23

Jan

Under-20 Men

NBL Next Star Luke Paul anchors WA title push

Written By

basketball.com.au

NBL Next Star Luke Paul anchors WA title push
NBL Next Star Luke Paul anchors WA title push

NBL Next Star Luke Paul watches on during the round 17 NBL match between Adelaide 36ers and South East Melbourne Phoenix at RAC Arena on January 18, 2026 in Perth. Photo: James Worsfold/Getty Images

NBL Next Star Luke Paul leads WA into the 2026 Under-20 Men’s Championships in Ballarat next week

Australia's newest NBL Next Star Luke Paul is preparing to lead Western Australia at the 2026 Under-20 Men's Basketball Championship in Ballarat, Victoria, next week.

The 1.98m 16-year-old point guard signed his first professional contract as a NBL Next Star at HoopsFest last week.

Paul is one of 12 men's players suiting up for their home states after competing for the Crocs and Emus last season at Asia Cup and World Cup championships.

He competed at the FIBA Under-19 Men's World Cup, Under-17 Oceania Cup and Under-16 Asia Cup.

Victoria Navy, the first "second team", to win the national championship is back to defend their crown.

Watch every Ballarat 2026 U20 game live on KommunityTV, with full results on basketball.com.au

Under-20 Men's Australian Representatives

Luke Paul (WA)

  • Under-20 Men: Western Australia
  • Selected:
    • Australian U19 Emus
    • U17 Australian Crocs – Oceania Cup
    • 2025 FIBA U16 Boys
      ➡️ Appears across four levels (U16 → U17 → U19 → U20)

Billy McRae (WA)

  • Under-20 Men: Western Australia
  • Selected:
    • U17 Australian Crocs – Oceania Cup

Bailey Hanson (NSW)

  • Under-20 Men: NSW
  • Selected:
    • U17 Australian Crocs – Oceania Cup

Guer Bar (VIC)

  • Under-20 Men: Victoria
  • Selected:
    • U17 Australian Crocs – Oceania Cup

Jai Fa’ale (VIC)

  • Under-20 Men: Victoria
  • Selected:
    • U17 Australian Crocs – Oceania Cup

Isaac Riddle (SA)

  • Under-20 Men: South Australia
  • Selected:
    • U17 Australian Crocs – Oceania Cup

Harry Cook (QLD)

  • Under-20 Men: Queensland
  • Selected:
    • U17 Australian Crocs – Oceania Cup

Austin Prosser (NSW)

  • Under-20 Men: NSW
  • Selected:
    • U17 Australian Crocs – Oceania Cup

Wieu Ateur (WA)

  • Under-20 Men: Western Australia
  • Selected:
    • U17 Australian Crocs – Oceania Cup

Koby Moir (SA)

  • Under-20 Men: South Australia
  • Selected:
    • U17 Australian Crocs – Oceania Cup
    • 2025 FIBA U16 Boys

William Hamilton (VIC)

  • Under-20 Men: Victoria
  • Selected:
    • U17 Australian Crocs – Oceania Cup

Watch every game of the 2026 Under-20 Men's and Women's Basketball Championships in Ballarat, Victoria next week on KommunityTV.

basketball.com.au has partnered with KTV to deliver the most comprehensive coverage of the tournament in its history.

Similarly to basketball.com.au's in-depth coverage of the Australian Country Junior Basketball Cup last week, results from every game throughout the tournament, including key statistics will be published here.

This is the complete list of every player at the tournament in 2026.

Men’s Tournament Fixtures

  • Pool A: Victoria Navy; South Australia; New South Wales; and Australian Capital Territory
  • Pool B: Victoria; Queensland; Western Australia; and Tasmania

Tuesday 27 January

Game 3 – 1:00pm (SC) – New South Wales vs Victoria Navy (Pool A)
Game 4 – 1:00pm (Court 4) – Queensland vs Tasmania (Pool B)
Game 7 – 5:00pm (SC) – Western Australia vs Victoria (Pool B)
Game 8 – 5:00pm (Court 4) – South Australia vs Australian Capital Territory (Pool A)

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