The Apunipima Australian Indigenous Basketball All Stars set for Canada

Australian Indigenous All Stars have confirmed their game plan for their first trip ever to the World Basketball challenge.

World Indigenous Basketball Challenge

the Apunipima Australian Indigenous All Stars will shift their focus to the 2017 World Indigenous Basketball Challenge. Source: Salt Photographics NZ

The team, made up of the best of Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander basketball talent, will be embarking on their first-ever trip to the World Indigenous Basketball Challenge (WIBC).

The All Stars will join 15 other teams in Vancouver who will spend four days shooting hoops to battle for the world’s number one Indigenous basketball nation title.
“Winning the WIBC is going to be a massive challenge, but we’re looking forward to getting over to Vancouver and giving it our absolute best crack.”
Apunipima All Stars Head Coach, Joel Khalu, said the talented team has potential to do perform well in Canada.

“All of the players picked have competed for the Australian Indigenous All Stars in TransTasman campaigns at some stage throughout the past three years, so each are familiar with our style of play and what we want to achieve at both ends of the floor,” he said.

“Winning the WIBC is going to be a massive challenge, but we’re looking forward to getting over to Vancouver in August and giving it our absolute best crack.”


Headlining the All Stars will be former National Basketball League standout Tyson Demos, who helped lead the team to victory in last year’s Trans-Tasman series against the Maori national team in New Zealand. Another gun on the team is Queensland Basketball League veteran and Torres Strait Islander star, Curt Ahwang.

The Apunipima Australian Indigenous Basketball All Stars have a two-day training camp in Brisbane and depart for Vancouver on August 7. The team’s first game of the WIBC will be on Wednesday, August 9.

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Published 19 June 2017 3:46pm
Updated 19 June 2017 3:57pm
By Laura Morelli


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