17-year-old 'veteran' anchors Sapphires team

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Victorian Madi Ryan has already played four times more times for junior national teams than Australia's greatest ever basketballer Lauren Jackson and will continue to stack more internationals at FIBA Under-17 Women's World Cup in Czechia between July 11 and July 20, 2026.

Aged just 17, Ryan is already a junior "veteran" heading to her third World Cup after being named to the Australian Sapphires on Tuesday, May 19, following the selection trials at the Australian Institute of Sport between May 11 and 14.

The versatile 6'1" star, who can play every position on the floor, told Bec Cole on It's A Cole World in December 2025: "I'm always speechless when talking about (making my first World Cup team) because it's just so cool,.

"The opportunity to put the green and gold on for your country the first time is just such an eye-opening experience and it couldn't have been any better.

"It was really nerve-racking, I was just happy to be there, when I made the team, I was like 'this is sick'.

"Then to actually get there and play and do well, I was like 'this is cool' so it was such a great experience.

"Being a World Cup as my first tournament, it was just crazy to see different countries around the hotel, not only on the court but off the court and speaking to them... it's so cool."

She is now heading to her third.

Australian Sapphires Under-17 FIBA World Cup Team

• Eliza Ashby – Victoria
• Daisy Hocking – South Australia
• Jasmine Jones – Victoria
• Jemyma Manyok – Queensland
• Lily Mapp – Queensland
• Olivia Olechnowicz – Queensland
• Sophie Richardson – Victoria
• Madison (Madi) Ryan – Victoria
• Jay Sebasio – Queensland
• Jade Sherrington – Queensland
• Isabel Smith – Queensland
• Matilda Trout – Victoria

Sophie Richardson anchors an experienced Australian backcourt alongside FIBA U16 Asia Cup gold medal teammates Olivia Olechnowicz and Isabel Smith, while Queenslander Jade Sherrington and Victorian Jasmine Jones add further versatility and scoring depth to the perimeter rotation.

Jay Sebasio gives the Sapphires another attacking option with her ability to pressure defences as a downhill guard-forward while Jemyma Manyok has been one of the standout performers for the Centre of Excellence in NBL1 East this season and is set to compete in her fourth junior FIBA tournament for Australia.

Australia also brings significant frontcourt size through Eliza Ashby, Matilda Trout and Lily Mapp.

Ashby was part of the Australian team that won the 2025 FIBA U17 Oceania Cup, while Trout and Mapp were key contributors in Australia’s gold medal run at the FIBA U16 Asia Cup in Mongolia. Trout, Mapp and Manyok all finished among the tournament’s top five rebounders.

Australian Players Who Missed The Final 12

• Annaliese Elliott (South Australia)
• Eliza Shanahan (Victoria)
• Marianela Fakalata (Victoria)
• Maddison Reisinger (Queensland)
• Vanessa Tavete (Victoria)

Australia – FIBA U17 Women’s World Cup Schedule (AEST)

Group A – Brno, Czechia

• 🇦🇺 Australia vs Latvia – Saturday, July 11 – 7:30PM
• 🇦🇺 Australia vs USA – Monday, July 13 – 4:15AM
• 🇦🇺 Australia vs Côte d’Ivoire – Tuesday, July 14 – 10:45PM

Tournament Format

All teams advance through to the Round of 16 on July 15, with final group placings determining knockout matchups.

Group A Crossover

• 1st Group A vs 4th Group B
• 2nd Group A vs 3rd Group B
• 3rd Group A vs 2nd Group B
• 4th Group A vs 1st Group B

All games will be broadcast on FIBA's YouTube Channel

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