With the 2026 U16 Foot Locker National Championship under a month away, the preparation for Red Energy Arena in Bendigo is well underway.
So, let’s look back at the established stars and hidden talents that have represented at the U16 Nationals Championships throughout the tournament's history.
From a movie star to AFL Premiership players, the Foot Locker U16 National Championships has a rich history of featuring the brightest talent the country has to offer.
Winding it back to 2007, the stars were on show with big names featuring across the tournament.
Before captaining the Essendon Football Club, Dyson Heppell tried his hand at basketball, uniting with NBL star and Australian Boomers Mitch Creek for VIC Country.
The duo fought their way to the championship game, ending as runners-up in 2007, and duelling against other big names across the tournament, including AFL All-Australian Chad Wingard (SA Country), and the NBL’s Mitch Norton (QLD South).
Familiar AFL names followed suit in 2008, with Fremantle Docker Jaeger O’Meara representing WA Country, Wingard having a second opportunity with SA Country and Olivia Bontempelli (Marcus’ sister) representing VIC Metro.
Eventual basketball stars were also present, as through 2008 and 2009 the likes of Steph Talbot (SA Country), Ally Wilson (SA Country), Lauren Nicholson (NSW Country), Rachael Cadee (NSW Country) and Tess Lavey (VIC) all participated at the U16 National Championships.
On the men’s side, 2010 and 2011 produced some of the brightest stars Australia had ever seen.
In 2010, the eventual 2014 fifth overall NBA draft pick Dante Exum emerged for VIC Metro.
Exum’s arrival was prolific, as scouts began to take interest in the emerging Australian talent.
One year later VIC Metro added the future 2016 first overall NBA draft pick and three-time NBA All-Star, Ben Simmons.
The Foot Locker U16 National Championships have served as a proven platform for future Boomers and Opals to find their feet at the top level.
Across 2011 and 2012 alone, eventual Boomers and Opals include; Thon Maker (NSW Metro), Tanner Krebs (TAS), Jack McVeigh (QLD South), Rhys Vague (WA Metro), Alanna Smith (VIC Metro), Kristy Wallace (QLD South), DJ Vasiljevic (VIC Metro), Jack White (VIC Country), Isaac Humphries (NSW Metro), Courtney Woods (QLD South), Alexandra Sharp (VIC Metro), Anneli Maley (Vic Metro) and Chloe Bibby (VIC Country).
And it didn’t stop there as the AFL names continued to represent across 2011 and 2012.
The 2021 AFL Norm Smith Medallist, Christian Petracca and Carlton’s Marc Pittonet both played alongside Ben Simmons for VIC Metro in 2011, whilst Brisbane Lion defender Tom Doedee played for VIC Country in 2012.
VIC Metro were the winners of the U16 National Champs in 2012, captained by West Coast Eagles small forward Matt Owies.
Owies led a squad consisting of Boomer representative Dejan Vasiljevic and perhaps the biggest and most notable name to have ever represented at the U16 National Championships, movie star Jacob Elordi.
Before Hollywood, Elordi provided pivotal minutes to the gold medallist VIC Metro rotation, with his most impressive performance being a 13-point, 6 rebound outing against WA Country.
Elordi rounds out a talented list of Australians that have represented at the Foot Locker U16 National Championships over the years as the tournament is a pathway for international scouts to get a first look at the best Australian talent shooting through.
With the 2026 instalment of the U16 National Championships quickly approaching, the opportunity arises for a new batch of athletes to make their name known for years to come.
Fixtures and tickets are now available.
