of swagger and confidence, and will undoubtedly be among Australia’s international plans in the future. With college and the NBL Next Stars program a pair of viable options in the future, expect Walker to be a familiar name in the coming years.