ACT U16 Women’s State Team Announced
The Under 16 Women’s ACT Representative Squad is selected and ready to take the court in Darwin this July at the National Championships!
Considered an important stepping stone in a juniors career, the Under 16 National Championships gives our juniors a chance to hit the court and compete against some of the most talented players in Australia.
Head Coach Shane Wallace says the team is more than ready for the competition and is looking forward to hitting the court later this year.
“We have selected a well-rounded group full of competitive, determined athletes who are relentless and don’t give up,” said Wallace. “You can expect us to play inline with the ACT Way and be disruptive defensively as we have some excellent back court defenders and rim protectors.”
With a mix of returning players and new talent, Wallace says he expects the team to perform well offensively.
“We have selected players who could have a big impact throughout the tournament,” said Wallace. “The players to keep an eye on would be Emily Nguyen who is a high IQ player that executes well at the offensive end whilst her agility and defensive prowess is set to trouble the best guards at the tournament.”
“Mia Slater is a big who provides excellent rim protection and rebounding abilities along the ability to play in the post or from the perimeter whilst Lauren Armstrong is physically strong and determined, plays extremely unselfish and has the ability to turn a game on its head,” Wallace added.
Although the team is yet to sit down and discuss their expectations for the tournament, Wallace says he’s confident the team will perform well this year.
“I never like to make ladder predictions as the week is always full of highs and lows but I do know that we intend to attack each game with the same voracity as the last,” said Wallace.
The squad of 12 is made up of:
| Alison | Francis | Ginninderra Rats |
| Elise | Finney | Canberra Girls Grammar School |
| Emily | Nguyen | Radford |
| Hannah | Briskey | Tuggeranong Vikings |
| Lauren | Armstrong | Ginninderra Rats |
| Mia | Slater | Wests |
| Michayla | Wood | Daramalan |
| Olenka | Moran | Belconnen Ramblers |
| Seini | Melekiola | Tuggeranong Vikings |
| Tilly | Bean | Norths |
| Reserves | ||
| Laura | Shortt | Daramalan |
| Madelyn | Norton | Ginninderra Rats |
“We have a history of improving quarter by quarter, game by game and understand that whatever success we achieve in Darwin will be a direct result of how well we perform as a team,” he added.
“We will be looking for some good high quality performances and try to be as consistent as possible throughout the week and let the results take care of themselves.”
Basketball ACT would like to congratulate everyone involved and wish them all the best for their preparations for July.
Head over to Basketball ACT’s Facebook page to wish the team luck and keep up to date with BACT’s Instagram and Facebook pages for updates from Nationals.