The Australian U18 National Championships are now done and dusted, and we had the opportunity to see a heap of the country's best young prospects on show.
On the men's side, it was Victoria Metro who walked away as champions, defeating their Country counterparts 90-51 in the gold medal game to cap off the event.
While the overall talent pool wasn't particularly deep -- and the level across the board seemed lower than previous years -- there was still an array of top-end prospects who were elite, drawing a sea of evaluators to the north of Brisbane.
Naturally, the entirety of the Brisbane Bullets' coaching staff made their way to the tournament, while a host of other NBL decision-makers and recruiters were spotted throughout the week: Cairns Taipans head coach, Adam Forde; Perth Wildcats General Manager of Basketball Operations, Danny Mills; Adelaide 36ers development coach, Michael Lake; and the NBL's General Manager of Next Stars recruitment, Liam Santamaria.
Here are the prospects who stood out.
Rocco Zikarsky - Queensland South
Zikarsky came into the tournament as the best prospect, and didn't disappoint.
The 7'2 big-man was dominant for Queensland South; he was unstoppable whenever he got a catch within the restricted area - seemingly dunking everything - while leading the tournament in blocked shots with 4.2 per game. He averaged 19.8 points and 12.6 rebounds per game; one of just four players to average a double-double.
We mentioned the overall talent pool at this tournament being relatively low, but it wasn't just that; this cohort, at least from the eye test, seemed shorter than previous years. Because of that, as well as his advanced size and skill level, there was really no matchup for Zikarsky all week. He was often triple-teamed on the low block, and was still able to either pass out of those or rise up and finish over the top of multiple bodies.
But, this wasn't a matter of Zikarsky just using his size to dominate. There was an effort level that was impressive. He'd get tough rebounds in traffic, run the floor effectively, and the 56 percent shooting from the free throw line doesn't seem indicative of how his form looked throughout the tournament.
There was a sense of wanting to see more from Zikarsky throughout the week -- maybe a few more catches on the low block here and there, or seeing how he operates out of the mid-post -- but this tournament incentivises winning over development, so the centre was largely put in positions that would help the team succeed and it was good enough for a bronze medal finish.
The NBL's Next Stars program has interest in Zikarsky as a member of the program for the 2024-25 season, while the NBA G-League Ignite remains an option for the 16-year-old; though, a decision on his post-junior future is likely a fair bit away.
Luke Fennell - Victoria Metro
Watching Fennell throughout the tournament, he's probably the safest bet among every player at the tournament to be a really good pro.
In Fennell, you have a 6'5 guard/wing who showed off some really good self-creation off the dribble, shot it at a high rate, and had impressive glimpses of athleticism.
Fennell's feel for the game was on show throughout the week. He knew when to take over games, and had the ability to put his Victoria Metro team on his back in stretches. He was really effective shooting off the dribble, either off a ball screen or after breaking down his man, and had multiple dunks in traffic.
He finished the tournament averaging 21.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game, while shooting an impressive 49.5 percent from the field and 38.6 percent from downtown, ultimately leading his team to a gold medal.
Ned Renfree - Victoria Country
There's a really good argument for Renfree being the most skilled player over this tournament.
Renfree looked like one of the purest shooters all week -- 36.7 percent from downtown -- and seemingly made all the right decisions when getting two feet in the paint. His footwork in that in-between area is elite, and he has the ability to rise up and shoot it consistently over an extended hand.
The 6'1 point guard plays well above his height, showing off elite athleticism -- combined with an extremely high motor -- when finishing at and around the rim. He was a high-level competitor all tournament, and showed it down the stretch in Victoria Country's semifinals matchup with Queensland South; Renfree took over that contest and dropped 35 points to lead his team to an impressive overtime win.
Renfree is also an elite Australian rules football player, but is an obvious division-1 college prospect if he stays with basketball. If he does, he has a good chance at being a really impressive pro down the line.
Roman Siulepa - Queensland South
Siulepa was one of the most exciting players to watch in Brisbane.
The 6'5 wing did what we know he could: he played an aggressive, high-energy type of bully ball, using his size and athleticism to excel when going downhill.
The Queensland South product is a really intriguing prospect to evaluate. On one hand, his touch around the rim looked much improved, and he was maybe one of the best passers all tournament. His ability to find shooters after getting two feet in the paint looked very real, and his post entries to Zikarsky were on point.
How he translates to the pro level, though, is the main question. It was one posed by NBL teams in attendance, because a lot of Siulepa's skillset still has developing to do. His jump-shot looked better but the numbers didn't show it -- 5-of-35 from downtown over the tournament -- while his overall skillset isn't at the level just yet of being able to be effective in the half court on either end at the next level.
There's still so much time for that development, but those are some of the concerns with regard to how Siulepa's bully ball style of play might translate to, for example, the NBL level. The good news is that there are plans for him to spend time with the Bullets in a training player capacity this coming season, with the hopes of keeping him around for the foreseeable future; being around a professional, structured environment is exactly what he needs to take that next step developmentally.
Jacob Furphy - Tasmania
Going into this tournament, we knew Furphy -- a member of Australia's U17 team for the 2022 World Cup -- was going to be a focal point for Tasmania, and he produced accordingly.
Furphy led the tournament in both scoring and rebounding -- 25 points and 13 rebounds per game -- and showed off a really broad skillset over the week. He's this positionless wing type of player -- almost an undersized four-man -- who crashes the boards effectively, is a great distributor, and has a funky game around the rim.
What Furphy translates to as his career progresses is still unknown -- he's not necessarily elite at anything; just really high-level in everything -- but the shooting splits ended up being really solid -- 50 percent from the field, and 32 percent from downtown -- so it's clear he was able to dominate at this level. That Swiss-army knife play style is something we've seen carry over from juniors into the college and pro level, and Furphy's production and efficiency at this tournament gives us good reason to believe it could with him.
Emmett Adair - NSW Metro
At 6'8, Adair showed off a really versatile skillset for his size.
He's definitely more of a four-man at this stage, but has the jump-shot and mobility to potentially see him transition into playing as wing. A rough final game saw his three-point shooting numbers drop, but he was otherwise a reliable shooter all tournament, and had a nice touch around the rim.
The length is what stands out with Adair, as well as the athleticism; now a member of the NBA Global Academy, you can sense he may make one of the bigger developmental leaps over the next 12 months.
Charles Dimmock - WA Metro
There was a lot to like from what Dimmock showed for WA Metro this week.
The skilled, 6'10 big-man had an imposing nature to the way he played, proving to be an effective post threat by making high-level plays out of the low block. He had great touch around the rim but also showed an impressive passing game out of those areas, doing a great job hitting shooters and cutters when drawing the second defender down low.
He finished the tournament averaging 15.1 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game, and projects as a really solid two-way big moving forward. Expect a good amount of division-1 college interest to head Dimmock's way after his showing in Brisbane.
Harrison Beauchamp - Victoria Metro
Beauchamp has a game you could really see translating to the next level.
Not only did he produce for the championship-winning Vic Metro side -- 12.7 points and 5.7 rebounds a game -- but he was arguably the best shooter in the tournament.
He shot it at 44.1 percent from beyond the three-point line, on just over six attempts a game; extremely impressive, especially when considering he was a bottom-age player in this tournament. His transition into being more of a perimeter based player bodes really well for his long-term success; he's a 6'5 wing whose three-point shooting looks elite, so he projects as, potentially, a really solid pro.