Flying Foxwell: A homegrown milestone for Phoenix guard

Owen Foxwell celebrates his 100th NBL game, a milestone that caps a rapid rise into a key role for a surging Phoenix side.

This Saturday will be a special occasion for South East Melbourne Phoenix’s Owen Foxwell, with the guard chalking up his 100th NBL game.

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).

The enormity of the milestone isn’t lost on the 22-year-old.

“It’s a really cool and exciting milestone and one that’s come around fast. I didn’t expect it to happen this quickly,” Foxwell said.

“Making 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.”

The game itself against Cairns will be played at the State Basketball Centre, where Foxwell played much of his junior career.

“Over my lifetime, I’ve played hundreds of games at the State Basketball Centre, so it’s great to be able to play a game of this magnitude on the court I grew up playing on,” he said.

“We love playing in front of our home fans at the State Basketball Centre, and Saturday will be no different.”

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.

Another development contract followed for Foxwell during NBL23, going on to play 16 times for the club, including six starts.

His impressive development saw him sign as a rostered player in March 2023.

Since then, Foxwell has progressed to be a pivotal player for Josh King’s side, starting all but one game in NBL26.

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.

“The journey has gone by really quickly, despite there being some hurdles along the way,” he said.

“It’s cool to reflect on how far I’ve come from a development player to an end-of-the-bench piece and now starting. It’s 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.

“I couldn’t be happier with the position I’m in now, but I’m also nowhere near where I think I can get to.

“[This year], taking on a bigger role and playing more minutes, I’ve been trying to increase my gas tank, so I can play at the level I want to for 28-30 minutes a night.

“With that extra responsibility, I feel like my leadership has taken a step forward this season, while I’m working hard all the time on my shot making, especially around the rim.

“Each time I step on the court, I’m trying to round out my game and become more efficient.”

Foxwell, who is averaging career-highs in points (11.8), assists (4.5), rebounds (3) and free-throw percentage (79.2) this season, isn’t just thrilled with his personal positioning, but also his team.

Winners of five of their past six games, the Phoenix currently sit in second on the ladder, with an 18-8 record.

South East Melbourne will look to continue that run against Cairns from 5.30pm AEDT on Saturday.

“We need to lock in on the defensive end [against Cairns], as we've had no problem scoring the ball recently,” Foxwell said.

“Saturday 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.

“[We're focused on the present] while looking at the bigger picture too.”

Saturday’s Round 18 fixture will be live on ESPN.