After another strong showing on the international stage, 229-centimetre youngster Jongkuch Mach’s standing in world basketball continues to rise.

This comes after the Perth talent played a key role in helping the NBL Next Stars team win the 2026 adidas Eurocamp in Italy.

“It was a great feeling winning the Eurocamp just because of how unfamiliar a lot of us were with each other on the team,” Mach said.

“But we overcame the unfamiliarity, and that ultimately led to us doing great in the camp.”

Mach, who led the event in blocks per game (3) and finished in the top 10 in rebounds (5.3), believes it was his side’s defence that proved the difference in Treviso.

“I thought we played extremely well defensively. We stayed disciplined, played physical defensively, and that dictated our offence,” Mach said.

“Even the energy on and off the court from everyone was a big factor. We had great leaders on our team, within the players and the coaching staff, who made it very easy for everyone to trust each other.

“[That] helped everyone be great in their individual role on the team.”

‍>> READ MORE: NEXT STARS WIN EUROCAMP TITLE, CLAIM AWARDS

18-year-old Mach, who is currently part of Basketball Australia’s Centre of Excellence and competed in the NBA Academy Games in Atlanta last year, believes a tournament like the Eurocamp is invaluable for his career.

“Mentally, this camp has done a lot for me just because we played against so many top talents across the world,” he said.

“It helped me understand the playing style from different countries and how I had to adapt to these playing styles to do well at the camp.

“[Events like this] give us young players an opportunity to showcase what we can do and what we need to work on in our game.

“It also gives us high-level quality game reps and some sort of a sneak peek at what the next level in our careers looks like, whether it’s the NBA, NBL, college and anywhere around the world.”

As impressive as the whole Next Stars squad was in Italy, Head Coach Phil Handy couldn’t have been more blown away by the West Australian big man.

“Big JK is a kid I was very impressed with,” Handy said.

“Not only as a basketball player, but as a human.

“He was one of the bright spots for me. 

“His mobility, his size, his hands and his shot blocking ability, [I believe he’s a] tremendous talent. 

“Of all the kids that were there, JK put his name on the map more than anybody because every NBA team was curious about him and who he is, and I’m really happy about that. 

“The Next Stars program is set up to help these kids launch their careers, and now a kid like JK, who was virtually not on the radar, is now on everybody's radar. 

“I’m really happy for all these guys to expose themselves to a higher level of basketball and give themselves an opportunity to be seen later down the road.”

Mach will now return to NBL1 action with his CoE side, who currently sit in third on the NBL1 East ladder.