New Zealand Junior Teams Named to Play FIBA U16 Asia Champs

UPDATE: THE FIBA U16 ASIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS HAVE BEEN CANCELLED. MORE HERE.

Basketball New Zealand has named the New Zealand junior teams to compete at the 2020 FIBA Under 16 Asia Championships, to be held in April. The boys will compete in Beirut, Lebanon (5-12 April). The girls’ event will be held in Canberra, Australia, at the Australian Institute of Sport Arena (5-10 April).

Head of High Performance at Basketball New Zealand, Leonard King, says this is a great moment for these young athletes who have worked hard to earn the privilege of representing New Zealand.

“After the completion of a very competitive national selection camp, we’re pleased to announce these athletes and coaching staff who will represent New Zealand at the Asia Champs. These young players will be up against Asia’s best age-group talent and they are an impressive group of young people, so it’s exciting to see them playing through the ranks.

“The FIBA Under 16 Asian Championships provide a high level of competition for our teams, with the potential of qualifying for the FIBA Under 17 World Championships. Participating at these tournaments also provides our athletes with excellent exposure opportunities with many NCAA coaches watching these events to recruit and evaluate.

“These teams are anchored by the solid foundation of two very good coaches. Daryl Cartwright (boys’ coach) and Anthony Corban (girls’ coach) are two of our most experienced coaches internationally and they have a coaching pedigree of player development. They also provide great leadership for our Junior Nationals teams and we are excited to see what they can accomplish in the limited amount of time they have had with their teams,” says King.

The boys’ Asia Champs will feature the top 16 teams that have qualified from Asia and Oceania: Japan, South Korea, Chinese Taipei, China, Australia, Syria, Iran, Lebanon, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, India, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and New Zealand. The top four of these teams will represent Asia-Oceania at the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2020 in Sofia, Bulgaria taking place in July.

The girls’ championship will be comprised of two divisions: Australia, Japan, China, South Korea, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, India and New Zealand competing in Division A. Division B will feature Fiji and Samoa, who will be joined by six teams from Asia on a first-come first-registered basis. The top four in Division A will qualify for the FIBA U17 Women’s Basketball World Cup 2020 in Cluj-Napoca, Romania taking place in August.

New Zealand Girls Team – 2020 FIBA Under 16 Asia Championships

New Zealand Boys Team – 2020 FIBA Under 16 Asia Championships