Sitaya Fagan’s name is being called and she’s ready to answer, as the Victorian is set to pull on the Green and Gold ahead of the Seven Consulting Opals v China Series in Melbourne on July 7 and 9.
For Fagan, the dream of becoming an Opal is now a reality, with news of her debut selection coming as a complete surprise.
“I was beaming, I was just so excited to be a part of the squad, it's a dream come true as a young Australian and it just feels amazing,” says Fagan.
Rising through the ranks, Fagan garnered a name for herself as one of the top prospects in Australia.
The 18-year-old has represented Victoria Metro, the Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence, and Australia’s Sapphires and Gems at the FIBA junior level.
The 6’2” forward has broken the record books along the way…
With an already vast trophy cabinet, Fagan has claimed gold at FIBA’s 2022 U15 Women’s Oceania Championship, 2023 U16 Women’s Asia Championship and the 2025 U17 Women’s Oceania Cup, in which Fagan was recognised as the tournament MVP and in the All-Star 5.
But the records don’t stop there, as Fagan became the first Australian to receive 27 NCAA Division 1 scholarship offers, before committing to the University of Southern California.
“As soon as they [USC] offered me, I knew they were the one… they helped me with confidence, they helped me mentally, they're a phenomenal program and I'm excited to play next year,” says Fagan.
Now set to make her Australian senior Opals debut, Fagan looks ahead to the next step of her professional career.
“It felt surreal putting this uniform on, obviously I played for the green and gold five or six times so I’m familiar with it, but this is just a completely different feel, even with the sponsors on the jersey it’s just another level up.”
Fagan now steadies for her senior callup, noting that this opportunity has come earlier than expected.
“I can't believe it; I always thought maybe in a couple years when I’m in my mid-twenties I’d get an opportunity but getting one at 18 is just amazing.”
However, Fagan is no stranger to the pro level, as a teenager she dominated the NBL1 East for the CoE and was named the Defensive Player of the Year in 2025.
“Last year, 2025 it just took off, NBL1 went really great, won a few awards, I got to bond with a lot of girls, got to meet Ajak, everything just skyrocketed.”
The timing is right, Fagan’s debut in front of her home crowd at John Cain Arena will be an energy boost for the Opals as the program prepares for the upcoming FIBA 2026 Women’s Basketball World Cup taking place from September 4 - 13.
“I hope the seats are filled out, I bet they will be. I'm so excited that it's in Melbourne, people will be flying down, it's just an amazing city to be at.”
Tickets will go live via Ticketek on Wednesday 27 May 2026 at 10:00am AEST. Basketball Australia, Basketball Victoria, Ticketek and Visit Victoria members will receive priority access via a pre-sale beginning Tuesday 26 May 2026 at 10:00am AEST.
Qantas Frequent Flyer is a valued pre-sale partner and Qantas members can access the pre-sale here and use Qantas Points towards their tickets between 10 a.m. (AEST) on 26 May and 10 a.m. (AEST) on 27 May, unless sold out prior.
The Seven Consulting Opals vs. China series in Melbourne is supported by the Victorian Government through Visit Victoria.
