Six key takeaways from U20 Championships Day 1

• ‍Every 2026 Under-20 player and games in one list‍
• Box Scores: Day 1 at the Australian Championships‍
• How to watch Ballarat 2026 U20 Championships live

January is upon us, which means the annual pilgrimage to Ballarat to see the best junior players in the country at the Under 20 Australian Junior Championships.

With a higher than usual portion of bottom-aged players suiting up, the competition is a wide open draw this year, also providing a huge platform for the big-name top-age talents to dominate the draw.

• Box Scores: Day 1 at the Australian Championships
• Box Scores: Day 2 at the Australian Championships

With day one all wrapped up, here are a first impressions:

1. The competition is wide open this year

With a younger group of talent and some late omissions due to moves overseas, the competition is anyone's game.

Victoria, usually a shoe-in to compete late in the tournament, look fallible in 2026, narrowly scraping through against Western Australia, 99-93. There's still talent, headlined by Austin Foxwell, Henry Sewell, Joel Robinson and Jai Fa'ale, but for once the Vic's will have to lean on more than sheer ability to capture a medal.

Likewise, Victoria and New South Wales battled it out on the opening day on the women's side, with the Vic's coming out on top 77-70. They were led by 19 points and 8 rebounds from Olivia Hastings in a preview of two teams that should make strong runs into the back half of the week.

2. South Australia might be the men's team to top

If I had to make an early prediction, South Australia's team feels like the most talent-laden across the men's side with quality players residing well into their bench unit.

Led by arguably the competition's best talent Alex Dickeson, SA made light work of ACT today 107-58. His 18 points led all scorers for SA, but it was the balanced contributions from Rio Bruton, James Mackenzie, Koby Moir and Isaac Riddle that made them a team to watch throughout the week.

3. Prasayus Notoa is elite on the glass

One individual standout on the women's side on day one was Queensland's Prasayus Notoa, who had a game high 14 boards, along with 13 points, 5 assists and 5 steals, proving to be the difference against Tasmania in a 74-68 win.

Notoa is considered one of the elite prospects across the competition this year, and will be one to track throughout the week to see if she can maintain this stellar form.

5. Ajak Nyoun's ceiling is sky high

There's no player more special on either side of the competition than Ajak Nyoun. Despite limited support on his ACT squad, Nyoun took it upon himself at times in their game against South Australia, handling the ball, attacking the rim off the dribble, and blocking shots with emphasis, making a considerable impression with his roughly 6'10 frame.

If I had one bet to make on an NBA player emerging from this year's crop of talent, it's Nyoun - his mobility and skill-set are simply unmatched.

6. Jongkuch Mach continues to grow in more ways than one

Every time I see 'JK' Mach, he seems to be even taller. I would now guess the WA centre is up to 7 foot 6, but what is most impressive is his development as a player.

He is still absolutely a project, and his 4 points, 6 rebounds and 5 fouls didn't inspire on the box score, but he's running the floor well and his presence, particularly on the defensive end is undeniable.

With more development under his belt, and as the team continues to figure out how to best utilise the big man throughout the week, hopefully we see him turn further from a novelty into a no-brainer talent.