Basketball Australia is pleased to announce the Australian Under-19 women’s squad to attend the first preparation camp of 2018 at the BA Centre of Excellence from May 12-14.
Coach Dee Butler and her staff have put together a versatile and athletic group of athletes for the camp which is the first step in preparation for the 2018 FIBA Under-18 Asian Championship which will be held in India this October.
The top four teams from that tournament will earn qualification through to the 2019 FIBA Under-19 World Cup.
Three key inclusions in the preliminary squad are 2016 FIBA Under-17 World Championship gold medalists Jazmin Shelley,Miela Goodchild and Samantha Simons and they will be joined by seven players from the 2017 FIBA Under-17 Oceania Championship gold medal team.
Four players also featured in the recent WNBL season in Ahlise Hurst (Bendigo Spirit) and Chelsea D’Angelo (Melbourne Boomers) while Haylee Andrews and Goodchild were a part of Townsville Fire’s Championship winning campaign.
Coach Butler has also surrounded herself with success on the sidelines with Fire Championship coach Claudia Brassard and SEABL women’s Championship coach David Herbert (Geelong Supercats) named as her assistants.
The Gems have a proud history of success on the international stage, having claimed World Championship medals across three decades and the team has been the springboard for the international careers of Opals legends including Lauren Jackson, Kristi Harrower, Michelle Brogan and Penny Taylor.
The Australian Gems Squad ahead of the 2018 FIBA Under-18 Asian Championships:
| NAME | STATE |
| Haylee Andrews | Queensland |
| Sharna Ayres | Victoria |
| Paige Bayliss | Queensland |
| Isabelle Bourne | ACT |
| Elissa Brett | South Australia |
| Emma Clarke | Western Australia |
| Chelsea D’Angelo | Victoria |
| Miela Goodchild | Queensland |
| Stephanie Gorman | Victoria |
| Ahlise Hurst | Victoria |
| Jade Kirisome | Queensland |
| Ula Motuga | Queensland |
| Jessica McDowell-White | Queensland |
| Maddi Pulli | Victoria |
| Jazmin Shelley | Victoria |
| Samantha Simons | South Australia |
| Darcy Rees | South Australia |
| Emma Rowcliffe | ACT |
| STAFF | |
| Dee Butler | Head Coach |
| Claudia Brassard | Assistant Coach |
| David Herbert | Assistant Coach |
| Donna Turner | Team Manager |
In the spirit of reconciliation Basketball Australia acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.