NBL Next Stars strengthened Australia’s reputation as a world-class pathway for NBA prospects<\/p>\n
Australian men\u2019s basketball is punching above its weight against global powerhouses.<\/p>\n
No more evidence is needed than the NBL Next Stars<\/a> 3-0 tournament win at the adidas Eurocamp in Italy last week. <\/p>\n Do not sleep on its significance. A world basketball insider declared to basketball.com.au<\/a>: \u201cRight now, it is the most important camp in Europe for NBA scouts.\u201d<\/p>\n The Next Stars won its three games: <\/p>\n NBL Next Stars 90 def. Team World 63NBL Next Stars 94 def. Eurocamp 2 88NBL Next Stars 66 def. Eurocamp 1 62 \u2014 adidas Eurocamp Final<\/p>\n NBL Next Stars GM Liam Santamaria then told basketball.com.au<\/a> in an exclusive interview that Eurocamp wasn\u2019t a landmark event for Australian basketball fans (yet), but its importance for Australia\u2019s next-gen stars and the NBL Next Stars program’s reputation shouldn\u2019t be underestimated.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Next Stars program is a proven pathway to the NBA, and we’re proud to offer our players \u2013 as well as other elite prospects from across Australia, New Zealand and the world \u2013 quality opportunities to develop their skills and showcase their talents,\u201d Santamaria said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Eurocamp hasn’t traditionally been on the radar of the average Australian basketball fan, but it is the premier pre-draft showcase in Europe.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s an event where much of the best emerging talent in the world converges, and NBA front offices pay close attention.\u201d<\/p>\n Player NBL Next Stars \u2014 adidas Eurocamp 2026 Tournament Averages<\/p>\n Max MacKinnon Dash Daniels Oscar Cluff Malique Lewis Jackson Ball Mach Jongkuch Jai Fa’ale Luka Malovic Aron Stazic Justin Akengbowa Jayden Cecil Yuto Imanishi South East Melbourne Phoenix NBL Next Star Malique Lewis made the camp\u2019s all-star five for the second consecutive year, Max Mackinnon was named the Finals MVP, and Melbourne United NBL Next Star Dash Daniels was awarded Best Defender.<\/p>\n \u201cAustralian basketball has a super-strong reputation globally – the performances of our national teams over a long period of time have helped to build that, as have our individual players and their performances in the best leagues in the world,\u201d Santamaria added.<\/p>\n \u201cThe NBL and our Next Stars program form just part of that outstanding reputation, and having our group go undefeated at the Eurocamp, against such elite competition, further demonstrates that the environment, coaching and competition we provide in this part of the world is genuinely world-class.\u201d<\/p>\n Eurocamp has showcased numerous NBA stars including: Rudy Gobert; Clint Capela; Jusuf Nurki\u0107; Australian Dante Exum; Guillermo Hernang\u00f3mez; Bogdan Bogdanovi\u0107; Jaylen Brown; Bam Adebayo; Dennis Schr\u00f6der; Danilo Gallinari; Nikola Vu\u010devi\u0107; Dario \u0160ari\u0107; Jakob Poeltl; Franz Wagner; Moe Wagner; Moritz Wagner; and Nikola Jovi\u0107.<\/p>\n Outside the Class of 2026, Australians such as Rocco Zikarsky<\/a>, Che Brogan, Lachlan Olbrich<\/a>, Roman Siulepa, William McDowell-White, Dejan Vasiljevic, Alex Condon, Johnny Furphy<\/a>, Ben Henshall, Luke Fennell, Taran Armstrong and Owen Foxwell have all competed at the camp.<\/p>\n \u201cThe global basketball landscape is always evolving, and there’s no doubt the NBL Next Stars program \u2013 one of the most unique development pathways in world sport \u2013 needs to keep differentiating itself,\u201d Santamaria said.<\/p>\n \u201cOur participation in the adidas Eurocamp \u2013 and our group’s success there \u2013 is part of that process. <\/p>\n \u201cIt provides a great snapshot of the quality of our coaching, the competitive environment we offer, and the individual development pathways we provide. <\/p>\n \u201cA result like this helps to keep the NBL and the Next Stars on the radar of players, agents and families across the world who are weighing up their options.\u201d<\/p>\n Watch Game 3 of adidas Eurocamp 2026<\/p>\n Watch Game 2 of adidas Eurocamp 2026<\/p>\n Watch Game 1 of adidas Eurocamp 2026<\/p>\n adidas Eurocamp 2026<\/a>: Australian and NBL Pathway Prospects Make Their Mark<\/p>\n The NBL Next Stars squad showcased why the Australian and New Zealand development pathway remains one of the world’s premier talent pipelines, with five players averaging double figures or near-double figures across the three-game tournament.<\/p>\n Max MacKinnon was the standout performer, leading the team in scoring at 18.7 points per game while shooting an efficient 51.9% from the field and 42.1% from three-point range. The versatile wing added 5.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists per contest, emerging as one of the most productive players at the camp.<\/p>\n Malique Lewis filled the stat sheet, averaging 12.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists while knocking down an impressive 55.6% from beyond the arc. His all-around impact highlighted why NBA scouts continue to monitor the Bahamian forward closely.<\/p>\n Among the Australian prospects, Dash Daniels<\/a> continued to display his playmaking upside, posting 10.0 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 26.6 minutes per game. While his shot didn’t consistently fall (36.4% FG, 22.2% 3PT), he demonstrated the versatility and feel that have made him one of Australia’s most highly regarded young prospects.<\/p>\n Jackson Ball produced a strong campaign, averaging 10.3 points on 46.6% shooting while contributing 3.0 rebounds per game. The Centre of Excellence product showed flashes of his scoring package and perimeter touch.<\/p>\n Inside, Oscar Cluff dominated the glass with a tournament-best 10.7 rebounds per game, adding 7.3 points and 1.7 steals. His rebounding presence was a major factor in the team’s competitiveness throughout the event.<\/p>\n One of the biggest defensive standouts was Mach Jongkuch, who averaged 3.0 blocks per game in just 15.6 minutes while shooting 62.5% from the field. His rim protection numbers were among the best recorded at the camp.<\/p>\n Jai Fa’ale<\/a> played two games and averaged 5.5 points and 2.0 assists, continuing his development against elite international competition, while Jayden Cecil saw valuable minutes as one of the youngest players in attendance.<\/p>\n Key TakeawaysMax MacKinnon <\/a>was the team’s leading scorer (18.7 ppg).Oscar Cluff <\/a>led the tournament group in rebounding (10.7 rpg).Malique Lewis<\/a> was the most complete all-round performer (12.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 4.7 apg).Dash Daniels showcased his playmaking ability (3.7 apg).Jackson Ball averaged double figures and strengthened his NBA prospect profile.Mach Jongkuch<\/a> emerged as an elite rim protector (3.0 bpg).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NBL Next Stars strengthened Australia’s reputation as a world-class pathway for NBA prospects Australian men\u2019s basketball is punching…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":731305,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[574],"tags":[64,63,726,85],"class_list":["post-731304","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-basketball","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-basketball","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/731304","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=731304"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/731304\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/731305"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=731304"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=731304"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=731304"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n GP
\n MIN
\n PTS
\n REB
\n AST
\n STL
\n BLK
\n TO
\n FG%
\n 3PT%
\n FT%<\/p>\n
\n 3
\n 26.0
\n 18.7
\n 5.0
\n 3.3
\n 1.0
\n 0.3
\n 3.3
\n 51.9
\n 42.1
\n 100.0<\/p>\n
\n 3
\n 26.6
\n 10.0
\n 3.7
\n 3.7
\n 1.0
\n 0.3
\n 1.7
\n 36.4
\n 22.2
\n 33.3<\/p>\n
\n 3
\n 20.0
\n 7.3
\n 10.7
\n 1.3
\n 1.7
\n 0.3
\n 2.0
\n 34.8
\n 0.0
\n 57.1<\/p>\n
\n 3
\n 29.5
\n 12.0
\n 8.0
\n 4.7
\n 1.7
\n 0.3
\n 3.3
\n 43.2
\n 55.6
\n 66.7<\/p>\n
\n 3
\n 24.9
\n 10.3
\n 3.0
\n 1.3
\n 0.3
\n 0.0
\n 1.3
\n 46.6
\n 31.3
\n 33.3<\/p>\n
\n 3
\n 15.6
\n 5.7
\n 5.3
\n 0.7
\n 0.7
\n 3.0
\n 1.7
\n 62.5
\n 0.0
\n 66.7<\/p>\n
\n 2
\n 16.3
\n 5.5
\n 1.5
\n 2.0
\n 0.0
\n 0.0
\n 1.0
\n 40.0
\n 0.0
\n 75.0<\/p>\n
\n 3
\n 9.3
\n 7.7
\n 1.0
\n 0.3
\n 0.3
\n 0.0
\n 0.7
\n 73.3
\n 50.0
\n 60.0<\/p>\n
\n 3
\n 9.1
\n 2.7
\n 2.0
\n 0.3
\n 0.0
\n 0.0
\n 0.3
\n 57.1
\n 0.0
\n 0.0<\/p>\n
\n 3
\n 9.2
\n 1.7
\n 2.7
\n 0.0
\n 0.7
\n 0.7
\n 0.3
\n 22.2
\n 0.0
\n 33.3<\/p>\n
\n 3
\n 8.7
\n 2.0
\n 0.7
\n 0.7
\n 0.0
\n 0.0
\n 0.7
\n 40.0
\n 25.0
\n 50.0<\/p>\n
\n 3
\n 10.3
\n 1.7
\n 1.3
\n 0.0
\n 0.3
\n 0.0
\n 1.0
\n 14.3
\n 0.0
\n 75.0<\/p>\n