McKinnon Cougars Claim Big V 2026 Championship Men Crown

The McKinnon Cougars are the Big V 2026 Championship Men winners after defeating the Hume City Broncos 93–80 in Saturday’s Grand Final at the State Basketball Centre.

The victory completed a memorable finals campaign and secured back-to-back Championship Men titles for McKinnon.

The Cougars finished the regular season second on the ladder with a 13–7 record and had already defeated Hume City twice before meeting the Broncos again in the Grand Final.

McKinnon won the opening 3 quarters, built a 26-point advantage by three-quarter time and held firm through Hume City’s final-period challenge to secure the championship.

The Cougars made the stronger start and established a 19–16 lead at quarter-time.

McKinnon’s defensive pressure made scoring difficult for Hume City, while its ball movement and ability to attack from different areas of the floor created opportunities throughout the opening period.

The Cougars began to take control during the second quarter.

McKinnon continued to find the open player and increased its defensive pressure, restricting Hume City to another 16-point period.

A 25-point quarter extended the lead to 44–32 at half-time and placed the Cougars in a strong position heading into the main break.

McKinnon produced its best basketball of the night during the third quarter.

The Cougars maintained their pressure at both ends of the floor and steadily pushed the margin beyond 20.

With contributions coming throughout the rotation, McKinnon outscored Hume City 27–13 during the period and entered the final quarter leading 71–45.

The Broncos made their push during the final 10 minutes, reducing the margin after producing their highest-scoring quarter of the game.

McKinnon remained composed as Hume City attempted to build momentum and continued to find the points required to keep the Broncos at arm’s length.

The Cougars added another 22 points during the fourth quarter and closed out the 93–80 victory to begin the championship celebrations.

The result was built on a complete team performance, with McKinnon combining its scoring depth, rebounding and defensive presence to control the contest.

Josh Uhr-Henry finished with 18 points and 6 rebounds, while Garrett Levesque produced 13 points, 11 rebounds and 5 blocks.

Michael Aminov added 12 points and 3 assists, with Mitchell Barry and Angok Angok each scoring 10.

Josh McQueen contributed 4 points, while Luke Lyngberg added 2 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block. Kelsey Espeut collected 2 rebounds during his minutes on the floor.

McKinnon shot 43.4 percent from the field, made 11 three-pointers and recorded 20 assists.

The Cougars also won the rebound count 52–44, recorded 8 blocks and committed only 13 turnovers across the Grand Final.

Troyce Manassa was awarded the Grand Final MVP following an outstanding all-round performance on the championship stage.

Manassa finished with 24 points, 9 assists, 8 rebounds and 4 steals, shooting 9-of-16 from the field.

He led McKinnon in scoring and assists while influencing the contest at both ends of the floor, producing the defining individual performance of the Grand Final.

The championship was a fitting conclusion to a season in which the Cougars again established themselves among the leading teams in Big V Championship Men.

After navigating the regular season and finals, McKinnon delivered its biggest performance of the year when the title was on the line.

Led by head coach James McKinnon and assistant coaches Hannah McGillen and Kane Washington, the Cougars secured a 13-point victory and the Big V 2026 Championship Men crown.

The McKinnon Cougars are back-to-back Big V champions.