Zikarsky stars as Emus grab gold
Armed with an arsenal of young stars who have navigated their way through the Basketball Australia National Championships pathway, the Emus have held on to become just the second Aussie unders team to claim gold at the prestigious Albert Schweitzer tournament in Germany.
On the day the U18 National Championships opened in his home state, Brisbane Bullets’ incredible 220cm Next Star Rocco Zikarsky was on the other side of the world claiming the tournament MVP in Mannheim with averages of almost 20 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks across the seven games.
He was joined in the Team of the Tournament by dynamic fellow Queensland running mate Roman Siulepa — who had already been an MVP in 2024, at the U20 Nationals in Ballarat.
After ploughing through the group stage undefeated 5-0 — with an average winning margin of 32 — the Emus topped Italy by 14 in the semi to set up a battle for gold against a tough Serbian outfit that had lost just once on its way to the decider.
And it looked all over with five minutes to go in the game when Tassie stud Jacob Furphy whipped around a Zikarsky screen to pot his second trey and extend the lead to a game-high 14.
But the boys from Down Under tightened up and nearly cracked under the pressure as the Serbians dialled up their intensity, the lead evaporating in the space of just over three minutes as the under-siege Aussies repeatedly coughed up the ball and struggled with decision-making and shot selection.
Tied at 61 with two minutes to go, the gold medal game got the grandstand finish it deserved as both teams traded blows down the stretch.
Fittingly, though, it was the Sunshine State assassins Siulepa — 16 points, 9 rebounds and 3 steals — and Zikarsky — 20-12 with two blocks — who lifted from there to deliver victory.
Big Z dominated both ends all night, punctuating his performance with several key defensive plays down the stretch — made possible by his remarkable frame and ever-improving skills and smarts. The unstoppable Siulepa hit a clutch bucket with under two minutes to go, then nailed a pair of free throws inside the last minute.
Zikarsky’s Bullets’ teammate Mitch Norton, at Zillmere’s Northside Indoor Sports Stadium for the official opening of this year’s Basketball Australian U18 National Championships, couldn’t hide his pride.
“He has a huge ceiling, the NBA is his goal and I think he can definitely achieve it,” Norton said.