WELCOME TO THE University Basketball League
The University of Newcastle returns for the 2026 University Basketball League season, building on a strong foundation from its inaugural campaign in 2025.
The men's team made an impressive impact in their first season, finishing third overall in 2025 and establishing themselves as one of the competition's strongest programs. For the women's team, 2025 was a valuable season of growth and development.
Backed by a talented returning core and strengthened by exciting new talent, both teams enter 2026 with a clear focus on building momentum and delivering strong performances throughout the season.
2026 Season Tip-Off
The 2026 University Basketball League season tips off on Thursday 13 August 2026.
MEET OUR UBL COACHES
WOMEN'S COACH - PADRAIGH (PADDY) HICKEY
I think we have a strong group of girls this year and I’m excited to just rip in and have a bit of fun with them all. They seem like a fun group and they’re all excited to go in and work hard and I think if everything goes right, we should be able to make a deep push.
I like playing some fun basketball. A lot of quick basketball. Trying to get the ball up the court as fast as possible. Lots of energy, lots of movement. I think it’s just that I like trying to make sure the girls and every team I coach feel heard and from there. If we can build relationships, not only will the girls play hard, but they’ll be able to trust me and build that relationship that way.
I think this is the most well-balanced team I’ve been able to select for a while. We’ve got good size, a lot of shooting, a lot of speed. Got some length, got some craftiness in our guards. We’ve got a good balance of everything so I’ll be blessed to work out the best way that we can play basketball. I’m keen to get involved.
I’ve been coaching rep basketball for the last three years in Maitland. I started in the Youth 1 Women and coached them for two years and now I’m coaching junior basketball. But I’m excited to get back into the senior game to move away from so much skill development and more into game concepts and technical stuff which is exciting. And other than that, I have been the skills coach at Quantum Athletic for two years and have been working with some of the girls that are in the team. So, it will be good to see if the skills, I’ve been trying to teach translate them on the court. So, it will be exciting.
It’s exciting to see, especially from around 10 years ago, how Newcastle and the Hunter region were, basically in one team and now you have seen the growth of Central Coast and Maitland Basketball all the way up into regional towns winning NBL1 championships. I think it just goes back to the dedication of the people at those clubs. The game is growing and I’m excited to coach this group from everyone around the Hunter region and Central Coast.
MEN'S COACH - DEION SIMS
I’ve been coaching in Newcastle for many years across all levels, from juniors to seniors. I’ve also had the opportunity to coach NSW Country at the U19 National Championships. When this new program launched, it felt like a great opportunity to get involved and contribute to something exciting from the ground up.
So, coaching the women’s team, we laid a foundation and you’ve seen the growth in that program. But for the men, I think it’s high expectations. Again, playing in the finals last year and then adding some more pieces, we’re going to try to win it all. Obviously, it takes us to work together as a group and gelling early in the season. But when it’s all said and done, we want to play for the final.
I’m originally from Atlanta, Georgia in the United States. I’ve coached some junior college basketball. I’ve coached high-level high school basketball. I’ve been heavily involved in Travel Ball in AU; I run a foundation there. Again, my strengths are player development. I can identify skills and talents and set realistic goals for players and help them get to the next level of basketball.
Wow, so many strengths! We’ll play fast, we’ll score in transition but also with our size and athleticism, we will be able to shake teams up defensively, so we’ll switch defenses a lot, we’ll pressure the basketball. And just with the link that we have this year, it’s going to be very difficult for other teams to score against us.
Launched in 2021, in collaboration with basketball Australia, the UBL is an inter-University competition to determine the best University basketball team in the country. A revelation for University sport in Australia the UBL is a premier national basketball competition, designed specifically for University students. The UBL has expanded in 2025 with the University of Newcastle being accepted and participating for the first time. Promoting student engagement and well-being the UBL is a 12 week, live streamed competition, played across each Australian state.
All UBL games will be held during weekdays on campus, which is a great opportunity to bring together students from all across the University of Newcastle environment. In addition, all matches are live streamed on UniSport TV, a centralised platform, providing an opportunity to create engaging digital content and ensuring all students past and present can enjoy the opportunity to support their University.