Beat The Coach: Top Round 18 picks & PLAY NOW

With HoopsFest 2026 in the rear-view mirror, we can now look to a packed weekend of NBL basketball in Round 18.

All 10 teams will hit the court twice this week, meaning players will two chances to put up a massive SuperCoach score, and coaches will once again have plenty of options to build their sides.

Damon Lowery dominated in Round 17, losing to only 29 coaches. He’ll be confident going into this week, so it’s important to nail your team selection if you want to take him down in Round 18 of Beat The Coach, presented by Choice Hotels.

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Premium options:
Andrew Andrews – Cairns Taipans ($332,000)
Ben Henshall – Perth Wildcats ($222,300)
Bryce Cotton – Adelaide 36ers ($459,500)
Bryce Hamilton – Tasmania JackJumpers ($234,900)
Hunter Maldonado – Brisbane Bullets ($303,400)
Isaac Humphries – Adelaide 36ers ($217,900)
Izaiah Brockington – New Zealand Breakers ($243,600)
JaVale McGee – Illawarra Hawks ($362,100)
Jack McVeigh – Cairns Taipans ($367,300)
Jesse Edwards – Melbourne United ($262,600)
Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. – Perth Wildcats ($280,400)
Jordan Hunter – South East Melbourne Phoenix ($238,500)
Josh Bannan – Tasmania JackJumpers ($306,900)
Kendric Davis – Sydney Kings ($400,800)
Kouat Noi – Sydney Kings ($216,700)
Kristian Doolittle – Perth Wildcats ($315,500)
Milton Doyle – Melbourne United ($246,300)
Nathan Sobey – South East Melbourne Phoenix ($467,700)
Owen Foxwell – South East Melbourne Phoenix ($293,800)
Parker Jackson-Cartwright – New Zealand Breakers ($414,300)
Sam Mennenga – New Zealand Breakers ($258,600)
Terry Taylor – Brisbane Bullets ($287,400)
Tim Soares – Sydney Kings ($244,000)
Tyler Harvey – Illawarra Hawks ($248,400)
Will Hickey – Illawarra Hawks ($291,600)
Zylan Cheatham – Adelaide 36ers ($357,600)
- Names listed alphabetically

Despite the big loss that the Adelaide 36ers suffered at the hands of the South East Melbourne Phoenix, Bryce Cotton was still extremely influential on the scoring end with 30 points for the night. He ended the game with 39 SuperCoach points and will look to help his team bounce back in Round 18 after a pair of losses.

Zylan Cheatham was strong once again, with 30 SuperCoach points thanks to a double-double, while Isaac Humphries scored 24 SuperCoach points and is now a very affordable premium option at centre with his price dropping to $217,900.

Terry Taylor led the way for the Brisbane Bullets, with 37 SuperCoach points against the Kings, while Hunter Maldonado backed up his best performance of the season with another 23 SuperCoach points.

The two stars will be at the forefront for the foreseeable future in Brisbane as their injury struggles continue.

A well-rounded performance saw Jack McVeigh finish with 30 SuperCoach points for the Cairns Taipans. Andrew Andrews has been excellent in recent weeks and finished with 22 SuperCoach points, although that total was down on his two previous performances.

Will Hickey had his best SuperCoach showing since Round 13, finishing with 32 points against the Perth Wildcats. JaVale McGee improved upon his recent season low, jumping back up to 31 SuperCoach points, while Tyler Harvey continued his consistent run with another 25 SuperCoach points for the game. The trio should lead the way once again this weekend.

Jesse Edwards impressed for Melbourne United as they returned to the winners column, as a 21-point double-double saw him finish with 46 SuperCoach points for the night.

Milton Doyle had 19 SuperCoach points, and shapes as a more suitable option than Tyson Walker right now, who comes in at almost $70,000 more expensive and puts up similar numbers to his backcourt partner.

Parker Jackson-Cartwright was the highest SuperCoach scorer for HoopsFest, with 57 points against the Taipans. Sam Mennenga impressed with his biggest score since the last time New Zealand faced Cairns, finishing with 38 SuperCoach points, while Izaiah Brockington had 32 SuperCoach points for the night.

While Brockington scored one less point than his teammate Karim Lopez and averages two less for the season, he is arguably a more suitable option at $40,000 less.

Kristian Doolittle starred once again for the Perth Wildcats, with 43 SuperCoach points. Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. was also his influential self for the side, scoring 32 SuperCoach points, while Ben Henshall was excellent and has jumped into more expensive territory, sitting at $222,300 after a 35-point SuperCoach performance.

Nathan Sobey is firmly in an MVP race and should be on everyone’s radar when he returns this weekend, with a SuperCoach average of 37.6 points this season.

Owen Foxwell was terrific in Sobey’s absence, with 15 points and 12 assists seeing him finish on 53 SuperCoach points for the game. Jordan Hunter was also strong, finishing with 32 SuperCoach points thanks to a near double-double.

The Sydney Kings continued their solid run, and Kendric Davis was brilliant as always with 45 SuperCoach points. Kouat Noi continued his career-best run of form, starring for the Kings and finishing with 41 SuperCoach points for the night.

Tim Soares was impressive once again with 23 SuperCoach points and will sense a great opportunity this week as the Kings face a JackJumpers side without Will Magnay on Thursday night.

Speaking of the JackJumpers, Josh Bannan had a strong performance on Saturday night with 33 SuperCoach points and will need to lead the Tasmania front court in Magnay’s absence. Bryce Hamilton also had a strong performance with 28 SuperCoach points, keeping his season average at 28.5 points.

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Budget-friendly picks:
Admiral Schofield – Cairns Taipans ($114,500)
Alex Ducas – Brisbane Bullets ($168,400)
Carlin Davison – New Zealand Breakers ($101,100)
David Okwera – Perth Wildcats ($166,200)
Dejan Vasiljevic – Adelaide 36ers ($119,700)
Ian Clark – South East Melbourne Phoenix ($137,700)
Isaac White – Adelaide 36ers ($92,500)
Kyle Bowen – Melbourne United ($120,400)
Majok Deng – Tasmania JackJumpers ($181,100)
Makuach Maluach – Sydney Kings ($160,600)
Malique Lewis – South East Melbourne Phoenix ($170,000)
Mason Peatling – Illawarra Hawks ($168,500)
Mojave King – Cairns Taipans ($145,100)
Nick Rakocevic – Adelaide 36ers ($177,700)
Tai Webster – New Zealand Breakers ($157,300)
Tanner Krebs – Melbourne United ($175,300)
Todd Blanchfield – Illawarra Hawks ($89,700)
Tyler Robertson – Sydney Kings ($126,400)
Wani Swaka Lo Buluk – Illawarra Hawks ($162,800)
- Names listed alphabetically

Nick Rakocevic had a strong night against the Phoenix, finishing with 20 SuperCoach points, while Isaac White took advantage of his starting role and scored 18 SuperCoach points while playing a season-high of 28 minutes.

Dejan Vasiljevic scored 12 SuperCoach points last week and is an extremely valuable option at $119,700 given how high his scoring output can be.

At just $168,400, Alex Ducas is by far Brisbane’s strongest budget option. He scored 28 SuperCoach points against Sydney and has taken on a prominent role given the injury trouble at the Bullets.

Mojave King scored more SuperCoach points than any other Taipans player at HoopsFest, with 32 against his former side, the New Zealand Breakers. Admiral Schofield was also strong with 26 points for the night and sits at a very affordable $114,500, which is his lowest price of the season so far.

Todd Blanchfield starred in the final quarter for Illawarra, knocking down multiple shots in a late charge. He finished with 22 points for the contest and sits at a bargain price of $89,700.

Wani Swaka Lo Buluk and Mason Peatling contributed well once again with 21 and 19 SuperCoach points respectively for the contest.

Tanner Krebs scored 16 SuperCoach points off the bench for Melbourne United and comes into this week as their most valuable cheap option, while Kyle Bowen also has great scoring potential at $120,400, managing 11 points against the JackJumpers.

Tai Webster has continued his solid contributions for the Breakers, scoring 11 SuperCoach points off the bench. Carlin Davison has also had some very strong nights, averaging 11.0 SuperCoach points for the season. Either player could see an increased minutes load with the unfortunate news of Rob Baker’s injury and would be worth looking at as a cheap option.

David Okwera has been excellent this season for the Wildcats and comes into this week as their strongest budget option. He had their fifth-highest score of the week with 17 SuperCoach points and has averaged 17.8 over his last five outings.

Ian Clark was outstanding for the Phoenix on Sunday afternoon in the absence of Nathan Sobey. He scored 36 SuperCoach points and will carry plenty of momentum into Round 18 following that performance.

Malique Lewis was also impressive with his biggest SuperCoach score in nearly 10 rounds, finishing with 22 SuperCoach points for the night.

Tyler Robertson and Makuach Maluach have been terrific in their starting roles for the Sydney Kings with the absence of several key names, contributing extremely well once again with 26 and 24 SuperCoach points respectively.

Majok Deng scored 17 SuperCoach points against Melbourne United and will be a very important fixture in the JackJumpers front court in the coming weeks with Will Magnay being out for the rest of the season.

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