The Chrissy decorations are back in storage, party poppers popped and the calendar turns to 2026.
Our first priority of the New Year is the benchmark junior tournament, Basketball Australia’s Foot Locker U20 National Championships.
The U20 National & Ivor Burge summit returns for the 56th iteration at Selkirk Stadium in Ballarat, Victoria from 27 January to 1 February.
A newcomer to the tournament package has arrived with the introduction of the 3x3 Champs, a direct pathway to the FIBA circuit and pathway to be scouted for the Australian Gangurrus 3x3 team.
More on that later…
Tickets have just gone live via INTIX and we’ve got the schedule to announce.
SCHEDULE
The pools have been drawn and the schedule for the group rounds has arrived.
Pool rounds will transpire from 27 – 29 January before the knockout bracket from 30 January to 1 February.
All of the U20 & Ivor Burge action will be broadcast LIVE by broadcast partner Kommunity TV
| POOL GAMES | |
| 27 January - Group Stages | U20 - Men & Women |
| 28 January - Group Stages | U20 + Ivor Burge - Men & Women |
| 29 January - Group Stages | U20 + Ivor Burge - Men & Women |
| QUARTERFINALS | |
| 30 JAN | U20 Men & Women + Ivor Burge - Men Day One | 3x3 Champs |
| SEMI-FINALS | |
| 31 January | U20 – Men & Women + Ivor Burge – Women |
| CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND | |
| 1 February | U20 + Ivor Burge – Men & Women |
U20 MEN
Talent across the country has been established.
A Queensland unit led by Roccy Zikarsky (currently at Minnesota, NBA) and Roman Siulepa (Pittsburgh, NCAA) led the Maroons to consecutive titles in 2021 – 2022.
There’s some noise coming from the West as well, with the Black Swans claiming their first title in 22 years in 2023.
Two-time reigning Champs Victoria are pooled in Pool B alongside Queensland, Western Australia and Tasmania. On the other side of the ledger in Pool A, Victoria Navy, South Australia, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory.
New year, new comp. We will see who rises in 2026.
U20 WOMEN
The Arthur McRobbie Trophy has been exchanged in a rally between Victoria and New South Wales since 2020. It’s a classic modern-day rivalry that will inevitably come into play again in Ballarat later this month.
The two U20 power-programs have been drawn together and feature in a tournament opening fixture at 11am on Tuesday, 27 January.
South Australia and the ACT join VIC & NSW in Pool A, whilst emerging challengers Queensland & Victoria Navy are in Pool B alongside Tasmania and Western Australia.
IVOR BURGE MEN
Established in 1995, the Ivor Burge tournament provides the talent pathway for the Australian Pearls & Boomerangs PWID teams.
Victoria’s men powered to the title over South Australia last year with a Jack Dela-Motte starring and a double Goerg-Dent impact, with brothers Keenan & Zachary making formidable duo.
VIC are grouped in Pool A alongside New South Wales, Queensland and once again a New Zealand representative team will travel the Tasman.
Tasmania was a threat alongside SA in 2025 and will compete against each other in Pool B alongside Western Australia.
IVOR BURGE WOMEN
Victoria took the title in the Ivor Burge women’s competition to complete the VIC double last year. Similarly to the U20 National women, the championship has largely been a battle between rival states Victoria and New South Wales.
Brittany Anderson led scoring at 26.29 points per game for NSW last year with Victoria’s Montana Haag not far behind. Both would go on to win gold with the Pearls at the Virtus Champs in Kazakhstan in mid-2025.
3X3 CHAMPS
For the first time, there will be a dedicated 3x3 component at a National Champs meet.
The new tournament will have U17 & U23 categories with teams nominated from across the country.
The U17 competition will serve as a talent identification pathway for the upcoming 2026 Youth Olympic Games.
Similarly, the U23’s will serve as a scouting point for the FIBA U23 World Cup in 2023, and winning teams will have an extra incentive with an expense-paid trip to compete at the Shibuya City Challenger hosted in Japan from 18 - 19 April 2026
The 3x3 Champs will add a new high-octane dimension. Tickets are free and final teams & fixtures will be released prior to the tournament.
The Foot Locker U20 National Championships is an elite junior event delivered by Basketball Australia in collaboration with the Ballarat City Council, Victorian State Government and Ballarat Basketball Association.
The event is made possible thanks to Foot Locker and partners iAthletic, Spalding, Kommunity TV and Sportslink Travel.
