Cairns Basketball has capped off a remarkable season, earning top honours at the 2026 NBL1 North Awards Show, hosted by Basketball Queensland. The association was crowned the 2026 NBL1 North Association of the Year, alongside a host of individual awards and All Star selections for its players and coaches.

The recognition reflects Cairns’ standing as one of the strongest basketball hubs in the country, coming as The Ground Australia Cairns Marlins are heading into semi-finals with 16 wins and no losses for home or away games all season, an NBL1 North record. The Industry Estate Agents Cairns Dolphins are hot on their heels, with 13 wins and only 3 losses throughout the season, making it a banner year for both teams.

Cairns Basketball is proud to congratulate the following players and coaches on their achievements:

• Kody Stattmann: Men’s NBL1 North MVP & Men’s All Star Five First Team

• Kobe McDowell-White: Men’s Youth Player of the Year & Men’s All Star Five Second Team

• Leichan Williams: Women’s Sixth Player of the Year

• Marcus Wong: Women’s Coach of the Year

• Joel Khalu: Men’s Coach of the Year

• Mia Loyd: Women’s All Star Five First Team

• Luca Yates: Men’s All Star Five Second Team
• Brooke Basham: Women’s All Star Second Team
• Emma Collihole: Scoretable Official of the Year

Cairns Basketball General Manager Luca Vergari said being named Association of the Year is an honour that belongs to the whole Cairns Basketball community, especially as the Marlins just celebrated their ten-year reunion with 2016 players gathering to watch the most recent home game.

“This is a proud moment for everyone connected to Cairns Basketball,” he said.

“These awards are the result of countless hours of hard work, and they belong to our players, coaches, officials, staff, volunteers, members and supporters. Every single person plays a part in what we’ve built here.”

“We’re incredibly grateful to our community for making Cairns such a strong place for basketball to grow.”

The individual honours highlight the talent across both the men’s and women’s programs, from established leaders to emerging players making their mark on the court.

While the awards mark a fitting reward for the season so far, the focus now turns to finals.

“Everything now turns to finals, and it’s important we remain healthy and have good training sessions leading into the semi-final,” Coach Wong said.

“16-0 is an incredible and historic achievement, one the club and our team can be very proud of,” Coach Khalu said.

“Our focus is now finals to make all this hard work worth it.”

Cairns Basketball extends its heartfelt thanks to everyone who has contributed throughout the year and looks forward to the community rallying behind its teams in the weeks ahead, with semi-finals set to take place at Trinity Ford Stadium on Saturday, 1 August and both Cairns teams set to play at home.