{"id":434141,"date":"2026-01-24T09:24:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-24T09:24:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/434141\/"},"modified":"2026-01-24T09:24:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-24T09:24:11","slug":"a-homegrown-milestone-for-phoenix-guard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/434141\/","title":{"rendered":"A homegrown milestone for Phoenix guard"},"content":{"rendered":"

This Saturday will be a special occasion for South East Melbourne Phoenix\u2019s Owen Foxwell, with the guard chalking up his 100th NBL game.<\/p>\n

He will become just the fourth player in franchise history to achieve the milestone, following in the footsteps of Mitch Creek (143), Reuben Te Rangi (12) and Kyle Adnam (119).<\/p>\n

The enormity of the milestone isn\u2019t lost on the 22-year-old.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a really cool and exciting milestone and one that\u2019s come around fast. I didn\u2019t expect it to happen this quickly,\u201d Foxwell said.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaking it even more special is the fact that I get to bring it up in front of my friends and family here in Melbourne, where it all began for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

The game itself against Cairns will be played at the State Basketball Centre, where Foxwell played much of his junior career.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver my lifetime, I\u2019ve played hundreds of games at the State Basketball Centre, so it\u2019s great to be able to play a game of this magnitude on the court I grew up playing on,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe love playing in front of our home fans at the State Basketball Centre, and Saturday will be no different.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Growing up as a Bulleen Boomers junior, Foxwell went on to represent his state on numerous occasions, before signing with the Heartland Club as a development player in 2021. During that season, he made four appearances for the Phoenix.<\/p>\n

Another development contract followed for Foxwell during NBL23, going on to play 16 times for the club, including six starts.<\/p>\n

His impressive development saw him sign as a rostered player in March 2023.<\/p>\n

Since then, Foxwell has progressed to be a pivotal player for Josh King\u2019s side, starting all but one game in NBL26.<\/p>\n

Other accolades during these years include winning a gold medal with the Boomers at the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup, winning the 2024 NBL1 South title with Eltham (alongside Phoenix teammate Angus Glover) and being named the 2022 NBL1 South Young Player of the Year.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe journey has gone by really quickly, despite there being some hurdles along the way,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s cool to reflect on how far I\u2019ve come from a development player to an end-of-the-bench piece and now starting. It\u2019s been a crazy ride, but a reward for all my hard work and patience, not just by me but also the club, to get me where I am today.<\/p>\n

\u201cI couldn\u2019t be happier with the position I\u2019m in now, but I\u2019m also nowhere near where I think I can get to.<\/p>\n

\u201c[This year], taking on a bigger role and playing more minutes, I\u2019ve been trying to increase my gas tank, so I can play at the level I want to for 28-30 minutes a night.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith that extra responsibility, I feel like my leadership has taken a step forward this season, while I\u2019m working hard all the time on my shot making, especially around the rim.<\/p>\n

\u201cEach time I step on the court, I\u2019m trying to round out my game and become more efficient.\u201d<\/p>\n

Foxwell, who is averaging career-highs in points (11.8), assists (4.5), rebounds (3) and free-throw percentage (79.2) this season, isn\u2019t just thrilled with his personal positioning, but also his team.<\/p>\n

Winners of five of their past six games, the Phoenix currently sit in second on the ladder, with an 18-8 record.<\/p>\n

South East Melbourne will look to continue that run against Cairns from 5.30pm AEDT on Saturday.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to lock in on the defensive end [against Cairns], as we’ve had no problem scoring the ball recently,\u201d Foxwell said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSaturday is a good opportunity to get back to what we want to do [which is play defence], because we’re looking ahead towards wanting to be competitive in a Championship Series and trying to outscore teams probably isn’t going to do that.<\/p>\n

\u201c[We’re focused on the present] while looking at the bigger picture too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Saturday\u2019s Round 18 fixture will be live on ESPN.<\/p>\n

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