Meet Australia's '25-26 NCAAW Freshman class

• Every Australian in the NCAA Women's basketball in 2025-26
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• Will Amelia Hassett's Senior season be 'Sweeter' than her last

Australia's incoming NCAA women's basketball Freshman class includes FIBA Under-19 Women's World Cup silver medallists Bonnie Deas, Opal Bird and Sienna Harvey.

They are just three of more than 20 players starting their college careers in the United States in 2025-26.

If you know a player that isn't on our list or is going into their Freshman year or other details are incorrect, please email info@basketball.com.au and we'll update the list.

Here is a list of players and their accomplishments (so far!)

🇦🇺 Freshmen in 2025-26

1. ‍Abbey Vallance – St Thomas: 1.72 Freshman Guard from Melbourne
   • Abbey redshirted* to preserve a year of eligibility in 2024-25. Vallance was part of Bankstown Bruins teams that won championships in 2022 and 2023 and  gold at the Australian All Schools Basketball Championships in 2022, 2023 and 2024
2. Alana Reddy – LeHigh: Freshman Guard from from Sydney
   • Alana is a Manly Warringah Sea Eagles junior and won the 2022 Waratah Women's Youth League (ages 18-23) Rookie of the Year. She has represented NSW the Australian National Championships, claiming silver in 2023 and bronze in 2024.
3. Asha Nightingale – Davidson College: Freshman Forward from Melbourne
   • Head coach Gayle Fulks Scouting report: "Asha has developed a reputation as an incredible leader within the Victorian basketball pathway. She has a family background in judo, and that love for physicality really shines in her game with her post play, defense and screen setting. As a forward she has shown the ability to play within an offensive system similar to ours and can also make teams pay by stretching them to the 3-point line. Asha was a part of the U20 Australian National Championships gold medal team, and this season was a development player with the WNBL Champion Bendigo Spirit, where she played beside several Olympians."
4. Bonnie Deas – Arkansas: Freshman Guard from Melbourne
   • Deas won silver at the FIBA Under-19 Women's World Cup in July of 2025 and earned All-Star Five honours after averaging 12.3 points, 3 assists and 7.7 rebounds. Deas is a rising star in the Basketball Australia's women's program. She chose Arkansas over Syracuse, Washington, and Mississippi State after playing at a camp during WNBA ALL-STAR Weekend as a Top 40 player in the world.
5. Eleanor Trout – Boston College: Freshman Forward from Melbourne
6. Emilija Dakic – Florida Gators: 1.75m Freshman Guard from Melbourne
   • Emilija won the Under-18 FIBA Asia Cup in 2024 and is a two-time Casey Cavalier Junior of the Year (2018 and 2022). She has played for the Australian Under-17 and Under-18 national teams.
7. Emily Scholtes – Southern Utah: 1.83m Freshman Forward from Victoria
   • Emily was the captain of Victoria Blue Under-20 team in 2024 Australian National Championships and played for the Under-16, Under-18 Victoria Country  teams at 2021 through 2023 National Championships. She played for the Nunawading Spectres in Youth League and NBL1.
8. Erica Finney – Illinois: 1.83m Freshman Guard from Sydney
   • Erica is a four-star prospect ranked No. 47 in the Class of 2025 and No. 14 at her position by 247Sports. She was voted the 2023 NBL1 East Defensive Player of the Year, 2024 NBL1 East Most Improved Player and won 2022 and 2024 Australian National Championships with New South Wales.
9. Hannah Chicken – Portland State: 1.85m Freshman Guard from Newcastle
   • Hannah was named NBL1 East Conference Defensive Player of the Year the NBL1 in 2024 in the Newcastle Falcons title-winning team. She was also named MVP of the Waratah Under-18 premier division in 2023.
10. Hannah Jensen – Eastern New Mexico University: Freshman from Sydney‍
11. Jada Kennedy – University of Portland: 1.95m Freshman Centre from Melbourne‍
12. Jade Crook – University of Colorado: 1.92m Freshman Centre from Albury
    • Jade represented Australia at the Under-15 Oceania Championships in 2022, Under-16 Asia Cup in 2023 and Under-17 World Cup in 2024. She has played the for Albury Cougars, Centre of Excellence and Albury Bandits.
13. Katelyn Field – Oregon State: 1.78m Freshman Guard from Melbourne
    • Katelyn played for Casey Cavaliers in the NBL1 South Women's Conference. She also played for the ATC Academy at the 2024 Nike Tournament of Champions.
14. Keira Lindemans – Oregon State: 1.82m Freshman Guard from Melbourne
    • Kiera was voted the 2023 Big V Youth League Defensive Player of the Year. She played for the for ATC Academy at the 2024 Nike Tournament of Champions and in 2023 was selected to the All-Victoria Metro Under-18 team.
15. Meg Lucas – Buffalo: 1.85m Freshman Forward from Melbourne
    • Meg played for the Keilor Thunder in the NBL1 South Women's Conference. She averaged 13 points and nine rebounds for the Whittlesea Pacers in the Big V league. Meg averaged 21 points and 16 rebounds per game while shooting nearly 60% from beyond the arc at the Nike TOC and Run for the Roses
16. Monique Williams – Vanderbilt: 1.88m Freshman Forward from Perth.
    • Monique  is the daughter of 500-game SBL veteran Sue Williams and former Division 1 NCAA and SBL import Aaron Williams. She helped Australia win Gold at the FIBA Under-18 Women’s Asia Cup where she averaged seven points and five rebounds per game.
17. Opal Bird – Wake Forest: 1.88m Freshman Forward from Sydney
    • Opal was the captain of the Under-17 Australian national team that won gold medals at both FIBA Oceania Championships in 2023 and FIBA Asia Cup in 2024. She was a member of the Australia Gems silver medal winning team at the FIBA Under-19 World Championships
18. Sarah Portlock – TCU: 2.03m Freshman Centre from Victoria
    • Sarah played for Australia at the FIBA Under-17 Women's World Cup that same year and won gold playing for Victoria at the 2024 Under-20 National Championships. She was also selected in the Victorian Under-20 State in 2025.
19. Sienna Grieger – Clara: 1.75m Freshman Guard from Adelaide
    • Sienna, a development player for the Adelaide Lightning, was named 2-24 MVP for West Adelaide in the NBL1 Central women's conference in 2024, leading the Bearcats with 13.4 points per game. She was a silver medalist with South Australia at the 2024 Under-20 Footlocker National Championships.
20. Sienna Harvey – Washington: 1.80m Freshman Guard from Geelong
    • Sienna won a silver medal with the Australian Gems at the 2025 FIBA Under-19 Women's World Cup in July. She played for the Melbourne Tigers in the 2025 NBL1 South women's conference, averaging 12.6 points, 3.4 assists, and 3.2 rebounds in 14 games.
21. Zoe Shanahan – Pepperdine: 1.88m Freshman Forward from Melbourne
    • Zoe played limited minutes for the Nunawading Spectres in the 2025 NBL1 South women's conference. She was represented Victoria at the Australian Under-16 National Championships.

*What does Redshirting mean?

In college basketball, a redshirt refers to when a player sits out of official games for a season in order to preserve a year of eligibility.

• How it works: NCAA athletes normally get four seasons of competition over a five-year period. If a player “redshirts,” they practice with the team but do not play in games, allowing them to extend their eligibility and still have four full seasons left.
• Reasons for redshirting:
  • Development – a freshman may need more time to physically or mentally adjust to the college game.
  • Injury – if a player suffers an early-season injury, they can apply for a medical redshirt to regain that year of eligibility.
  • Roster depth – coaches sometimes redshirt players if the team is already deep at their position.
• Result: After redshirting, the athlete is still part of the team but will often be listed as a “redshirt freshman” or “redshirt sophomore,” meaning it’s their first or second year playing but not their first or second year enrolled.

About the List Manager

Peter Brown is the head coach of the Sydney Comets Women’s Youth League team in the Waratah Basketball League in NSW. He is also the assistant coach for the Comets NBL1 women’s team in the NBL East Conference. Peter is a 30-year journalist, starting as a sports reporter at the NT News in the early 1990s. He played junior basketball for the Northern Territory at national championships from U16 to U20 and for the Territory’s senior men’s team at numerous international tournaments. Peter has been a basketball fan since the early 80s, especially the NBA. Basketball is his passion — and his opinions his own. Email peter.brown@basketball.com.au with feedback or additions.