Breaking down the Centre of Excellence roster

Written for NBL1.com.au by Michael Houben

In the NBL1's inaugural season the Basketball Australia's Centre of Excellence featued two future NBL Next-Stars in Mojave King and now NBA sixth overall pick Josh Giddey.

Whilst their last appearance saw them feature in the NBL1 South conference, this year the NBL1 format has been re-jigged for the elite junior outfit to compete in their own ‘Wildcard Series’, where they are pitted to verse last season’s top teams across all conferences in 20 men’s and 16 women’s game this season.

The new format is the perfect opportunity to showcase Australia’s best junior players and challenge them with stimulating competition. With all of their games available to watch for free on Kayo Freebies.

You can watch the CoE play against NBL player Harry Froling on Saturday, June 4 at 8:00pm on Kayo Freebies in our NBL1 Wildcard Game of the Week here.

Ahead of the men’s massive double header this weekend, let’s breakdown the CoE’s roster, which comprises of both Centre of Excellence and NBA Global Academy scholarship holders.

The Australians

The majority of the CoE’s men’s roster is comprised of Australian talent, and of those, one particular drawcard is already a an established name. Tyrese Proctor, a 6’5 guard out of New South Wales, has little to prove on an NBL1 floor after already committing to Duke University earlier this year.

Considered one of the top guards of the entire 2023 class, Proctor currently ranks 11th on 247Sports 2023 Basketball Recruitment rankings thanks to an impressive combination of positional size, ball handling and shot making.

Proctor starred at the Under 20 Australian Junior Championships, recording an event high 24 points per game. On a stacked Centre of Excellence roster, Proctor is playing a more balanced floor game with less scoring demand, but he’s still the headline act on a team full of future stars. Those that check him out now in NBL1 will be getting an early glimpse at one of Australia, and the NBA’s, future stars.

Other standouts from the local contingent include guard Rory Hawke, who currently leads the CoE team so far this season with 17 points a contest. The hard nosed scorer can be counted on to play aggressive basketball every moment on the floor, whether It’s through pesky point of attack defense or a relentless tenacity as a driver.

Alex Toohey, a versatile forward from the ACT, has also been a key feature of the CoE team, with his two-way, Swiss-army knife type game contributing across the board. At 6’9, Toohey was the Under 20 Australian Junior Championships leading facilitator, averaging 6.3 assists per game, and his unique talents make him the perfect connecting piece for the CoE in NBL1 competition.

Also of note is big man Bol Dengdit. A smooth athlete with length, athleticism and a burgeoning perimeter skill-set earned the Victorian a commitment to Division 1 program Portland. Averaging 12.8 points per game on 61.8% shooting so far for the CoE this season, Dengdit is proving to be a handful for opposition front courts with his ability to score both inside and out. He’s played early in the season for the CoE, but expect Dengdit to head off to college sooner rather than later.

Also imminently off to college is sharpshooting point guard Evan Kilminster, who recently committed to Charleston to play alongside Tasmanian Reyne Smith. Rounding out the backcourt is Josh Dent (brother of Illawarra Hawk Josh Dent), who, having only just turned 17 years old, is one of the youngest players on the team. On the wing, freshly minted scholarship holder Alex Kovachev brings an exciting athletic presence with the capability to throw down some monstrous dunks at any point this season, whilst recent addition Ben Henshall out of Western Australia contributes with a versatile scoring skill-set and defensive presence.

Rounding out the big man depth are two son of a guns, Jensen Bradkte (son of NBL legend Mark Bradtke), who adds his dextrous post play after joining the Global Academy only earlier this year, as well as Bowyn Beatty, whose towering frame eclipses that of his 6’6 mother, Canberra Capitals great Tracey Peacock. Of particular note should be centre Yaak Yaak, whose NBA-esque physical tools are garnering him some high level collegiate interest, and Queensland product Joshua Hughes tantalises with upside of his own due to a combination of shooting, touch and mobility. Fellow Queenslander Luka Yates provides dependable high motor play on the glass and scoring in the paint, whilst Jack McWilliams, who appeared in some of the CoE’s earlier games, is a monumental 7’1 big man whose academic excellence rivals his post game, leading to a commitment with Ivy League program Oklahoma City University.

The Centre of Excellence and NBA Global Academy programs also saw the recent induction of 2022 Under 18 Australian Junior Championship winning members Rocco Zikarsky and Roman Siulepa, as well as Victorian guard Carlin Briggs and New South Wales big James O’Donnell. We haven’t seen any suit up for the CoE, but Siulepa has suited up for the Southern District Spartans, with the still 15 year old scoring 5, 9 and 13 points in his three appearances so far.

The Internationals

Though the team is known as the Centre of Excellence across NBL1 play, the teams core is an amalgamation of both the Centre of Excellence and NBA Global Academy program’s talents, who exist and train more or less synonymously with one another at their base in Canberra.

As a result, the team’s NBL1 roster features a bunch of exciting international prospects.

Dragos Lungu is a phenomenally talented guard out of Romania, who possesses immense creativity off the dribble as a ball handler, passer and scorer. Lungu put his name on the map with excellent showing’s at events such as the Under 18 European Challengers, establishing himself as one of the best perimeter players in Europe of his age group. Though he is still establishing himself in the CoE’s NBL1 rotation, he has the potential to be a cornerstone talent within the group. If he manages to build on his potential and show out as the season progresses, he may even be a player worthy of NBL Next Star discussions into the future.

Iaroslav Niagu also recently joined the program, with the 6’11 big possessing an incredibly skilful game for his size, with a fluid physical profile and shooting range out to three. Niagu will take time to fill out physically with an understandably lanky frame, but with plenty of potential and some professional experience under his belt with Lokomotiv Kuban, the 18 year old Russian will be a handful for NBL1 teams whenever he hits the floor for the CoE.

Another big who has been with the Global Academy program since 2019 is Josh Ojianwuna. The 6’10 Nigerian has sensational physical tools, with long arms and big time leaping ability. Over his time with the NBA Global Academy, Ojianwuna has refined his skill-set, turning himself into a highly coveted mid to high major college target as a rim running big, ultimately committing to the Baylor Bears. Ojianwuna has been a pivotal player for the Global Academy’s Under 20 Australian Junior Championship teams the last two years, and will stand out as one of the most athletic players in all of NBL1 so long as he sticks around in Australia. Now graduated, it appears Ojianwuna’s time with the NBL1 team has come to an end, though he appeared in games against Mackay and Townsville last month.

We also saw appearances from international players such as South Sudan’s Kiir Kiir Chol Deng (now graduated), China’s Liyongwei Xie and Junjie Wang, Qatar’s Hamad Mousa over the team’s appearance at the Under 20 Australian Junior Championships, though none of the above have played for the NBL1 team up to this point.

You can also check out recent NBA Global Academy Graduate Derrick Michael Xzavierro, as the Indonesian big will be making the trip back to Australia with the countries’ national team later this season to face NBL1 teams in a series of exhibition games across June.

Feature image via Kelly Barnes / AllStar Photos.