Meet the Queensland teen prodigy with a big future

• Isaiah Jorgensen has been a standout for QLD South, averaging 17 points and eight rebounds
• QLD South will face Victoria Country in the quarterfinal at 3pm today
• The hosts finished the pool stages with two wins from five games

Big wings. They’re the hottest commodity on the NBA market — the do-it-all swiss army knives of the basketball court capable of exploiting any and all mismatches.

Queensland South is always teeming with talent, this year no exception, but starting for the Maroons might be the prototypical forward of the future. Standing at 6'6", forward Isaiah Jorgensen is the bottom-age star that is proving to be the team’s x-factor and displaying his tantalising long-term upside in the process.

Jorgensen currently leads the team with 17 points per game (eighth highest tournament-wide). What’s specifically notable is that Jorgensen is one of only two non-guards amongst the event’s top 10 individual scorers, and instead of being thrust the ball and shot-making duties on every possession, Jorgensen has functioned with system with hyper-efficiency, picking his spots off the ball, pushing in transition or getting to the rim.

Queensland South coach, Sean Carroll, has seen his share of elite junior talent through his year’s coaching the state at the National Championships level, from Roman Siulepa, Rocco Zikarsky, Indy Cotton and many more, he believes Jorgensen deserves to be considered in similar esteem.

“In terms of prospects he’s absolutely up there — there’s a reason we’re excited about him,” Carroll said.

“He’s legit. His projection is only going to get better the more he adds to his game and grows. It’s part of his charm, he’s still a bit of a baby giraffe, he can be a bit funky on the move, but once he starts to fill out and expand his game, which will be a natural progression, he’s going to be a problem.”

With Queensland South’s relative lack of size compared to previous campaigns, Jorgensen is finding the bulk of his minutes under Carroll at the power forward position this campaign. His ability to rebound the ball (eight rebounds per game), hold his own down low and score from the post have made the positional fit seamless, but the natural ball skills and budding outside game may well forecast him further to the perimeter long term.

“I think his progression is to the wing. His ability to make plays off the bounce, technically with his ball handling and decision making, make him incredibly versatile in that way,” Carroll said.

“He’s incredibly versatile, competitive, he really wants to win, and everything he does is in pursuit of trying to help. What we need from him here is a force in the post and off the bounce, and that’s what he’s doing.”

Of course, Jorgensen is far from the only talent on this Queensland South squad. The team is beautifully orchestrated by bottom-age point Andrew Watene — the undersized and fresh-faced exterior of the 5’11" guard belying a mature floor general and dynamic off-dribble scorer and facilitator. 

Down the other end of the floor, the tone is set by Noah Kirk — a bulldog of a utility guard, tenacious at the point of attack and first to lead the break.

And on the inside, Harry Cooks is a late blooming big man making a big impact down low. A story of persistence, Cooks has been a rotational afterthought in his last two Queensland campaigns, but in a wave of development Carroll attributes to his commitment to training and desire to implement feedback — he now stands out as a double-digit scorer and one of the best rim protectors across the competition, with boundless potential in front of him.

Queensland South have faced a strong draw and faced early defeats to Western Australia Metro, New South Wales Country and Victoria Metro but were convincing in their 97-78 defeat of Tasmania and their 97-82 handling of South Australia Country. Today's quarterfinal game against Victoria Country might be their greatest challenge of all, but regardless of the group’s ultimate outcome, there’s plenty of talent continuing to bloom out of the sunshine state, with Jorgensen in particular looking destined for a bright professional future.

OUR U18 MEN'S NATIONALS COVERAGE

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About the Author

Michael Houben is an Australian basketball writer and scout based in Melbourne, Victoria. As well as covering the game as a journalist, Michael supports US colleges to identify and recruit Australian talent as the owner of Airtime Scouting, and supports grassroots athletes through Airtime Basketball.