Gems and Sapphires now rivals for national title

• ‍By the Numbers: Australian Gems Under-19 World Cup player snapshot‍
• Every 2026 Under-20 player and games in one list‍
• Top 5 players at the 2025 Australian Under-20 women's championships

Victorian Madi Ryan played for Australian three times in 2025 – winning two gold medals and a silver medal at the FIBA Under-19 Women's World Cup – and goes into the 2026 Australian Under-20 Women's Championships as its most decorated player, hoping to add national championship to her growing resume.

"Every moment I get to put on the Green and Gold, whatever tournament it is, it's just such a cool experience," Ryan told basketball.com.au's Hayley Wildes last year.

"I absolutely love it, and I’m very grateful to have done it so many times at a young age.

"You play with a different team, different group of girls and different coaches each time, so it's just as special every time."

Ryan is part of a stacked Victorian team that was to include USC Class of 2026 recruit and World Cup teammate Sitaya Fagan but she is already in the US and will not play. The Victorian line-up does include Geelong Venom's Tayli DiMarco.

But the Victorians road to the title, starting in Ballarat on January 27, 2026, won't easy.

Their World Cup teammate Ruby Perkins, who has committed to the California Golden Bears as part of the Class of 2026, and former Sapphires star Jessie-May Hall anchor a NSW backcourt, back to defend their 2025 championship.

There are 13 players who have represented Australian between Under-16s and Under-20s at the 2026 tournament including 10 players coming off the Australian Sapphires Under-17 Oceania Cup gold medal.

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

Under-20 Women's Australian Representatives

Madi Ryan (VIC)

• Australian Gems – U19 World Cup
• Australian Sapphires – U17 Oceania Cup
• Australian Sapphires – U16 Oceania Cup

Sitaya Fagan (VIC)

• Australian Gems – World Cup
• Australian Sapphires – U17 Oceania Cup

Ruby Perkins (NSW)

• Australian Gems – World Cup

Prasaysus Notoa (QLD)

• Australian Gems – U19 World Cup

Andie Smith (TAS)

• Australian Sapphires – U17 Oceania Cup

Reece Anticevic (WA)

• Australian Sapphires – U17 Oceania Cup

Rebecca Donnelly (NSW)

• Australian Sapphires – U17 Oceania Cup

Aspen Crase (SA)

• Australian Sapphires – U17 Oceania Cup

Cheyenne Bobongie (QLD)

• Australian Sapphires – U17 Oceania Cup

Taryn Bond (QLD)

• Australian Sapphires – U17 Oceania Cup

Olivia Olechnowicz (QLD)

• Australian Sapphires – U17 Oceania Cup

Jemyma Manyok (QLD)

• Australian Sapphires – U17 Oceania Cup

Eliza Ashby (VIC)

• Australian Sapphires – U17 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.

Women's Tournament Fixtures

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

Day 1: Tuesday, January 27, 2026

• 11:00am (SC) – New South Wales vs Victoria (Pool A)
• 11:00am (Court 4) – Victoria Navy vs Western Australia (Pool B)
• 3:00pm (SC) – Tasmania vs Queensland (Pool B)
• 3:00pm (Court 4) – South Australia vs Australian Capital Territory (Pool A)