2023 Australian Emus: The team that never was

• The Australian Emus didn’t qualify for the event because of security concerns
• The team would’ve had future NBA players Tyrese Proctor, Johnny Furphy and Alex Toohey
• West Australians Alex Condon Ben Henshall would’ve rounded out the starting unit

There will forever be a blank spot in Australian basketball when it comes to the year 2023.

That year’s men’s Under-19 FIBA World Cup was without the Australian Emus as the team never qualified, but this wasn’t because of losses.

The Emus didn’t travel to Iran the year prior for the Under-18’s Asia Championships, the tournament for Asian countries to qualify for the world championship. This was due to security concerns for the teams’ safety.

The potential team that never went was filled with future NBA and NBL talent born in 2004 and 2005. Headlined by Cleveland Cavaliers rookie Tyrese Proctor and Indiana Pacers wing Johnny Furphy, the team could’ve been a genuine chance to podium, if not win gold.

Here’s a breakdown on the team that could’ve gone to Hungary in 2023.

Starting Five


PG - Tyrese Proctor

• Age at start of tournament: 19, 2 months
• Now plays for: Cleveland Cavaliers
• Last season’s stats (NCAA): 12.4 ppg / 3 rpg / 2.2 apg

Tyrese Proctor had just completed his freshman season at Duke prior to the World Championships. Being born in 2004, Proctor would’ve been the primary ball handler and offensive option for the Emus.

SG - Ben Henshall

• Age at start of tournament: 19
• Now plays for: Perth Wildcats
• Last season’s stats (NBL): 9.4 ppg / 3.4 rpg / 2.6 apg

Starting at the two for the Emu’s would’ve been Ben Henshall. The Perth Wildcats starting guard would’ve provided elite shot creation for Australia coming off a great NBL1 East season prior to when the tournament would’ve taken place, averaging 17.8 points and 5 assists for the Centre of Excellence in 2023.

SF - Johnny Furphy

• Age at start of tournament: 18, 6 months
• Now plays for: Indiana Pacers
• Last season’s stats (NBA): 2.1 ppg / 1.4 rpg / 0.4 apg

2023 will be remembered for the rise of Johnny Furphy in junior Australian basketball. Playing in the NBA Academy Games in July, he would rise from unknown player to the number one most talked about college prospect of that year. He would eventually choose Kansas, but he would’ve played a major role for the Emus that year.

PF - Alex Toohey

• Age at start of tournament: 19, 1 month
• Now plays for: Golden State Warriors
• Last season’s stats (NBL): 10.5 ppg / 3.9 rpg / 1.3 apg

Alex Toohey was Australia’s next great forward out of the 2004/05 born class. Originally committing to Gonzaga before backflipping and joining the Sydney Kings under the Next Star Program, Toohey dominated at the COE, being the team’s leading scorer with 17.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and over two stocks (steals + blocks) a night.

C - Alex Condon

• Age at start of tournament: 18, 11 months
• Now plays for: Florida Gators
• Last season’s stats (NCAA): 10.6 ppg / 7.5 rpg / 2.2 apg

Starting in the five spot would be another West Aussie in Alex Condon. Picking up basketball later than most, Condon rose to be one of the nation’s best rim protectors in a short time. In 2023 he averaged 11.4 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocks a night for the COE before joining the University of Florida Gators.

Bench

G - Rory Hawke

• Age at start of tournament: 19, 5 months
• Now plays for: Saint Mary’s
• Last season’s stats (NCAA): DNP / Redshirted

F - Bowyn Beatty

• Age at start of tournament: 18, 10 months
• Now plays for: La Salle
• Last season’s stats (NCAA): 2.1 ppg / 3.2 rpg / 0.8 apg

F/C - Jensen Bradtke

• Age at start of tournament: 19
• Now plays for: Brisbane Bullets
• Last season’s stats (NBL1 North): 16.5 ppg / 10 rpg / 2.5 apg

F – Austin Rapp

• Age at start of tournament: 17, 10 months
• Now plays for: Wisconsin
• Last season’s stats (NCAA): 13.8 ppg / 6.5 rpg / 2.5 apg

G – Ethan Elliot

• Age at start of tournament: 18, 11 months
• Now plays for: Northern Kentucky
• Last season’s stats (NBL1 West): 21.4 ppg / 4.2 rpg / 5.7 apg

G – Kye Savage

• Age at start of tournament: 17, 11 months
• Now plays for: Free Agent
• Last season’s stats (NBL1 South): 16.7 ppg / 3.7 rpg / 1.5 apg

G - Josh Dent

• Age at start of tournament: 17, 9 months
• Now plays for: Saint Mary’s
• Last season’s stats (NCAA): 0.6 ppg / 0.2 rpg / 0.3 apg

A player that would’ve been unlucky to miss out on the team would have been new Chicago Bull and NBL Champion Lachlan Olbrich. Olbrich who is the same age as Rory Hawke, would’ve missed the team due to being born in 2003 (December 30th). He would have missed the cut off date for player eligibility by less than a day.

The Emus if they were to play in the tournament would have come up against some tough opposition on their quest for a medal. Here are some of the now stars from other nations that played in the world championships.

• Alex Sarr (France – Perth Wildcats + Washington Wizards)
• Zaccharie Risachar (France – Atlanta Hawks)
• Izan Almansa (Spain – Perth Wildcats)
• Hansan Yang (China – Portland Trailblazers)
• Cody Williams (USA – Utah Jazz)
• Dylan Harper (USA – San Antonio Spurs)
• Asa Newell (USA – Atlanta Hawks)