Basketball Australia has announced the Australian Rollers team for the upcoming Asia Oceania Championships (AOZ) to be held in Thailand from the 9th – 21st of January, 2024.
The twelve-man team is a mix of youth and experience the Rollers will be led by experienced campaigners and Rollers mainstays Samuel White, Jannik Blair, Bill Latham and Tom O’Neill-Thorne with five-time Paralympic medalists and dual World Champions, Tristan Knowles and Shaun Norris again on board.
Congratulations to the three NSW athletes selected for the Rollers’ team:
- Tristan Knowles – Illawarra
- Luke Pople – Illawarra
- Shawn Russell – Illawarra
The Rollers have never lost a AOZ tournament and Coach Brad Ness says that is the main goal for the upcoming tournament.
“We are going there to win, we’ve never lost at the AOZ and we want to keep that run going.” Ness said.
“It also will give us a direct entry into the Paris Olympics and helps give us the best preparation in the lead up to Paris.”
Ness says the squad has been picked to help play in the Rollers new system.
“We’ve changed the dynamic a little, players have been selected on the basis of playing our new game style.”
We are trying to get up and down the court and trying to bring some internal competition into the group to help lift the intensity.”
Eithen Leard, Frank Pinder and Shawn Russell will again represent the Rollers after making their debuts at the World Championships earlier this year.
After a successful 3×3 2022 Commonwealth Games Luke Pople, has returned to the team, Thomas McHugh who performed well overseas and on the most recent tour of Italy steps up into the senior program with 2020 Paralympic squad member Phil Evans rounding out the team.
The full squad is listed below:
| PLAYER | IWBF CLASS/PROPOSED CLASS |
| Samuel White | 1 |
| Frank Pinder | 1 |
| Eithen Leard | 2 |
| Bill Latham | 4 |
| Shaun Norris | 3 |
| Tristan Knowles | 4 |
| Jannik Blair | 1 |
| Tom O’Neill-Thorne | 3 |
| Luke Pople | 2.5 |
| Shawn Russell | 4 |
| Thomas McHugh | 4.5 |
| Phil Evans | 2 |
Basketball NSW wishes the Rollers the best of luck at the upcoming tournaments!
To read more, click HERE.