Running and gunning: High-flying WA Metro catching everyone's eyes at U18 Nationals

• WA Metro and NSW Metro are the only undefeated teams left in the men's competition
• WA high performance manager Darren Winterbine credits chemistry and personnel for their style and success
• NSW Metro and Vic Metro are undefeated heading into the semi-finals of the women's tournament

Almost every team these days wants to 'play at pace' but Western Australia Metro live and breathe that style.

And it's that style which has quickly catapulted them into gold medal favouritism and also to being the team many fans, except for their opponents, want to catch a glimpse of at the 2025 Footlocker Australian Under-18 Men's Basketball Championships at Moreton Bay's South Pine Sports Complex.

Quick ball movement, highlight dunks and a "next man up mentality" has led WA Metro to the semi-finals, going undefeated after five games in the pool stages followed by a dominant win over Queensland North in the quarterfinals. Them and New South Wales Metro are the only unbeaten teams at the tournament.

Their style of play also seems to have every player playing their role to perfection and most of all, with a smile on their face - an environment Basketball Western Australia's high performance lead coach, Darren Winterbine, said was critical to the team's success.

"The culture within the group is excellent, everyone gets on great, they're all playing for each other, they're all really unselfish guys on and off the court, which is great, there's no egos, they all have fun, and they're all really good mates, which is excellent," he said.

"They're all genuinely happy for each other's success, which is always fantastic to see."

Chemistry and the personnel to play an up-tempo has also been instrumental in WA Metro's success so far this week, according to Winterbine.

"A lot of these groups, the Metro boys, have played together for a significant period of time. Some of the under-16s did the Southern Cross tournament in Victoria, a lot of them actually," he said.

"They're a bunch of really good, high-level athletes, so the style of play, obviously, that we're trying to play within, suits what they're doing. It's obvious that they play up-tempo, constant pressure on the rim, they defend really well at all positions, and each of them are playing really well within their role.

"That's one of the good things, the team has a lot of role clarity, and that's obvious, it's really good. It's definitely been a focus point of our style of play, is to try and play with pace.

"Everyone tries to play with pace, but sometimes you may not have the personnel to do it. The good thing is here, we've definitely got the personnel to do it, and basically, they're on the next one up mentality and the guys who have come off the bench, have played huge roles and done some stuff that's been really helpful, so it's good that a lot of the point scoring gets shared around a lot with the group as well, it's not just focused on one or two guys."

From one of the most competitive juniors you meet in point guard Marley Sam dropping 32 points against Queensland South to Luke Paul playing a distributor role to perfection, Alex Edwards averaging an impressive 13-point and 13-rebound double-double and Alex Powderly becoming a rebounding machine off the bench - WA Metro seem to have all areas covered to be a national championship contender.

"They don't slow down, they don't then have to change their style because everyone is athletic, fast, and just keeps going, so it's relentless pressure on the opposition, that's for sure. That's why it's so much fun to watch," Winterbine said.

While they still have two wins left to reach their ultimate goal, starting with Victoria Country in today's semi-final, Winterbine said the team's success so far hadn't come as a surprise to those who knew the group.

"Not really, I mean you're always happy that they're performing well, but we haven't won anything at this point, which is good, and you try and keep a lid on it, and it's nice that there's some recognition," he said.

"New South Wales Metro, because of the population and what they've been doing with their development programs, they're really well presented, Vic Country are doing really well, they've got some exceptionally good players, so without saying it like a cliche, there's still a long way to go, and we try and keep a lid on it.

"The boys are just playing one game at a time and just going to take who is in front of them and prepare for it, just win that next game, and then win the next one, and keep going until hopefully they get the right result that fits them.

WInterbine also heaped praise on WA Metro coach Mike Van Lit, crediting him for taking the state's style of play to another level with his group.

"Mike's got a great demeanour about him, he's a fairly quiet guy, and then he communicates really well with the boys, they know where they stand with him... he's been with this group for a while, he coached them in under-16s, been around the program for a few years, he's an excellent guy and he's done a really good job of preparing them for this," he said.

"He's basically used our style of play and then built on that, some more advancements that then lead to utilising the group's strengths and it's been great to watch."

Another positive sign for WA Basketball, four of the Metro team are bottom-age with John Aryang, Luke Paul, Alex Edwards and Sam Johnson all set to go around next year in the under-18s age group.

But before anyone focuses on 2026, this WA Metro group are hell-bent on winning the state's first under-18s national championship since a Luke Travers-led side took home the gold medal after beating SA Metro in 2021.

Could history repeat itself with the same grand final match-up? Well, we could very well see a rematch of that championship game from four years ago after SA Metro upset defending champions, Victoria Metro 100-70 in their quarterfinal and will face New South Wales Metro in the other grand final qualifier.

SEMI-FINAL MATCH-UPS

3pm: WA Metro vs Victoria Country (Men)

3pm: SA Metro vs NSW Metro (Women)

5pm: SA Metro vs NSW Metro (Men)

5pm: Victoria Metro vs Victoria Country

OUR U18 NATIONALS COVERAGE

• Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4 and Day 5 Men's Daily Digests‍
• Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4 and Day 5 Women's Daily Digests
• Michael Houben's key takeaways from day one and day two‍
• Every player at the U18 Men's National Championships‍
• A complete guide to the U18 Men's National Championships
• ‍Every player at the U18 Women's National Championships‍
• Your complete guide to the U18 Women's Nationals‍
• Heat Check: Jai Fa'ale and Sitaya Fagan stand out‍
• Meet the QLD teen prodigy with a big future