The Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence (CoE) men’s and women’s teams have demonstrated impressive form heading into the business end of the NBL1 East season.
With the men leading the NBL1 East standings and the women placed inside the top four, the Centre of Excellence is enjoying a consistently competitive campaign across both programs.
Coaches Robbie McKinlay (CoE Men) & Mel Downer (CoE Women) will need to work their magic in the coming weeks with a recalibration to adjust to the Centre of Excellence mid-year graduation. Men's Jacob Furphy and several key players have played their final game for the 'Tute', graduating academy programs and earning places at NCAA schools for the 2025-26 Season.
Recap for both programs below
COE – Men | 14 – 2 | 1st
The CoE men’s team secured five victories out of their last six games. They achieved decisive wins against the North Bears (62-85), Bankstown Bruins (94-82), Albury-Wodonga Bandits (79-67), Sutherland Sharks (80-73) and toppled the Canberra Gunners (85 – 75) on Thursday. Their only loss in a dominant run came against the Sydney Comets in May, ending in an 84-75 defeat.
Across this stretch of games, a feature has been distribution of scoring, frequently featuring multiple double-digit contributors. Standout performances include Che Brogan’s outing against the North Bears, where he tallied 26 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 steals.
Jacob Furphy made an immediate impact upon returning from international duties, posting 34 points against Bankstown before following up with 22 points on 57% shooting against the Sydney Comets. Brogan & Furphy combined for 53 points in the Gunners triumph earlier this week.
The CoE men will have their depth tested on the run home with a contingent of essential pieces graduating from the Centre of Excellence and NBA Global Academy programs.
Captain & leading scorer Jacob Furphy, Seb Emenalo, James Dyson-Merwe, Roor Akhuar & Luke Fennell all played their last game against the Gunners. It’s go-time for the next men up.
LEADERS
Points (PPG): Jacob Furphy – 16.20
Assists (APG): Che Brogan – 4.00
Rebounds (RPG): Marcus Vaughns – 5.60
Blocks (BPG): Ladji Coulibaly – 1.83
Three Points (3PM): Jacob Furphy – 2.00
Steals (SPG): Alexander Dickeson – 2.31
COE – Women | 10 – 4 | 4th
The CoE women’s team have maintained their place within the top four standings despite a recent fade out. They triumphed over the Bankstown Bruins (92-83), Sydney Comets (74-85), and Albury-Wodonga Bandits (85-66). The CoE women’s seven game winning streak, which spanned from round 1 to round 6, came to an end with a 74-88 loss to the North Bears.
They have lost two consecutive nail-biters, edged out in a tight contest by the Sutherland Sharks (69-72) and the Canberra Nationals 77 – 74 earlier this week.
Sitaya Fagan has continued to set the tone for the CoE women, averaging 27.2 points and 13 rebounds over a five-game stretch with over 20 points in every outing. Accompanying Fagan has been Zara Russell, who delivered back-to-back 30-point performances against the North Bears and Bankstown Bruins.
The CoE women will farewell their captain in Emilija Dakic after the 22 June fixture vs the Crusaders. Dakic will progress from the Centre of Excellence with a commitment to Florida in the NCAA. The impending change will provide Coach Downer with an opportunity to test out the depth at guard with young stars Aspen Crase Isabel Smith & Olivia Olechnowicz.
LEADERS
Points (PPG): Sitaya Fagan – 13.00
Assists (APG): Emilija Dakic – 9.00
Rebounds (RPG): Jade Crook – 9.13
Blocks (BPG): Zara Russell – 2.00
Three Points (3PM): Jacob Furphy
Steals (SPG): Sitaya Fagan – 4.00
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CoE – Game Hub
Fixtures
Standings
