The NSW pathway runs from Ford Aussie Hoops and local domestic basketball to association rep teams in the Waratah Junior Leagues. Basketball NSW runs its own talent programs alongside: Under 12 Skills Days and Jamborees, U13 Skills Days, the Talented Athlete Program, the Developing Athlete Program and the State Performance Program, which exists to help prepare athletes for NSW state teams.
Last updated 9 October 2026.
Basketball NSW points families new to the game to Ford Aussie Hoops, Basketball Australia's learn to play program, which it describes as designed for children aged 5 to 10. Basketball NSW says a majority of its affiliated associations are approved Aussie Hoops Centres, and each centre sets its own price.
From there, children move into domestic basketball at their local association. Basketball NSW's pathway page says these local competitions are often graded to suit all ages and ability levels, and cater for age groups from U8 through to open age and masters.
Rep basketball comes next for some. Associations select players to represent them in the Waratah Junior Leagues, which cater for players from U12 through to U18. Our rep basketball page covers that level in detail. Everything below sits alongside rep, run by Basketball NSW itself.
Basketball NSW runs Under-12 Skills Days for both Metro and Country players. In 2026 they were open to all boys and girls born in 2015 or 2016, whatever their experience, and focused on six core skills Basketball NSW calls the Super 6: dribbling, passing, pivoting, shooting, 1v1 defence and decision making. All 2026 Under-12 Skills Days have now concluded.
Each Skills Day doubles as the trial for its region's Jamboree, so a player can trial at only one location. Selected players may be invited to the Metro Jamboree, or to the John Davidson Country Jamboree in Southern or Northern Country NSW. Both are invitation only, and Basketball NSW says the focus at Jamboree is not on winning but on participation and enjoying the game. Metro Jamboree selection comes from Metro Junior League players.
Whether a child counts as Metro or Country depends on where they live and where they play basketball. A child can go to a Skills Day without any intention of going to a Jamboree.
Basketball NSW's U13 Skills Days are for players born in 2014 and 2015, the step between top age U12 and bottom age U14. They are open to Country and Metro players regardless of experience, and Basketball NSW describes them as key points for talent identification. The cost, as published on 9 October 2026, is $135 including GST, and Active and Creative Kids vouchers can be used.
The Talented Athlete Program (TAP) is run by Basketball NSW with the NSW Office of Sport for U13 players born in 2014 and U14 players born in 2013. It is a two and a half day development camp in August, and entry is by trial only. Basketball NSW says TAP offers athletes and their families a first look at what performance sport involves in NSW.
For children outside the age range of its Skills Days, Basketball NSW points to one day camps run through its Leeanne Palmer Country Development Program and Metro Development Program.
Basketball NSW's Performance Pathways (PPP) is its talent program for young athletes aiming at representative, national and international basketball. Selection runs through Performance Pathway trials. For the 2027 programs these were held between 22 August and 13 September 2026, at Penrith and Minto for Metro players and at the Snakepit in Illawarra and at Maitland for Country players, so they have now passed.
The Developing Athlete Program (DAP) underpins the top tier and operates in Metro NSW. Basketball NSW's Performance Pathway page gives two age descriptions for it: one section says it focuses on individuals aged 13 to 15, and the FAQ on the same page says it is aimed at athletes in the U14 to U16 age range. DAP athletes attend a weekly individual session in terms 1 and 2, early in the morning at about 6:15am to 7:30am. On 18 September 2026 Basketball NSW announced it will work alongside all eight country based Regional Academies of Sport to deliver DAP for Under 14 and Under 15 athletes.
The State Performance Program (SPP) is Basketball NSW's top tier program. It covers players in the U15 to U18 age groups, plus wheelchair athletes, with weekly individual sessions in terms 4 and 1, and exists to help prepare athletes for state teams.
Two points from Basketball NSW's own answers are worth knowing. It is not compulsory to be in SPP to make a state team. And Basketball NSW says a player's statistics in domestic, association or school basketball are not considered at selection. It also says it cannot give individual feedback to players who are not selected.
The D-League aims to identify talented players and coaches already competing in the Waratah Junior Leagues, by having them train and play against each other in a tournament setting. In 2026 it was condensed to one weekend per age group at Penrith: U16 to U18 on 26 and 27 September, and U14 to U15 on 24 and 25 October.
Each January, Basketball NSW selects athletes and coaches for Development Tours. They include the East Coast Challenge, where eight NSW Metropolitan teams play teams from the other states, the Australian Country Junior Basketball Cup, and the Southern Cross Challenge, a development tournament run by Basketball Victoria. Basketball NSW's Performance Pathways calendar, published on 16 December 2025, lists the 2027 East Coast Challenge for 5 to 8 January and the Australian Country Junior Basketball Cup for 10 to 16 January 2027 in Albury. Basketball NSW says those dates may change, so check closer to the time.
Basketball NSW sends separate Metro and Country teams to the U16 and U18 national championships, and combined NSW teams at U20. It also sends Ivor Burge teams, for athletes with an intellectual disability, and a junior wheelchair team. On Basketball NSW's State Teams page, NSW's 2026 placings include first for the U20 men, third for the U20 women and second for the NSW Metro U18 boys.
State team trials are separate from Performance Pathway trials, and are only for athletes who want to make a NSW team for the national championships. For the 2027 U20 team, the open trial was on 6 September 2026 at Hills Basketball Stadium for registered NSW players born in 2008 or 2009, and the U20 and Ivor Burge National Championships run from January to February 2027. Basketball NSW's December 2025 calendar lists U18 NSW Metro state trials on 25 October, 1 November and 13 December 2026, with a note that its dates may change.
Country athletes have a further avenue. Basketball NSW endorses eight Regional Academies of Sport: the Central Coast Academy of Sport, Hunter Academy of Sport, Illawarra Academy of Sport, North Coast Academy of Sport, Northern Inland Academy of Sport, Southern Sports Academy, South East Sports Academy and Western Region Academy of Sport. Their stated goal is to improve athletes' chances of selection into state squads, state teams and Basketball NSW programs.
The Waratah Junior Leagues stop at U18. Above them sits Basketball NSW's Waratah Senior League. Its by-laws require players to be 16 or over before they take the court in Waratah League, and its Youth League divisions are for players under 23 as at 31 December. The 2027 junior rules allow a junior to play senior and junior competition in the same round.
The top state level is NBL1 East, which replaced the old Waratah 1 competition. Basketball NSW says it starts in March each year and finishes with finals in August, and its men's and women's champions go on to the NBL1 National Finals. Basketball Australia's Centre of Excellence and the NBA Global Academy also field teams in NBL1 East. On 29 September 2026 Basketball NSW and the Penrith association said they had agreed in principle to pause the Penrith Panthers' NBL1 East participation for one season, with a commitment to return in 2028, and that the Panthers will enter men's and women's teams in Waratah League for 2027.
Basketball NSW's answer to parents whose child misses a selection is worth keeping in mind at every step: subjectivity is part of selection, there are various pathways, and players who miss out are encouraged to keep working and trial again.
No. Basketball NSW says it is not compulsory to be in SPP to make a state team, although SPP can help a player's development.
Performance Pathway trials select players for SPP, DAP, January Development Tours and D-League. State trials are only for athletes trying to make NSW teams for the national championships.
It has operated in Metro NSW. On 18 September 2026 Basketball NSW announced it will work alongside all eight country based Regional Academies of Sport to deliver DAP for Under 14 and Under 15 athletes.
Basketball NSW's Waratah Senior League by-laws require players to be 16 or over before taking the court in Waratah League.
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Facts on this page were compiled from the official sources below and written up in our own words. Dates, fees and venues change every season, so confirm anything you are relying on with the association directly.
This page was last updated October 2026. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
