Off-Season Player Wrap: 30 Points for Ayre in Thriller Win

Our players are working hard during the off-season as they prepare for the NBL25 season.

See below for how our Phoenix-rostered players are faring locally and internationally.

Ben Ayre – Wellington Saints (NZNBL)
30PTS, 2ASTS, 2REB, 1STL vs Franklin Bulls

The Saints bounced back from last week’s loss to Nelson with a thrilling victory over the Franklin Bulls 87-85. A seven-point buffer allowed the Saints to hold onto the win with a last-minute fightback from the Bulls.

Ayre continued his standout performance from the last round, scoring 30 points in the two-point win and was named for the second week in a row as the Saint's round MVP.

Luke Fennell – Centre of Excellence – (NBL1 East)
5PTS, 2REBS, 2ASTS, 1BLK vs Sutherland Sharks 
21PTS, 3REBS, 2ASTS, 1STL vs Albury-Wodonga Bandits

The Centre of Excellence continued its winning form, going again 2-0 the past weekend, winning against the Sutherland Sharks 101-59 and Albury-Wodonga Bandits 96-83 and jumping to fourth on the NBL1 East Ladder.

Fennell started in both games, scoring five points in the massive 42-point win on Saturday against the Sharks and 21 points on Sunday.

Matt Kenyon – North Gold Coast Seahawks (NBL1 North)
11PTS, 4ASTS, 7REBS, 1STLS vs South West Metro Pirates

Matt Kenyon’s side, the Seahawks, had an important win over the South West Metro Pirates, 89-81, on Saturday night.

Kenyon fell short of adding another double-double to his name but produced 11 points and seven rebounds in the eight-point victory. The win sees the Seahawks climb from 9th to 7th on the NBL1 North ladder.

Owen Foxwell – Eltham Wildcats (NBL1 South)
23PTS, 8ASTS, 10REBS, 2STL vs Sandringham Sabres

It was a family affair on Saturday night when Owen Foxwell came up against his younger brother Joel and Sandringham Sabres, with the latter coming away with the close win 85-90.

Foxwell was shy of a triple-double, recording 23 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists in the loss. 

(Owen Foxwell took on his younger brother Joel Foxwell who plays for Sandringham in NBL1. Photo: Travis Palmieri)

Angus Glover – Eltham Wildcats (NBL1 South)
18PTS, 5ASTS, 9REBS, 4STLS vs Sandringham Sabres

In the Eltham loss, Glover was pivotal defensively, racking up four steals in the game but falling short of a double-double with 18 points and nine rebounds.

(Angus Glove in action for Eltham Wildcats in NBL1 South. Photo: Travis Palmieri)

Nathan Sobey – Ipswich Force (NBL1 North)
25PTS, 6ASTS, 3REBS vs Darwin Salties

It was a top-of-the-table clash as Nathan Sobey’s Ipswich Force took on the Darwin Salties. With only one point separating the two in the first half, Darwin came out firing in the third, scoring 35-17 as Ipswich tried to play catch-up, falling 110-125 in the high-scoring affair.

Sobey continued his high-scoring performance in the NBL1 North season, recording 25 points in the 15-point loss.

Jordan Hunter – Rigas Zelli – (Latvian Basketball League)
9PTS, 8REBS, 2ASTS, 1STL vs VEF Riga
6PTS, 9REBS, 1ASTS, 2STL vs VEF Riga
19PTS, 7REBS vs VEF Riga

Rigas Zelli continued their grand final series, going 1-2 across the last week against VEF Riga.

Hunter continued to produce high numbers at both ends of the court to help his side fight back in the championship series. Rigas Zelli is now 1-3 in the series, with game five to be played on Thursday in the best-of-seven bout.

Mitch Creek – Xinjiang Flying Tigers (CBA)
9PTS, 2REBS, 2ASTS, 1STL vs Liaoning
2PTS, 2REBS, 1STL vs Liaoning

Xinjiang started their grand final series against Liaoning this past week. Liaoning started strong, winning the first two games of the series, 112-121 and 86-97.

In only four minutes of court time in Game 1, Creek produced his best performance in the series with nine points. The series continues later tonight as Xinjiang look to get a game back.

Luke Rosendale – Ballarat Miners (NBL1 South)
20PTS, 3ASTS, 5REBS, 2STLS vs Melbourne Tigers

The Miners had a heartbreaking loss to the Melbourne Tigers on Saturday night, going down 78-80. Despite the loss, Rosendale still produced a standout performance with 20 points and five rebounds. 

The loss caused Ballarat to lose the top position of the NBL1 South ladder, falling to third.

Reuben Te Rangi – Auckland Tuatara (NZNBL)
15PTS, 2ASTS, 4REBS, 2STLS vs Otago Nuggets
8PTS, 1AST, 1REB vs Southland Sharks

Auckland's back-to-back wins this past round saw them shoot three games clear on top of the New Zealand ladder.

In the 87-78 win over the Otago Nuggets, Te Rangi had a solid performance, contributing 15 points in the win before continuing two days later with eight points against Southland Sharks in the 97-74 victory.

@ReubenTeRangi AND-1️⃣‼️‼️‼️#salsnbl #RatedE @skysportnz pic.twitter.com/3V5ZdP03Hq

— Sal’s NBL (@nznbl) May 18, 2024

Stay tuned via Phoenix socials to keep updated with players' performances during the off-season.

For a list of the latest roster updates, see below.

Under Contract 
Ben Ayre  
Mitch Creek  
Luke Fennell
Owen Foxwell 
Angus Glover
Jordan Hunter 
Matt Kenyon 
Nathan Sobey  
Derrick Walton Jr

Free Agents 
Gary Browne  
Craig Moller  
Abdel Nader  
Anzac Rissetto  
Luke Rosendale  
Kody Stattmann  
Reuben Te Rangi  
Alan Williams  
Rhys Vague

Off-Season Moves 
Gorjok Gak (Tasmania)
Austin Rapp (Portland Pilots)

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