The next crop of Australian basketball talent has emerged as gold medallists at the FIBA U18 Asia Cup in India, with the Emus claiming the nation’s third consecutive title since debuting at the tournament in 2018.
Watch the biggest Aussie sports & the best from overseas LIVE on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.
Held in India from August 13-23, the tournament brought together 16 of Asia’s best junior basketball nations, with Australia beginning its campaign in Group A alongside Thailand, Chinese Taipei and the Philippines.
Roster reveal: Boomers’ World Cup mission resumes as roster revealed for next qualifying test
The event marked the Emus’ third appearance at the competition since making their debut in 2018, with the 2020 edition cancelled due to Covid and withdrawing from the 2022 tournament due to the war in Iran.
In three appearances, Australia now has three gold medals.
The Emus also had their star duo recognised among the best players of the tournament, with Jai Fa’ale and Yahya Basaran both named to the All-Star Five alongside New Zealand’s Jackson Ball, China’s Yizhaojie Zhang and Korean guard Jihoon Yoon.
Fa’ale led Australia in scoring across six games, averaging 17.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.0 steals while shooting 44.3% from the field and 35% from deep.
He finished seventh in scoring across the entire tournament despite playing just 22.5 minutes per game.
Then there was 7’0 big man Yahya Basaran, who dominated throughout the tournament fresh off helping Australia win bronze at the FIBA U17 World Cup last month.
Basaran was not only named to the All-Star Five, but walked away with tournament MVP honours after a dominant six-game campaign.
In just 23 minutes per game, he averaged 15.7 points, 10.7 rebounds and 2.8 blocks, recording three double-doubles while shooting an incredible 63.5% from the field.
Alongside Fa’ale, Basaran is quickly establishing himself as one of the best up-and-coming prospects in Australian basketball.
But Australia’s success went well beyond its two award winners, with another crop of emerging talent making their mark throughout the tournament in India.
Bailey Hanson
One of Australia’s most impressive players throughout the tournament, the NBL1 North guard from the Norths Bears established himself as one of the competition’s best passers.
Hanson finished fourth in assists across the tournament at 7.2 per game, while also averaging 10.2 points and 4.5 rebounds.
John Aryang
An incredibly gifted athlete who, like Basaran, featured at the FIBA U17 World Cup last month.
Coming off the bench, Aryang averaged 8.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.3 blocks in just 16.9 minutes per game.
He also produced one of Australia’s best highlights of the tournament with a huge chasedown block, although it was ultimately ruled a jump ball, with Chinese forward Chunzi Zhang sustaining a nasty fall in the process.
Nasty fall rocks Chinese guard | 00:31
Harry Cook
The 6’9, 18-year-old from the Centre of Excellence put together a big tournament, showcasing himself as another emerging prospect to watch.
An impressive rebounder, Cook was Australia’s second-best offensive rebounder throughout the tournament, averaging 7.8 points and 7.5 rebounds, including 4.0 offensive boards per game, while shooting 67.9% from the field.
Will Hamilton
Emus captain Will Hamilton, fresh off winning bronze at the FIBA U17 World Cup, used his footy physique to bully his way into the paint throughout the tournament.
Hamilton averaged 9.2 points and 7.2 rebounds while shooting 45.7% from the field, while also showing his ability to stretch the floor by connecting on 36.0% of his threes on 4.2 attempts per game.
He can now add an Asian Cup gold medal to an already impressive year.
The remainder of Australia’s roster also played a vital role throughout the tournament, with Riak Akhuar, Curtis Evic, Josh McCann, Antonio Browne and Isaac Riddle all contributing to the Emus’ gold-medal campaign.
The road to gold
Australia flew through the group stage, cracking the 100-point mark in all three games to punch its ticket directly to the quarter-finals.
The Emus opened with a 102-32 demolition of Thailand before defeating the Philippines 107-69 and Chinese Taipei 110-58, finishing the group stage with an average winning margin of 53.3 points.
After cruising through Group A, Australia was paired against Iran in the quarter-finals.
A dominant 33-15 opening quarter saw the Emus take control early and never look back, eventually securing a 90-69 victory behind 21 points and nine rebounds from Basaran.
That booked Australia a semi-final meeting with Korea, where the opening half proved a much tougher battle.
But the Emus blew the game open after the main break, outscoring Korea 65-41 in the second half to run away with a 111-74 victory and book their place in a third consecutive gold-medal game.
Standing between Australia and another title was China, historically the most successful nation in the competition since its inauguration in 1970.
Across 23 appearances, China has won 11 gold medals, seven silver and five bronze, establishing itself as the dominant force in the tournament’s history.
Australia, meanwhile, only joined the competition in 2018, but entered the final with an opportunity to make it three gold medals from three appearances.
The Emus came out firing with a 26-18 opening quarter before China responded, winning the second period 24-18 to close the gap.
Things then got heated late in the second quarter.
Basaran was knocked down on a play before accidentally making contact with Chinese forward Chunzhi Zhang. Zhang took exception, walking over Basaran while he was on the floor and making contact with his head with his knee.
Zhang was assessed an unsportsmanlike foul before Basaran made both free throws, giving Australia a 44-42 advantage heading into halftime.
Tensions flare in FIBA U18 finals | 00:32
FIBA Women’s World Cup: Opals unveil final 12-player squad for FIBA Women’s World Cup campaign in Germany
From there, the back and forth battle continued.
Both sides traded big shots, with Fa’ale exploding for eight points in the space of a minute, including back-to-back threes and a four-point play, helping fuel Australia’s push into the fourth quarter.
China was led by All-Star Five member Yizhaojie Zhang, who finished with 20 points, but it wasn’t enough.
Australia eventually pulled away to secure the gold medal with an 89-79 victory, completing another undefeated FIBA U18 Asia Cup campaign.
It marks another positive step for the future of Australian basketball, with every member of the gold-medal-winning squad playing a role throughout the tournament.
There is still plenty of development ahead for this group, but if their current trajectory continues, it would be no surprise to see some of these names wearing a senior Boomers jersey in the years to come.
For now, the Emus can celebrate another gold medal, with Australia continuing to establish itself as the team to beat at the junior level in Asia.