U14 Club Championships in Basketball: Manly Warringah Sea Eagles Boys claim Silver medal
The 2025 Under 14 Club Championships were co-hosted by Basketball Australia and Willetton Basketball Association in Willetton, Western Australia. Commencing Sunday 28th September and concluding on Friday 3rd October, the event brought together the best of the best from around the country to shoot some hoops and make connections and memories to last a lifetime.
Two teams from Warriewood based club the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles headed west during the Spring school holidays and excelled in representing their state and our area,
In the Shield competition, Canberra, Manly Warringah Sea Eagles, Bankstown Bruins and Nunawading Spectres (Boys), along with Perry Lakes Hawks, Ipswich Force, North Gold Coast Seahawks and hosts Willetton Tigers (Girls) all advanced to the Semi-Finals.
The MWSE then won their semi to advance to the Final.
The boys Shield gold medal match saw the Nunawading Spectres claim Phil Smyth Trophy, defeating the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles in a thriller 54 - 51. A very close contest after days of working their way through the heats, Quarters and Semi Finals.
The club said after the Grand Final:
''Shield Silver Medal to wrap the U14 Club Championship, and a lifetime of memories made. What a journey it’s been for these boys.
This silver medal holds the laughter, the grit, the growth, and the unforgettable experiences that will stay with them forever.
Proud of these boys and the coaches. Here’s to the memories.''
The girls did well too - always displaying great sports-person-ship and had a great time.
Congratulations to both teams - a brilliant effort and great representation of the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles and New South Wales Basketball.
Wakehurst MP Michael Regan, in a Members statement to the NSW Parliament on Thursday October 16, said:
''Today I congratulate the hardworking teams of the Manly Warringah Basketball Association who have had a phenomenal season this year. First up, both their U14 girls and boys teams have qualified for the national championships in Perth. These players, alongside their families and coaches, have been working tirelessly not just on the court but off it too, fundraising hard to make sure they get to show off their skills on the national stage.
But wait, there's more! The Association also has 7 teams qualifying for the 2025 Waratah Junior Premier League & Under 12 Championships happening this August. Special congratulations goes to the U16 girls team who made it all the way to the grand final. What an amazing achievement!
Since 1950, Manly Warringah Basketball has been a cornerstone of the northern beaches sporting scene, growing talent with a strong focus on skill and community spirit. Massive cheers to every player, coach, parent, and manager pouring heart, sweat, and soul into the game. Keep up the good work.''
More in 2025 PON Profile: Manly Warringah Basketball Association Sea Eagles Under 14's to Represent NSW in the club's 75th Year: Fundraising Support
Background
The Australian Junior Championships form a vital pathway from participation through to elite competition for the nation’s junior athletes and also illustrates the strength of our country programs. The U14 Club Championships sees the best 48 Club teams from around Australia compete on the big stage, 24 of each gender.
Under the current format for the Australian U14 Club Championships, the 24 teams are divided into six pools of four teams and play a round robin competition. The top two teams in each pool then play for the Championship Division and the teams placed third and fourth in each pool compete for the Shield Division.
Ken Watson
The winner of the Australian U14 Boys Club Championships, will be presented with the Ken Watson Championship Trophy. Ken is widely recognised as the patriarch of Australian basketball. He coached our Olympic men’s team in 1956 – the first time Australia was involved in the competition – and again in 1968 after Australia had become recognised as an emerging international contender. Although Watson made a major impact on the international level, his real love was guiding his junior teams. During the Second World War he almost single-handedly kept basketball alive in Melbourne by promoting junior participation and organising competitions. Watson is the only coach in Australia to have won five consecutive Australian under 14 national titles in the 1980’s and continued with coaching under 12 junior teams until he was in his late eighties. Although he is no longer with us, the legacy of Ken Watson lives on through the hundreds of players he coached over his long career.
Michele Timms
The winner of the Australian U14 Girls Club Championships, will be presented with the Michele Timms Championship Trophy. Michele is one of Australia’s best-known basketballers and the premier female point-guard this country has ever seen and the trophy was named in her honour in 2004.
Her career with the Australian Opals spanned 14 years, across 264 games. Her finest international triumph came in her swansong at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney where she captained the Opals to their best-ever finish, a silver medal.
Timms broke new ground for Australian women basketballers by becoming the first to play internationally when she went to Germany to play with the Lotus Munchen team. While there, she was named the Women’s International Player of the Year in 1994 and 1996.
Michele Timms was an extraordinary basketball player and whose success all young basketballers can strive to emulate.
Phil Smyth
The winner of the Shield Division of the Australian U14 Boys Club Championships will be presented with the Phil Smyth Shield.
Inducted into the Australian Basketball Hall of Fame in 2004, Phil Smyth had an outstanding career as a Boomer. Phil represented South Australia as a junior and senior and was first selected for Australia for the 1978 World Championships, held in Manila. Phil played in the NBL from 1982 through to 1995, hitting the court in a total of 356 games. He won three NBL Championships with the Canberra Cannons. He is ranked in the top ten in a number of NBL all-time statistics. He was names third in the NBL All-star team for the past 25 years. Phil retired as an athlete in 1994 and went on to be a very successful coach in the NBL with the Adelaide 36ers, coaching 365 games over 11 seasons, winning 205 games. Phil is one of the great basketballers produced by the Australian basketball system.
Rachael Sporn
Rachael first represented Australia in the 1990 World Championship and competed in a total of three world Championships (1994 and 1998). Rachael was selected for her first Olympic Games in 1996, where she was a member of the first team to win an Olympic medal finishing with a bronze. She went on to win two silver medals in the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games.
Rachael was an excellent defender as well as being a great scorer, and was one of the most consistent players in the WNBL and also for Australia. He captained Australia on many occasions and was co-captain of the silver medallist Olympic teams of 2000 and 2004.
Photos: Basketball Australia
Australia’s ‘Golden Six’ clinch history
In related inspirational basketball news, Basketball Australia announced on September 30 a rollercoaster Asia Cup window has culminated in six titles for Australia’s national teams.
Details are:
Australia wrote themselves in history books as the first team ever to win four consecutive FIBA U16 Women's Asia Cup gold medals by conquering the 2025 competitions in Malaysia on Sunday September 28.
The Sapphires aced their date with destiny following another mighty beatdown of familiar foes New Zealand, 86-50, in the Final witnessed by a solid crowd that trooped to the Karisma Arena.
Quick were the charges of Coach Tom Garlepp in seizing control of the match, ending the first 10 minutes with a nine-point advantage. But it wasn't really until the next frame where the crew would break away for good.
Daisy Hocking perfected a trip to the line, Laura Seiz caught fire from deep and made eight straight points, before Matilda Trout came in with a stab underneath as the troika put together a 12-0 run toward a 36-15 lead.
And that scoring barrage was all they needed to set the tone for the rout, eventually hoisting the coveted trophy to mark the extension of an unprecedented dominion - and keeping their winning streak intact as well.
With this recent golden run, the Aussies have now won 23 successive games, which dates back to their U16 Women's Asia Cup debut back in 2017 in Bengaluru, India which they ruled via six-game sweep.
They have now become the winningest team in competition history, too, breaking a tie with China as both of the proud programs had three championships apiece coming into the biennial contest's eighth edition.
"I think ever since we've been able to compete in the Asia region, it has been fantastic for Australian basketball," said Tom Garlepp. "Notable Asian basketball nations like Japan, China, they force us to get better."
"Because, they're such class acts," he added. "Being able to compete against all of them - Korea, Chinese Taipei ... I think for us and New Zealand, it's been such a great honor to be part of it and it's really lifted our game."
"For us to become four-time champions in a row, especially knowing the competition we're going up against, it's something we're really proud of," continued Garlepp, who's been the team's mentor since 2023.
Madison Ryan led Australia with 15 points, alongside 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 5 steals. Trout and Marianela Fakalata finished with 14 points apiece, while Seiz chipped in 11 - spiked by three triples.
Soon, the Sapphires will turn their attention to the prestigious FIBA U17 Women's Basketball World Cup next year in Czechia, where they will spearhead the Asian delegation that also has New Zealand, Japan, and China.
FIBA U16 Champions 2025: Australia
FINA U16 Champions 2025: Australia
Australia has swept the Asia Cup window with six titles claimed in seven months of tournament play.
It's a massive achievement in the modern era of Australian basketball and the first time the feat has occurred since the re-zoning by FIBA alongside New Zealand into the Asia bracket in 2017.
The green and gold wave started in March with the Gangurrus 3x3 men’s and women team reigning supreme in Singapore. The Seven Consulting Opals followed with their first ever Asia Cup in July and the world watched on as the Boomers clinched an insta-classic in the final against China in August.
It was up to the junior U16 Crocs and U17 Sapphires to complete the streak; and both did so in compelling fashion to complete a historic window for Australian basketball.
In reflection of a strong window of international performance, Jason Smith, EGM of High Performance at Basketball Australia noted an interconnected talent and performance pathway as a source of advantage.
“To come away from the Asia Cup tournaments with six gold medals across both our junior and senior men’s and women’s programs is an incredible achievement, and one that reflects the depth, talent, and commitment we have across Australian basketball,” said Smith.
“Success at this level and scale doesn’t happen by chance. It’s the result of the hard work of our athletes, coaches, and staff, and the strong foundations of our pathway,”
“This sweep is something we can all be proud of as it highlights the strength of the respective States and Territories, their High Performance programs, and the exciting future that lies ahead for Australian basketball,” he added.
The FIBA continental windows play an important role in the international cycle and each zone has unique characteristics, geography and traditions.
Matt Scriven, Chief Executive Officer, Basketball Australia is a strong advocate for the role Australia does, and will continue to play, as a National Federation member in FIBA Asia.
“It’s important to acknowledge that the success of the Australian National teams is built on decades of work, from the grassroots to the elite pathways. This starts with the unprecedented level of participation at junior level, our State & Territory representative bodies, and to the elite pathways of the BA Centre of Excellence and professional leagues,” said Scriven
“The FIBA Asia conference is an essential and functional pathway in our journey to compete at the respective FIBA World Cups. The competition within FIBA Asia continues to go from strength to strength, which enables our National Teams to gain the necessary experience at the international level.” he added.
With the continental window in rear view mirror, the focus shifts to the FIBA World Cup 2027 Asian qualification pathway, which kicks off with the Boomers in November.
More information on schedule of games to be announced soon.