Australian Indigenous Basketball (AIB) has announced a 12 player roster to represent the 2018 Apunipima Australian Indigenous Men’s National Team (All Stars) in what will be the fifth Annual Trans-Tasman Basketball Series.
The AIB aims to advance and promote the sport of basketball whilst encouraging reconciliation between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous people and on top of that the team represents some of the best basketball talent in Australia.
The Apunipima Australian Indigenous Men’s National Team (All Stars) are the reigning champions of the three game series and looking to make it four in a row. The national representative lineup features Australia’s leading Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander basketball talent such as Chris Patton (Melbourne United/Cairns Taipans), Chris Cedar (Townsville Crocodiles) and Deba George (Cairns Taipans).
Chris Cedar during is time in the NBL with the Townsville Crocs.
State league standouts join the NBL experience and Dion Patten and Lachlan Edwards (Victoria) and Western Australian Johny Narkle all get first call ups.
Perhaps the most notable is the first call up for 16 year old Torres Strait Island phenom and NBA Global Academy scholarship athlete Tamuri Wigness.
“We’ve got some veteran guys who have performed well on New Zealand courts during previous tours and combining their skill-sets with the talent of our up-and-coming younger players, gives us a solid foundation to build our Trans-Tasman title defence on.” – Head Coach – Joel Kahlu
The explosive guard, Tamuri Wigness, has already earned call ups to the FIBA U16 Asian Championship and FIBA U17 World Cup squads where he averaged 10.7 points is making a name for himself with his explosive acceleration and rapid-fire scoring.
Comparisons have already started to be drawn with Patty Mills. He is on the radar of several NCAA college programs. Wigness is from the Torres Strait Islands and he embodies what this team is all about, proud of his heritage and aiming to promote the game.
“Watching from afar, what he’s been able to do, it’s exciting. It gets me excited to know that there is another Indigenous kid that’s succeeding, and he’s doing it in a fashion where it’s, ‘oh, okay’. It catches your attention, for sure.” – Patty Mills on Tamuri Wigness.
Head Coach Joel Khalu is excited about combining the veterans and young talent in search of defending the Trans-Tasman title. He however acknowledges this won’t be an easy feat.
“Our staff are certainly excited about the blend of experience and youth we have in this year’s group,” Apunipima All Stars Head Coach Joel Khalu said.
“We’ve got some veteran guys who have performed well on New Zealand courts during previous tours and combining their skill-sets with the talent of our up-and-coming younger players, gives us a solid foundation to build our Trans-Tasman title defence on.”
The Apunipima Australian Indigenous Men’s National Team (All Stars) are ready and excited for the challenge, but also know what they are aiming for won’t be a walk in the park.
“Winning a fourth straight campaign is the goal, but definitely won’t be an easy feat,” Khalu added.
“The New Zealand Maori side are big, athletic and play an extremely physical brand of hoops. We’ll need to match their level of toughness, particularly in the paint, if we want to be competitive.”
Both Apunipima All Stars men’s and women’s national teams will then hit the global stage next March, when they’ll compete in the 2019 World Indigenous Basketball Championships, also being hosted in New Zealand.
You can follow the journey by following the team’s Facebook Page.
The 3-games making up the series will be played over consecutive nights, with game one tipping-off in Hamilton on Thursday, September 27.
5th ANNUAL TRANS-TASMAN BASKETBALL SERIES
NEW ZEALAND
- Game #1 – Thursday, September 27 – Hamilton
- Game #2 – Friday, September 28 – Tauranga
- Game #3 – Saturday, September 29 – Tauranga
Aussie Hoopla acknowledges the traditional owners of the land and we pay our respects to their elders, past, present and future.
2018 APUNIPIMA AUSTRALIAN INDIGENOUS BASKETBALL MEN’S NATIONAL TEAM (ALL STARS)
Chris Cedar – Mackay, QLD
Chris Patton – Melbourne, VIC
Deba George – Albury, NSW
Dion Patten – Melbourne, VIC
JaKobe Hunter – Cairns, QLD
Joel Matysek – Cairns, QLD
Johny Narkle – Geraldton, WA
Lachlan Edwards – Geelong, VIC
Marshall Ware – Cairns, QLD
Tamuri Wigness – Canberra, ACT
Tidjane Diop – Gold Coast, QLD
William Hickey – Sydney, NSW
Head Coach: Joel Khalu
Assistant Coach: Jason Borg
Assistant Coach: Ricky Baldwin
Team Manager: Brent Khalu
Team Physio: Eddie Atkin