Sport
4 June, 2025
Basketballer heads to Brazil
STANMORE wheelchair basketballer Mitchell Duncan has earned a place in the Australian U23s team heading to Brazil this week for the World Cup.
Duncan helped Australia claim gold at last year’s International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) U23 Men’s Asia Oceania Championships, securing qualification for the tournament.
Despite his strong performance, all players were required to re-trial for selection to ensure the best squad travelled to Brazil.
Trials took place in Canberra in February, but Duncan was sidelined by illness.
“While not all of the players from that tour were available either through availability because two of our players were still in Europe playing professionally, or in my case through illness,” he said.
“I was all set to go except I caught a bad flu a few days out which turned out to be a chest infection. Though I was still available for selection, it meant that I wasn’t able to attend.”
Instead, he impressed selectors with a strong showing at the National Junior Championships.
“For me it was a feeling of relief knowing that I knew exactly what I had coming up instead of being quietly confident and hoping I’d get picked,” Duncan said.
“I felt like I put together a really good performance at the National Junior Championships so my game was in a good place, both mentally and physically. I really try not to let myself get too high or too low mentally or emotionally. I try to keep myself as even as I can and take it as it comes.”
Set to make his World Cup debut, Duncan said the opportunity is one he’s long aspired to.
“It’s something that I have had in the back of my mind for the past four years,” he said. “Not everybody gets to do something like this so it’ll be a challenge, but I’m curious to find out how we’ll go. I’ve really tried to think of it as just another tournament.”
Duncan added he only told close family members about his achievement, partly to keep it private until Basketball Australia announced the team, and also to wrap his head around what was to come.
The Australian Rollers will have four days to acclimatise before their opening match on June 12.
