UNDER-15 OCEANIA CHAMPIONSHIPS TO TIP OFF NEXT WEEK

The boys and girls tournaments will run concurrently with this competition the first step for the Australian Sapphires and Crocs on their way to the 2020 Under-17 World Cup’s.

If they finish in the top four of the Under-15 Oceania Championship, Australia will qualify for the Under-16 Asian Championships next year and a top-four finish there will secure a place at the Under-17 World Cup.

All 12 athletes from both the boys and girls’ teams competed in the Australian Under-16 Championships earlier this year with Vic Metro’s Charlise Dunn, Luisa Fakalata and Meg Robinson claiming the Girls’ gold medal while Joshua Duach, Harry Johnston and Marcus Windhager won Boys gold for Vic Metro.

The girls’ team will be led by Tracy York whose career has spanned 30 years including SEABL and WNBL head coaching positions, a role as assistant coach for the Australian Sapphires when they won gold at the FIBA Under-17 World Cup two years and a current position as assistant coach for the Adelaide 36ers.

Justin Schueller will lead the boys after coaching the Australian Crocs at the Under-17 World Cup while he also holds a position in the NBL as assistant coach for Melbourne United.

Both teams have a busy schedule with the girls taking on Samoa, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Fiji and Tonga in the group stage.

If they finish in the top two at the end of those five games, they will play off in the final but even finishing third or fourth will be enough to secure a spot at next year’s Under-16 Asian Championships.

The boys have a more compact group stage, playing Samoa and then New Zealand and Guam on the same day.

From there, a top-two finish in their group will give them a day off while also booking a place in the Under-16 Asian Championships before they navigate the Semi-Finals and gold medal game over the next two days.

Stay tuned for information from FIBA regarding live-streaming of the event while the official website for the boys can be found here and for the girls here.

The 2018 Boys and Girls Schedules for the FIBA Under-15 Oceania Championships (all times AEDT):

December 4: Australian Girls vs. Samoa at 2pm
December 4: Australian Boys vs. Samoa at 5pm
December 5: Australian Boys vs. New Zealand at 12pm
December 5: Australian Girls vs. New Zealand at 4pm
December 5: Australian Boys vs. Guam at 7pm
December 6: Australian Girls vs. Papua New Guinea at 2pm
December 6: Australian Girls vs. Fiji at 7pm
December 7: Australian Girls vs. Tonga at 5pm
December 7: Australian Boys Semi-Final at 2pm or 8pm
December 8: Australian Girls Medal Games. Bronze at 2pm, Gold at 6pm
December 8: Australian Boys Medal Games. Bronze at 4pm, Gold at 8pm

The post UNDER-15 OCEANIA CHAMPIONSHIPS TO TIP OFF NEXT WEEK appeared first on Basketball Australia.

The final tournament of the calendar year will be held in Papua New Guinea from December 3-8 as Australia competes in the FIBA Under-15 Oceania Championships.

The post UNDER-15 OCEANIA CHAMPIONSHIPS TO TIP OFF NEXT WEEK appeared first on Basketball Australia.