NORTH Queensland's starting five will boast a strong Cairns flavour when it contests the Australian Under-16 boys basketball championships in Tasmania next month.

Michael Demertze will have the honour of captaining the NQ side at the championships with his Cairns Marlins teammates Jordan Baumgartner, Luke Ellwood and Jason Osborne set to start alongside him.

Demertze admitted he had sought the captain’s role since being named in the NQ squad after the State Classics in Cairns in April, and was thrilled to have been given the nod by Townsville-based coach Ashley Archer.

"I was wanting to have the leadership, I had to prove to (selectors) that I wanted it badly enough," he said yesterday.

Demertze said he looked forward to setting an example on and off the court at the championships and believed the NQ team was a good one.

Archer was also confident the team would fare well but cautioned that his players would be surprised at what a big step it was from state to national competition.

All four Cairns players also turn out for the All Stars club in Cairns competition and Archer said the combinations they had forged in club and representative competition would benefit the NQ team.

The 10-man NQ team will take on metropolitan and country teams from Victoria, NSW, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania as well as a New Zealand outfit.

* Cairns Basketball is hosting a trivia night on June 26, to raise money for the trip. The cost is $15 per person and includes a light supper. Inquiries to Katrina Osborne on 0401 502 770.

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