Basketball NSW has concluded a successful week at the 2026 Foot Locker U18 & National Junior Wheelchair National Championships, held from Sunday 12 April to Sunday 19 April in Brisbane, Queensland.
Across eight days of competition, five NSW teams; U18 Metro Boys, U18 Metro Girls, U18 Country Boys, U18 Country Girls and the NSW Junior Wheelchair team competed against the best talent from across Australia.
The U18 Metro Boys led the way, advancing to the Gold Medal game following a strong semi-final performance. The team finished with Silver after going down to Victoria Metro in the Grand Final.
The U18 Metro Girls also progressed deep into the tournament, competing in the Bronze Medal game to finish 4th overall after a consistent week.
The NSW Junior Wheelchair team built strongly across the championships, improving with each outing and securing a place in the Bronze Medal game. They finished the tournament on a high, defeating Queensland 54–35 to claim Bronze.
The U18 Country Girls finished 7th, closing out their campaign with a win, while the U18 Country Boys placed 8th overall.
Final Standings:
- U18 Metro Boys – 2nd
- NSW Junior Wheelchair – 3rd
- U18 Metro Girls – 4th
- U18 Country Girls – 7th
- U18 Country Boys – 8th
Basketball NSW was also strongly represented by its technical officials across the tournament, with appointments spanning refereeing, scoretable and statistics roles.
U18 Championships – Technical Officials:
- Jake Jennings (Northern Suburbs Basketball Association)
- Emily Plaza (Newcastle Basketball Association)
- Lachlan Nicholas (Bankstown Basketball Association)
- Maddi Suprain (Newcastle Basketball Association)
- Rylee Bowles (Goulburn Basketball Association)
- Referee Coach: Lachy Power (Hills Basketball Association)
Junior Wheelchair Championships – Technical Officials:
- Alexander Palmer (Hills Basketball Association)
- Referee Coach: Helen Rosenberg (Sydney City Basketball Association)
Scoretable & Statistician Appointments:
- Rachael Benton-Doyle (Newcastle Basketball Association)
- Teresa Ruscoe (Northern Suburbs Basketball Association)
Several NSW officials were recognised for their performances across the week, earning appointments to medal games, including Jake Jennings (U18 Men’s Gold Medal), Lachlan Nicholas (U18 Girl’s Gold Medal), Maddi Suprain (U18 Boy’s Bronze Medal), Alexander Palmer (NJWC Gold Medal), along with Sarah Plunkett, Teresa Ruscoe and Rachael Benton-Doyle across scoretable and calling roles. These appointments highlight the strength and depth of NSW officials on the national stage.
The championships once again showcased the depth of talent within New South Wales, with strong performances across Metro and Country programs, alongside continued growth within the Wheelchair Performance Pathway.
Basketball NSW congratulates all athletes, coaches, team managers and technical officials on their efforts throughout the tournament.
