2003 World Champion Under-19 Emus 22 years later

• The Australian Emus won gold at the 2003 FIBA Under-19 World Championships in Greece
• They beat USA in the semi-final and defeated Lithuania in the tournament's final
• Andrew Bogut would win Tournament MVP and go on to become the No.1 pick at the 2005 NBA Draft

They were then and are still the only Australian men's basketball team to win a world championship.

Led by Australian Boomers icon Andrew Bogut, NBL legends Damian Martin and Matthew Knight as well as EuroLeague Brad Newley and Aleks Maric — the Australian Emus team in 2003 will forever be known for making history with a under-19 men's World Championship gold medal in Greece.

The Emus were a special team, dominating the USA in the semi-final, and avenging their only loss of the tournament by beating Lithuania convincingly in the final to claim the gold.

"This team was arguably the best team I had the pleasure of coaching on and off the court," 2003 Emus coach Rob Beveridge told basketball.com.au.

"They were completely selfless, all understood their roles and played for each other.

"They genuinely cared for each other and they left their egos at the door.

"Off the court, everyone got along extremely well and we all had fun off the court throughout the campaign.

"When it was time to get to training and games, they were totally focused, they were driven and were the most competitive group of players that never back down from any situation."

The group gathered to celebrate 20 years since that memorable moment in Australian basketball history.

But where are they now? In the first of a new series from basketball.com.au, we take a look at the careers of our Emus heroes and see what they are up to today.

EMUS 2003 FIBA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ROSTER

Andrew Bogut: Centre (26.3ppg, 17rpg, 2.5apg)

The 2003 FIBA Under-19 World Championships in Greece was where Andrew Bogut broke out to become one of the best young prospects in the world. With incredible numbers across the tournament, Bogut was named Tournament MVP and as the just released 'Lane Violation' documentary on his career showed, it's where the man who would go on to become his agent would discover him.

Not only did he lead the Emus to the world title, it was a big step for him to become an icon of Australian basketball.

Two years later, he was the No1 pick in the 2005 NBA Draft, selected by the Milwaukee Bucks and a successful 14-year career in the league — becoming an NBA champion with the Golden State Warriors in 2015. Bogut will also go down as one of the best Boomers of all-time, helping turn the national men's team into a force as part of two fourth-place finishes at the 2016 Olympic Games and 2019 FIBA World Cup. His career in Green and Gold would later earn him a spot in the FIBA Hall of Fame.

His impact on Australian basketball continued when he returned to the NBL to play for the Sydney Kings in 2018, winning the league's MVP award before taking the team to the grand final series the following year. Upon retirement, he became a part-owner of the Kings and will be an assistant coach for Sydney for the upcoming season.

Damian Martin: Guard (7.4ppg, 3.8rpg, 2.1apg)

Martin played a significant role in the Emus' 2003 world championship with his trademark defence setting the tone for a decorated professional career to come.

After spending time at the Australian Institute of Sport, the New South Wales Country guard had a successful four-year college career in the US with Loyola Marymount before a history-making 14 seasons in the NBL — starting with the West Sydney Razorbacks and then the Perth Wildcats, where he'd be part of a dynasty with six NBL championships.

It would also be where Martin would establish himself as arguably the best defender in the history of the NBL, where the league's Defensive Player of the Year award is named after him after claiming it six times across his career.

Following his decision to hang up his sneakers, Martin had his No.53 jersey retired by the Wildcats and wears multiple hates post-basketball career. The 40-year-old spends time as a commentator for the NBL, works as a host for SEN radio, is a real estate agent, co-owns ProMondo Sports which manages players such as NBA draftee Rocco Zikarsky and works with the Fremantle Dockers Football Club overseeing their leadership program.

Aaron Bruce: Point Guard (10.6ppg, 1.6rpg, 2.3apg)

After forming an incredible backcourt alongside Damian Martin at the World Championships, Aaron Bruce became a college star quickly at Baylor University.

The Horsham point guard and older brother of now Sydney Kings guard, Shaun, had one of the most under-the-radar college careers of anyone from Australia in history.

Playing at one of US college basketball's powerhouses, Bruce started all 38 games as a freshman and was the country's top points scorer for a first-year player, averaging 18.2 points per game for Baylor.

He was First Team Freshman All-American in 2005 and was a three-time All-Big 12 Honourable Mention from 2005–2007. In his senior year, helped guide the Bears to the NCAA tournament for the first time in 20 years and his 1,330 career points was the seventh-most in school history, at the time.

Following his college career, Bruce returned to the NBL, won the league's Rookie of the Year with the Adelaide 36ers in 2009 and played two seasons there, before two seasons with the Kings. He also played for the Boomers at the 2006 World Championships and retired in 2013.

He has since spent time at several schools in Sydney working in basketball roles.

Brad Newley: Forward (6.4ppg, 2rpg, 1apg)

Following a solid Under-19 World Championships, Newley would then have arguably the most underrated professional career in Australian basketball.

Coming through the Australian system as one of the top junior prospects, the South Australian and Australian Institute of Sport graduate would go from the World Championships straight into the NBL the following year after signing with the Townsville Crocodiles. Newley would shine as a teenager with the Crocodiles — so much so, he'd get drafted 54th overall by the Houston Rockets in the 2007 NBA Draft.

Although he didn't play in the NBA, being drafted would be the start of an illustrious career in Europe. Newley would play for some of the biggest clubs in Europe, including stints with Panionios, Panellinios, Besiktas, Lietuvos Rytas and Valencia before he would become a club hero at Spanish powerhouse Gran Canaria (2012-16).

Newley was also star for the Boomers, playing an integral role in the national senior team for more than a decade, winning gold medals at the 2006 and 2018 Commonwealth Games, competing at three world championships and the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games.

He returned to Australia and the NBL 10 seasons later, this time signing with the Sydney Kings, where he would spend five seasons and make the All-NBL Second Team in the 2016-17 season. Newley signed with Melbourne United in 2021, retiring after three seasons with the club.

Ironically, Newley's NBA draft rights were traded by the Houston Rockets to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2017 and then again in 2022 to the New York Knicks.

Newley's younger sister, Mia, had a decorated career in the WNBL, becoming a legend with the Townsville Fire.

He and his wife, Brigid, as well as their two children live in Melbourne where Newley is a member of the United front office, as part of the community and commercial departments.

Matthew Knight: Power Forward (11.3ppg, 6.3rpg, 1.6apg)

Like so many other players in this gold medal team, the World Championships would only be the start for Tasmanian big Matthew Knight.

Following the 2003 tournament in Greece, Knight joined teammate Damian Martin at Loyola Marymount University, where he'd play four seasons and make First-Team All-WCC in 2006 and 2007. Like Martin, Knight would tip-off his professional career at West Sydney under Rob Beveridge before spending one season in Hungary, then moving to the Perth Wildcats, where all three would continue their time together.

Knight became a Wildcats legend, winning three championships, being named to the All-NBL First Team in 2013 as well as earning several second and third team honours. Concussion and injury brought a premature end to Knight's career during the 2017-18 NBL season, having played 236 games in the league.

The legendary power forward, who was known for his toughness and high IQ, still lives in Western Australia with his family and coaches junior WA state teams at national tournaments as well.

Steven Markovic: Guard (12.8ppg, 3.5rpg, 2.9apg)

A craft, high IQ point guard — Steven Markovic was a standout coming through the junior pathways in New South Wales and Australia.

Markovic was so good at a young age, he was already in the NBL in 2002-03 as a development player with the West Sydney Razorbacks. Following his impressive performance at the Under-19 World Championships, the Bankstown Bruins product won the NBL Rookie of the Year in 2004 before moving to Europe in 2005 and playing more than eight seasons overseas for clubs including Crvena Zvezda, Benetton Treviso and Radnicki Kragujevac.

Markovic, who played for Australia at the 2010 FIBA World Championships, returned to Australia to play for the Townsville Crocodiles for two seasons, then moving to the Sydney Kings for one season before stepping away from the professional ranks. He would help his junior club, the Bruins, win the 2016 Waratah League alongside Jason Cadee.

He still resides in Sydney and works as an investment consultant.

Aleksandar Maric: Centre (2.6ppg, 2.5rpg)

Another one of Australia's pioneers on the European basketball scene, and maybe a contender along with Brad Newley for one of the most underrated careers in Australia, is bustling centre Aleksander Maric.

Maric earned a scholarship to the University of Nebraska following the World Championships, putting together an impressive four-year college career, making second team in the All-Big 12 Conference in 2007 and 2008.

With his Serbian heritage allowing him to play in Europe as a local, Maric could be the best Australian performer in those leagues behind David Anderson.

The Sydney-born big man played for powerhouses such as Granada, Partizan, Panathinaikos, Lokomotiv Kuban, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Galatasaray Liv Hospital, Gran Canaria and Budućnost Podgorica.

Winning was just part of it for Maric, who became a EuroLeague champion in 2011, and also won titles in Serbia, the EuroCup, Greece and in other leagues. He also played his way into the All-EuroLeague First Team in 2010.

Maric also played for the Boomers at the 2010 World Championships and 2012 Olympic Games. He would return to Australia to spend one season with the Sydney Kings in 2016-17, later becoming an assistant coach for the Kings for one season in 2019.

His former team, Partizan, is coming to Australia to take on the Sydney Kings and Adelaide 36ers in September.

Blagoj Janev: Forward (4.6ppg, 2.1rpg, 0.5rpg)

A no-nonsense, tough but talented and versatile forward — Blagoj Janev played a critical role for the Emus off the bench in their World Championship.

Following that, Janev had a successful college career at the University of New Hampshire, playing four seasons and rapidly improving each year. He would finish his college career with averages of 12.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per game before returning to Australia to play in the NBL.

Janev made his NBL debut with the Singapore Slingers at 23-years-old but his career struggled to gain any momentum across his time in the NBL, where he also played for the Sydney Spirit and Sydney Kings before having stints across the SEABL and state leagues around Australia.

He lives in Sydney with his family and three children.

Rhys Carter: Guard (6.6ppg, 2.8rpg, 2.4apg)

One of the craftiest guards you'll ever see in Australia with his uncanny knack for finding a way to put the ball in the basket, Rhys Carter's transition to the professional game after the World Championships was seamless.

Carter was already in the professional ranks before the FIBA U19 tournament after starting his NBL career with the Victorian Giants in 2002. He'd play two seasons there before moving to the West Sydney Razorbacks and then had several other stops along the way. Carter played at the South Dragons, Adelaide 36ers, New Zealand Breakers, Perth Wildcats, Melbourne Tigers and the Sydney Kings.

He won two championships in 2009 with the Dragons and in 2015 with the New Zealand Breakers. The Victorian point guard also had several stops in Europe before retiring from professional basketball.

But he wasn't out of the game long, becoming an assistant coach for Melbourne United, where he won a championship in 2021. He remains a lead assistant on Dean Vickerman's stuff today and is also an assistant coach for David Barlow at Sandringham in the NBL1 South.

Brad Robbins: Guard (5.1ppg, 2.3rpg, 0.9apg)

Did somebody say, another key piece of the Perth Wildcats dynasty?

He may have only played in one (2010) of the Wildcats five championships during the decade of 2010-2019, but Robbins helped build the hard-nosed, defensive edge and culture that would lead Perth to such success.

Robbins started his NBL career with the Cairns Taipans after the 2003 Under-19 World Championships before moving to WA to join the Wildcats. He would be one part of the toughest defensive backcourt in the NBL with Emus teammate Damian Martin as Perth would win the 2010 championship.

The Victorian guard would retire at the end of season 2012-13 but would remain involved in basketball in the state, becoming an assistant coach with the Perth Lynx in the WNBL for three seasons and he is currently the head coach of the Warwick Senators women's NBL1 West team.

Sam Harris: Centre (2.9ppg, 0.9rpg)

Standing at 7'3", Sam Harris' basketball career had high expectations and it started off in the perfect way — making the Australian Institute of Sport and then being part of the Emus' world title.

He spent four years at US college, Old Dominion, and then returned home to Tasmania to play for the NW Tasmania Thunder in the SEABL. Harris had signed to play in the NBL with the Singapore Slingers but the team folded before his first professional season. However, he would reunite with Rob Beveridge as well as Emus teammates Damian Martin and Brad Robbins at the Perth Wildcats to be part of the club's 2010 NBL championship.

Harris would spend one more season in the NBL with the Adelaide 36ers before returning to the SEABL for stints with the Bendigo Braves and Thunder.

He is one of the tallest players in the history of the NBL and is now living and working in his home state of Tasmania.

Mitch Selwood: Forward (1.7ppg, 1.1rpg, 0.1apg)

Returning from the World Championships, unlike most of his teammates, Selwood didn't go the college route. He instead chose to play in the NBL, making his league debut at 20-years-old with the now-defunct Hunter Pirates.

The Orange, NSW, forward played two seasons with the Pirates with his second being his last in the NBL.

Selwood has since spent time in the army, and now works at a mining company in Townsville, Queensland.

Rob Beveridge: Head Coach

The fearless leader of the Emus world championship team would go on to become one of the most accomplished coaches in the country.

Four years later, Beveridge took over the West Sydney Razorbacks, which then became the Sydney Spirit, but it was his move to the Perth Wildcats which would go down in the history books.

The Canberra-born coach became the Wildcats coach in 2009 and would lead the iconic NBL club into a new era, winning a championship in his second season as they beat the Wollongong Hawks 2-1 in the grand final series. A season which catapulted the careers of players, including Emus Damian Martin and Matthew Knights as well as NBL legends like Kevin Lisch and Jesse Wagstaff.

After his tenure in Perth ended in 2013, Beveridge took on the world once again, coaching the Shanghai Sharks in China before returning to the NBL to lead the Illawarra Hawks in 2015. Beveridge guided the Hawks to the 2016 NBL Championship Series, eventually losing to his old team in Perth 3-0.

Since moving on from Illawarra, Beveridge has coached in the NZNBL, in Indonesia — where he is now leading the charge to develop junior path was ahead of the country hosting the 2029 FIBA Under-19 World Cup — and has also done work with local associations in Western Australia.