https://www.australia.basketball/get-involved/pathways/centre-of-excellence

Weedy, apart from Furphy, do you think there are any potential future Boomers in the boys?
If so, who do you think in that group?
Cheers

Nyuon, Vaughns imo.

Furphy (Connecticut) and Adair (Loyola) are leaving for college mid-year for the boys. I assume the rest of the list is staying until next year.

Marcus Vaughns is legit.

Offer from LSU and has also spent some time with Illawarra. Potential next star?

Vaughns being eyed up for a next star, had a hell of an outing recent NBA Global games. And from the limited look of him with the hawks they are really keen on him. With an american father and citizenship he can get a chunk on the NIL compared to others which could sway him

Fagan also getting big time offers it seems early on...

South Carolina, LSU, Kentucky, Miami, Texas, Arizona, Mississippi State

Although kids with US citizenship have it easy logistically with NIL, I think the Aussie kids without US citizenship are getting all of their NIL money, just routed via Australia.

https://www.australia.basketball/news/4276129/coe-nba-global-academy-graduates-progress


Quite a few leaving, anyone know who the new scholarship holders are?

Furphy, Fennell, Adair and Akhuar gone.
Men's program has added 7’4 Jongkuch Mach.

Womens program loses HC Herbert, another guard in Dakic and centre Crook
Who’s gonna run the point ?

Two bigs are coming in for the CoE women, which doesn't really answer your question Weedy!

Need more guards for sure. A COE team with no primary pg and spots wasted on locals to fill the gap. Should bring in 2-3 pgs asap.

Not many bigs around atm, college or the senior ranks so I'm all for developing as many as possible at the COE. 09/10/11 has quite a few 6’4+, good to see.

2 more added

Lily Mapp(09) C/PF (QLD)
Reece Anticevic(08) SF (WA)

No pgs?

No pgs, like I mentioned.

Who's next then Jayhoops?

Assuming Clague(10) next intake if it's another Centre.

Reading Downers comments its length, athleticism and hard working that there looking for.

Will downer get the job? Needs a player developer in the role over a team coach. Is this her thing?

Still need pgs or the team at CoE will struggle even if focus is mostly on developing talls.

Ryan is the obvious inclusion for 2026 going into year 11. Trout, Clague, Richardson could be next in line. A number of players have knocked back scholarships over the last few years though, so who knows.

The CoE are probably committed to developing Smith, Olechnowicz and Ryan as potential pgs along with Sherrington once she returns from injury.

Not pgs now or in the future imo.

6'2 M.Ryan -Undersized ComboForward> developing into SF
5’9-5’10 -I.Smith ShootingGuard
5’9-5’10 -O.Olechnowicz Undersized SmallForward> developing into SG

Should have atleast 1 of Hocking, Fakalata, Catip or Elliot in development.
Not many 2010s to choose from either but we will find out in a few days whos next up. Maybe Jones, Luki etc etc
2011 also not strong in that position, although someone told me a nsw metro player is another tall future pg the same as size as Shiels + Ryan.

That's just what I believe their logic is.

However, only 2/4 from those you mentioned have any shot of becoming high level pgs in my opinion - and I'm not sure the chances are high either.

True but you have to take a chance on someone when you have so few prospects available in that position. Should be 3 spots open for 2026...

No issue developing several Centres, very much needed in the Aus system atm.

3 locals to though filling in is not ideal, make the rosters 15 deep going forward with the nba academy now gone. 3 players each position to cover the several injuries each year.

Olechnowicz and smith locked in as SGs by selectors.

What gives rise to identifying current non PGs as future PGs? I don't see too many smarts. Players over coached and not allowed freedom to create imo.

Again, I'm assuming the logic is that for the existing CoE guards to be legitimate Opals prospects they'll need to have some ability to play pg.

So from their perspective they don't have to take a flier on someone else with a lower ceiling, purely to fill a positional need in a program that shouldn't be abouts wins and losses.

Jones from Vic is another one they could look at down the track.

COE(12)
27' Sherrington(09) PG
27’ ISmith(09) SG
27’ Olechnowicz(09) SG
27’ Crase(08) SG
26’ Taylor(07) SF
26’ Russell(07) SF
27’ Anticevic(08) SF
27’ Mapp(09) PF/C
27’ ASmith(08) PF/C
26’ Fagan(08) PF/C
27’ Johnson(09) C
27’ Manyok(09) C

Taylor, Russell and Fagan next out.
Nousis, Ryan and Clague -best options as like for like replacement...
Still need another PG even if some have chosen not to accept a scholarship.

Will they take Nousis? Isn't she 08 so more likely an 09 or 10 will be identified.

Crase SG?

Nousis just has a knee reconstruction last week! Unlikely

Ryan has said no twice so unlikely

Nousis was briefly on the COE team and returned to vic.
Yes Crase trying to develop into an off guard. Was a SF, probably will remain a SF.

Will miss U17 oceanias...

Weedy and anyone else with insight, what do you make of the boys at the COE currently/when there might be a new intake and who they could be looking at. There are currently 6 '09 girls and 4 ‘08 girls at the COE but the boys have zero ‘09 born and only two ‘08's however their roster looks pretty full:
Nash Walker 2007
Mading Kuany 2007
Marcus Vaughns 2007
Che Brogan 2006
Alex Dickeson 2007
Ajak Nyuon 2007
Jongkuch Mach 2007
Indy Cotton 2007
James Dyson Merwe 2007
Flynn Paveley 2007
Guer Bar 2008
Jai Fa'ale 2008

What do you think is next? Surely they need to start bringing in some younger kids esp as 08’s/09’a have big FIBA tournaments coming up (u16 Asia Cup Aug/U17 Oceania Nov/U17 World Cup Jun 26/U18 Asia Cup Sep 26). But with ten spots taken up by 07’s ( + Che ‘06)... it doesn’t look like there’ll be any room to bring anyone else on till end of year earliest or even mid next year as don’t many kids stay on after they finish year twelve till mid year when college starts?

Seems like a lot of missed dev oops for younger boys with looming international tournaments? And why so different with the girls. Wld love any insight…

Yes apparently a big clean out in 6 months, most of the 06/07s will be gone and more 08s + 09s will come in. Mostly from the Crocs squad and those at U18s...

Clean out doesn't need to be the players, never seen so many players injured ! Too many players knocking it back which makes sense and after watching the u20s this year all the CoE kids were behinds kids that chose not to go!

CoE is yesterdays news

Clean out doesn't need to be the players, never seen so many players injured ! Too many players knocking it back which makes sense and after watching the u20s this year all the CoE kids were behinds kids that chose not to go!

CoE is yesterdays news

thats a reasonable point cantshoot3s. has it happene dbefore where players decline or is it more recent thing?

It used to be a badge of honour to go there, now you spend more time getting MRI results than you do on the court!
Something is so wrong.
Look currently - Olivia Olechnowisz has played 2 games since Oceania, Johnson hasn't played, Sherrington knee, 5 girls had stress fractures last year.!
Boys - I can’t comment

players have declined before, for sure. It depends where the players is coming from and if they are prepared to move. Do they have opportunities to develop further in the local area.

New COE men's coach might be a good start on what I have seen.

Excellence might need to be changed out to Centre of Basketball - and then they can be called the Cobbers.

The COE coaches should not be coaching national junior teams,huge conflict of interest. They can take their squads on tours to get coaching experiences.

players have declined before, for sure. It depends where the players is coming from and if they are prepared to move. Do they have opportunities to develop further in the local area.

New COE men's coach might be a good start on what I have seen.

Excellence might need to be changed out to Centre of Basketball - and then they can be called the Cobbers.

The COE coaches should not be coaching national junior teams,huge conflict of interest. They can take their squads on tours to get coaching experiences.

Where is Sa Pilimai?