Sport
4 October, 2026
U12s show promise at titles
CAIRNS Marlins boys division one team has shown the most promise at the Queensland Under-12 State Championships in Brisbane.
Six Cairns teams travelled south to Brisbane for the Basketball Queensland event, with the four-day tournament providing a valuable first taste of representative basketball for many of the region’s young players.
Cairns’ stand-out result came from the Marlins boys division one team, who produced an impressive run to finish fourth in a highly-competitive division.
The result capped off a strong tournament for the young Marlins, who showed plenty of determination and competitiveness throughout the championships.
Running from Thursday through to Sunday, the championships brought together talented junior teams from across Queensland, giving the Cairns players the opportunity to test themselves against some of the
best young basketballers in the state.
For many of the Cairns players, it was their first experience of representative basketball, making the tournament as much about learning and development as it was about results.
Across four days of competition, the players gained valuable experience, both on and off the court, learning what it takes to compete at a higher level while building friendships and creating memories along the way.
For head coach Jake Dempsey, the tournament was another important step in the development of a talented group of young athletes.
“What a season. I feel incredibly privileged to have coached and helped develop such a talented group of young athletes,” Dempsey said.
“The exciting part is knowing they’ve only scratched the surface of their potential.”
While the results were certainly a highlight, the experience gained by all six Cairns teams could prove just as valuable as the final standings.
With many players experiencing representative basketball for the first time, the tournament provided an opportunity to learn, adapt and understand what is required to compete at the next level.
Attention now turns to the under-18s, whose representative campaign gets underway in Townsville in coming weeks.
Editor’s note: Jake Black is Cairns Basketball’s community engagement and junior development officer.
