Flagg to fly as top pick while Aussies chase NBA dream
Brisbane Bullets centre Zikarsky and Sydney Kings talent Toohey are projected second-round selections at the two-day event, starting on Thursday (AEST) in New York.
The pair of NBL Next Stars were named in ESPN's top 100 players for the draft alongside Duke University guard Tyrese Proctor and Illawarra Hawks centre Lachlan Olbrich.
University of Louisville sharpshooter Reyne Smith is also eligible and considered an outside chance.
All are part of a strong contingent of international prospects, with about one-third of this year's selections likely to hail from outside the US.
But for the first time in three years, the top selection won't be from France.
Flagg was the best player in college basketball last season, leading Duke to the Final Four despite starting the campaign as a 17-year-old.
The burgeoning superstar is set to land at the Dallas Mavericks, who hold the No.1 pick, with Rutgers University duo Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey also in the mix as possible top-three selections.
But this year's draft is considered wide open - and that's where the Australians come in.
Toohey has impressed NBA scouts with his smarts and improved shooting, and could even be taken with a late first-round pick, which would earn him a guaranteed two-year contract.
If so, the 201cm prospect would follow in the recent footsteps of countrymen Josh Giddey (No.6, 2021) and Dyson Daniels (No.8, 2022) as a first-round selection.
Zikarsky had a quieter second campaign in the NBL that ended prematurely due to a knee injury.
But the 18-year-old is seen as a sleeper and a chance to be taken in the second round, offering the rare and imposing height of 220cm.
A possible defensive anchor, Zikarsky's height and standing reach topped all participants and turned heads at the draft combine.
Olbrich's combine performance catapulted him up draft boards following a season when he was an integral part of Illawarra's NBL championship.
Proctor, a point guard, is also rated a good chance of being selected after three seasons at one of the USA's most prominent basketball colleges.
Smith has built his stocks around his elite shooting which could entice NBA teams, though the Tasmanian appears more likely to head to Europe.
The Australian contingent of NBA draft hopefuls this year decreased when Alex Condon and Ben Henshall withdrew.
Florida Gators power forward Condon will return for another college title push, while Perth Wildcats forward Henshall is yet to decide his future after earning plaudits in the NBL last season.
Henshall's Wildcats teammate Izan Almansa - another NBL Next Star - is also in draft contention this year.
The 20-year-old Spanish big man could add to the growing success of the Next Stars program, which has produced nine players drafted directly from the NBL to NBA - including six in the last five years.
Former Next Stars AJ Johnson, Alex Sarr and Bobi Klintman were all picked up in last year's draft and have since made their NBA debuts.
French forward Ousmane Dieng won the NBA title with Oklahoma City this week, three years after completing his Next Star stint with the New Zealand Breakers.
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The Advertiser
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- The Advertiser
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A quality field is expected for the event at Ringwood Park, on Italia Road, Balickera, 12km north of Raymond Terrace, including former Australian champion Dean Tighe, from Queensland, who will arrive back in Australia with four days to spare after racing in the UK. Tighe, who is on track to reclaim the NSW and Australian titles this season, holds the fastest lap record at the Ringwood Park track which is rated by many as Australia's most challenging track. Other drivers who will be pushing for class and overall honours at the final round include Kempsey's Dave Morrow who has shown a liking for the Ringwood Park track with podium finishes there on previous visits. Morrow is coming off a victory in the Formula Libre 750-1300cc class at round six at Tamworth. Heddon Greta's Tim Blake in his Subaru Impreza WRX and Peter Akers (Subaru Impreza,) finished first and second respectively in the Sedan type cars at the 2025 Queensland Hillclimb Championship. 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McKay, who has had wins and podiums at the Bathurst 6 Hour and also the Aussie Racing Car Championship, said Ringwood Park hosted the Australian Championship in 2023. While he will not be competing, he said this is an event for all motorsports fans and it will provide plenty of exciting highlights. "This would have to be Australia's most challenging track. If you can get this track right, you're right to go to Bathurst, and you're right to go to the street circuits. "We really teach our students to do well here if they can nail it they have success on all sorts of other tracks. "The intricacies and the technicalities of what's needed to learn how to race here really translates onto the bigger tracks. "This is really technical. You've got to learn your brakes, your steering. There also a lot of undulations, and it's pretty high speed as well. So if something goes wrong, it can really go wrong "The spectators love it as well. "Some of the talented drivers can pretty much do the whole course sideways. "This is a driver's track. It's a real driver's experience. There of all theses ups and downs at the top, and you're going well over 100 kilometres an hour on some sections. So you've really got to be a talented driver Practice is on Saturday, racing on Sunday from 9am with Food and Drinks will be available from the canteen. Racing begins at 9am. Some of Australia's best hill climbers will be heading to Ringwood Park Motorsport Complex on August 9 for the final round of the NSW Hillclimb Championships and spots at the upcoming Australian titles. A quality field is expected for the event at Ringwood Park, on Italia Road, Balickera, 12km north of Raymond Terrace, including former Australian champion Dean Tighe, from Queensland, who will arrive back in Australia with four days to spare after racing in the UK. 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There of all theses ups and downs at the top, and you're going well over 100 kilometres an hour on some sections. So you've really got to be a talented driver Practice is on Saturday, racing on Sunday from 9am with Food and Drinks will be available from the canteen. Racing begins at 9am.
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West Australian
6 hours ago
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GEORGIE PARKER: Melbourne Vixens' grand final win over West Coast Fever a terrific showcase event
'Can you get me tickets for the grand final?', is usually only a message I receive in the last weekend in September for the AFL. But, this year I was receiving them for a different sport, netball. It feels as though Super Netball is only getting better and has more interest year after year, and this year's grand final was no different. I couldn't get any, of course, because it was sold out. So, in front of a loud, sellout crowd of 15,013, the Melbourne Vixens pulled off a fairy tale one goal win over the West Coast Fever on Saturday night. A result that not only crowned a new champion, but in a match that, in my opinion, cemented Super Netball as the premier women's sporting league in Australia. The game had everything. The underdog Vixens, written off by many earlier in the season, clinched a win against a Fever side that had won 13 games straight. It marked the end of an era for Vixens coach Simone McKinnis, who bowed out after 13 years at the helm. And it showcased netball at its best – fast, skilful, insanely athletic, dramatic, and most of all, elite. But beyond the final, you can't help but remember just how far Super Netball has come, and how it's had to do it the hard way. My cousin played for the Thunderbirds in the early 2000s, so watching the differences in the league now compared to then, by how they train (no more after work training sessions) and how professional they are obviously backed by a real income, is huge. Unlike the AFLW, NRLW, or WBBL, all excellent leagues in their own right, and ones I support and love, Super Netball has built its empire without the safety net of a men's competition propping it up. While the others benefited from being extensions of established men's brands, they can expand, take risks, and grow with big financial losses in the hope it will pay dividends. Meanwhile, netball has done the hard yards solo. That's not a criticism of those leagues, far from it (with the female athletic talent in the country I believe they just jumped on too late), but when women's footy and cricket arrived, netball found itself fighting a battle on a few fronts. Firstly, it was losing not just some of its best junior athletes to rival sports but senior, established players who jumped codes. I played with former Australian netball captain, Sharni Norder (nee Layton) at Collingwood in the AFLW for example. Netball also saw corporate sponsorship dollars flow to women's arms of already well funded men's codes and female players, relatively new in the sporting world, rather than their league and their established players. How many netballers do you see on insurance, car or phone network ads? It's a scenario that could have buried the game, like it has with many other sports. Instead, Super Netball doubled down and knew it had a product worth fighting for. It developed world class pathways and a league that invited the best in the world to compete. It built a compelling product, that serviced its very loyal fans, but at the same time made it a game anyone would want to watch. It did this without being tied to a men's league, which meant it had to work harder, market smarter, and demand more from every part of the sport. Two years ago, players took a stand in a heated pay dispute with Netball Australia. At the time, some questioned the timing and ethics. Now, after a season like this, the fight from the players feels justified. The athletes knew their worth, and they've proved it every week since. This final was everything elite women's sport should be. It was fiercely contested, beautifully played, and impossible to look away from. It also caught the attention of Hollywood legend Whoopi Goldberg, a surprise entrant into the netball conversation, who announced this year she's backing the league and plans to bring it to a broader audience through her major network AWSN (All Women Sport Network). I can imagine her and her team would have watched the grand final and thought it had been money well spent. The Vixens' dramatic finish to the season has been the best possible advertisement for netball. Super Netball didn't just survive the storm of competing codes, it weathered it, evolved, and emerged stronger. Now it's not just competing, it's leading and is easily the best in the country. So while it does have a three decade head start on women playing footy and cricket at the same level, it's given us an idea on what standard we can expect with time, and doesn't it look great?
