National Junior Classic Delivers Memorable King's Birthday Weekend

15th June 2026
Author: Maree DeGeorge

A week on from the 2026 National Junior Classic, Basketball Victoria is celebrating another successful edition of one of Australia's premier junior basketball tournaments. 

Held across the King's Birthday Long Weekend at the State Basketball Centre, the event brought together 128 teams from Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia, with 384 games played across eight championship age groups from Under 12 through to Under 18. 

More than just a tournament, the National Junior Classic provided an opportunity for young athletes to compete against some of the nation's best junior talent, while bringing together coaches, referees, referee coaches, bench officials, volunteers and families from across the country in a celebration of junior basketball. 

The three-day event once again showcased the strength of basketball pathways across Australia, with emerging stars producing outstanding performances and teams delivering thrilling contests throughout the weekend. 

For the first time, every game of the tournament was available via live stream, allowing family members, friends and supporters unable to attend in person to follow the action from around Australia and beyond. While some technical difficulties were experienced throughout the weekend, Basketball Victoria would like to thank the basketball community for their patience and understanding as teams worked to resolve issues and deliver unprecedented coverage of the event. 

National Junior Classic Coordinator Emma Hayes said the tournament continued to provide a unique opportunity for young athletes to test themselves against some of the best junior basketball talent in the country. 

"The National Junior Classic is about so much more than results. It's an opportunity for young athletes to challenge themselves against quality opposition, create lasting memories with their teammates and experience the excitement of competing on one of Australia's biggest junior basketball stages," Hayes said. 

"To welcome 128 teams from across Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia and see the level of talent, sportsmanship and passion on display throughout the weekend was incredibly rewarding. Thank you to all of our athletes, coaches, officials, volunteers, parents and supporters who helped make this year's event such a success." 

The National Junior Classic wasn't short on individual brilliance either, with several athletes producing outstanding performances across the tournament.  

Sutherland's Eleanor Woolley was the tournament's highest scorer, finishing with an impressive 157 points across the weekend in the U12 Girls competition.  

Joining Woolley amount the tournament's leading scorers were Casey's Mofeoluwa Adio (148 points, U16 Boys), Nunawading's Charlie Wilson (143 points U18 Boys), Sydney's Balbay Boyd (141 points, U14 Girls) and Kilsyth's Liam Keogh (141 points, U18 Boys).  

Top three leading scorer results for each age group can be found below. 

The success of the National Junior Classic would not be possible without the dedication and commitment of the athletes, coaches, officials, volunteers, parents and supporters who continue to make the event one of the highlights of the junior basketball calendar. 

Following three days of high-quality competition, eight associations were crowned National Junior Classic champions.  

2026 National Junior Classic Champions 

Under 12 Boys – Diamond Valley – Grand Final MVP - Ryder Mash, Diamond Valley. 

Under 12 Girls – Dandenong – Grand Final MVP - Chloe Cornell, Dandenong.  

Under 14 Boys – Frankston Grand Final MPV - Riek Muot, Frankston 

Under 14 Girls – Melbourne – Grand Final MVP - Myla Triantafilou, Melbourne 

Under 16 Boys – Casey – Grand Final MVP - Mofeoluwa (Nathan) Adio, Casey  

Under 16 Girls – Kilsyth – Grand Final MVP - Tia Crossland, Kilsyth  

Under 18 Boys – Dandenong – Grand Final MVP - Oliver Van Den Brink, Dandenong 

Under 18 Girls – Diamond Valley – Grand Final MVP - Victoria Leuluai, Diamond Valley 

Congratulations to all participating teams and associations, and to the players, coaches and support staff who contributed to another outstanding National Junior Classic. 

Basketball Victoria also extends its sincere thanks to the team of over 200 referees, referee coaches and bench officials whose professionalism, commitment and expertise helped ensure the successful delivery of 384 games across the tournament weekend. 

Full final standings for all age groups can be found below.  

We look forward to welcoming teams back to the State Basketball Centre in 2027 for another exciting chapter of the National Junior Classic. 

-ENDS- 

For all Media Enquiries: 
Maree DeGeorge 
Media & Communications Specialist 
Basketball Victoria 
maree.degeorge@basketballvictoria.com.au 
0499 851 266 

Top three scorers across the tournament for each age group:  

Under 12 Boys
First Name	Last Name	Team	Total Points	1 Point	2 Points	3 Points
Daniel	Johnson	South Adelaide	100	32	34	0
Markus	Stokes	West Adelaide	98	29	33	1
Pavel	Mrozik	Casey	93	26	29	3
Under 12 Girls
First Name	Last Name	Team	Total Points	1 Point	2 Points	3 Points
Eleanor	Woolley	Sutherland	157	49	51	2
Elin-Marie	Kruckel	Keilor	107	19	44	0
Mila	Craddock	West Adelaide	91	24	29	3
Under 14 Boys
First Name	Last Name	Team	Total Points	1 Point	2 Points	3 Points
Luca	Arcobelli	Nunawading	127	24	47	3
Jude	Ellis	Geelong United	121	7	45	8
Flynn	Reid	South Adelaide	118	10	54	0
Under 14 Girls
First Name	Last Name	Team	Total Points	1 Point	2 Points	3 Points
Balbay	Boyd	Sydney	141	15	57	4
Riley	Clarke	Manly Warringah	131	38	36	7
summer	Neale	Norwood	97	25	36	0
Under 16 Boys
First Name	Last Name	Team	Total Points	1 Point	2 Points	3 Points
Mofeoluwa	Adio	Casey	148	26	52	6
Jake	Seo	Nunawading	112	14	31	12
Tyler	Biscette	Norwood	108	10	37	8
Under 16 Girls
First Name	Last Name	Team	Total Points	1 Point	2 Points	3 Points
Evelyn	Bell	Sturt	117	31	28	10
Mia	Cox	Bendigo	113	16	38	7
Olive	Waters	Manly Warringah	105	17	26	12
Under 18 Boys
First Name	Last Name	Team	Total Points	1 Point	2 Points	3 Points
Charlie	Wilson	Nunawading	143	18	46	11
Liam	Keogh	Kilsyth	141	24	51	5
Raheim	Brown	West Adelaide	128	19	44	7
Under 18 Girls
First Name	Last Name	Team	Total Points	1 Point	2 Points	3 Points
Shamah	Gabriel Yak	Woodville	125	27	46	2
Lilly	Teuma	Bendigo	118	12	32	14
Marley	Sialeipata	Sydney	101	26	36	1

Final Standings 

Under 12 Boys			Under 12 Girls
1	Diamond Valley		1	Dandenong
2	McKinnon		2	Kilsyth
3	Dandenong		3	Keilor
4	Casey		4	Sandringham
5	Knox		5	Altona
6	Kilsyth		6	Frankston
7	Hawthorn		7	Waverley
8	Waverley		8	West Adelaide
9	West Adelaide		9	Mildura
10	Sutherland		10	Nunawading
11	Hornsby-Ku-Ring-Gai		11	Norwood
12	Sydney		12	Sydney
13	Maffra		13	Hills
14	South Adelaide		14	South Adelaide
15	Sturt		15	Sutherland
16	North Adelaide		16	North Adelaide

 

Under 14 Boys			Under 14 Girls
1	Frankston		1	Melbourne
2	Keilor		2	Casey
3	Dandenong		3	Dandenong
4	Knox		4	Camberwell
5	Stuart		5	Nunawading
6	Nunawading		6	West Adelaide
7	Norwood		7	Knox
8	Wyndham		8	Frankston
9	Geelong		9	Traralgon
10	South Adelaide		10	Penrith
11	Camberwell		11	Stuart
12	Central District		12	Manly Warringah
13	Sydney		13	Sydney
14	Northern Suburbs		14	Norwood
15	Sutherland		15	Eastern Mavericks
16	Hornsby-Ku-Ring-Gai		16	Northern Suburbs

 

Under 16 Boys			Under 16 Girls
1	Casey		1	Kilsyth
2	Knox		2	Manly
3	Keilor		3	Bendigo
4	Nunawading		4	Diamond Valley
5	Melbourne		5	Casey
6	Northern Suburbs		6	Melbourne
7	Dandenong		7	Dandenong
8	Diamond Valley		8	Sandringham
9	Newcastle		9	Stuart
10	South Adelaide		10	Frankston
11	Sandringham		11	Bulleen
12	Norwood		12	West Adelaide
13	North Adelaide		13	Eastern Mavericks
14	West Adelaide		14	Penrith
15	Penrith		15	Forestville
16	Manly Warringah		16	Northern Suburbs

 

Under 18 Boys			Under 18 Girls
1	Dandenong		1	Diamond Valley
2	Kilsyth		2	Melbourne
3	Sandringham		3	Norwood
4	Eltham		4	Dandenong
5	Nunawading		5	Northern Suburbs
6	West Adelaide		6	Manly Warringah
7	Sydney		7	Casey
8	Northern Suburbs		8	Sandringham
9	Manly Warringah		9	Illawarra
10	Camberwell		10	Woodville
11	Ballarat		11	Forestville
12	Hornsby-Ku-Ring-Gai		12	Ballarat
13	Bendigo		13	Kilsyth
14	Southern Tigers		14	Sydney
15	Forestville		15	Bendigo
16	Norwood		16	West Adelaide