Owen Foxwell recommits to South East Melbourne Phoenix, inking two-year extension
South East Melbourne young gun Owen Foxwell loomed as a highly-coveted young free agent this off-season as he parked talks on a contract extension but one big move made sure the Phoenix fan favourite stayed loyal.
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South East Melbourne’s most popular player is set to be its longest serving after Heartland hero Owen Foxwell spurned outside interest to stay loyal to the Phoenix.
Foxwell was set to be a coveted youngster on this off-season’s NBL free agency market and, while Code Sports understands a number of clubs keen to wrest the 21-year-old away from the Phoenix had inquired about his availability, he’s put pen-to-paper on a two-year extension.
It’s a huge coup for South East Melbourne to ward off potential suitors and lock in a player it has nurtured since he walked in the door as a 17-year-old. Doubly so, given, earlier this year, Foxwell had understandably parked talks amid the turmoil of an 0-5 start that led to a coaching change.
Once Josh King walked through the door, bringing a new energy, high octane game plan and defensive focus, there was an instant affinity between player and new coach and it didn’t take long for talks to resume. As the Phoenix wins began to pile up, the focus shifted to getting a deal done.
“Ultimately, the decision came down to the direction we’re going, both as a team and individually,” Foxwell said.
“At the end of the day, where did I want to play? Where did I feel like my situation was going to fit best? And I can see myself playing here for a long period of time?
“I like what we’re building. We’ve got (Angus) Glover on the roster for next year, Jordi’s (Hunter) coming back and I like what the club has planned for me.”
Energiser bunny King was a big key, though, Foxwell certain he can take another big leap under a coach whose fervour on the sideline isn’t so dissimilar from his own on the court.
“The way he coaches and how he sees the game is what I’m all about,” Foxwell said.
“Every time I step on the floor, it’s going to be balls to the wall, my body on the line, get up and down the floor and do all the little things.
“I suit how he wants to play and he coaches exactly how I go about things, so it’s just a perfect match, really.”
BREAKING OUT UNDER NEW BOSS
Foxwell’s always done the aforementioned little things but the bigger things are beginning to emerge under King, too.
Case in point Foxy’s coming out party, November 30, 2024. Down 13-2 5 minutes into the clash with top-of-the-table Illawarra, King looked down his bench and turned to Foxy.
On his very first play, Foxwell soared for the defensive rebound and beat everyone back down the court for a coast-to-coast finish that immediately changed the complexion of the game.
Four-and-a-half minutes later an exhausted Foxwell checked back out, the score now 23-21. By game’s end, he’d set a number of career-highs with 22 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds and four three-pointers, on the way to a thrilling three-point win over title fancy Illawarra.
“That was the turning point for me in the year where I was able to find my place in the system and it was probably a turning point for my career because I think it proved what the top of my game can feel like and what I can do at this level,” he said.
It doesn’t take much for your average pro hooper to tell you how good they are. But Foxy almost apologises for spruiking his own traits, even if telling the truth — as if the kid could get any more endearing.
“Personally, in the humblest way possible, I feel like I’m kind of probably, when I step on the floor, I’m one of the fastest on the court, so I’m just trying my best to use my strengths to help the group,” he said.
WITH GREAT POWER COMES GREAT RESPONSIBILITY
The 188cm guard has always been a popular figure among Phoenix fans and, when club legend Mitch Creek departed in the off-season, the Heartland faithful immediately gravitated to their local hero, Who has played over 1000 games at the State Basketball Centre, dating back to his junior exploits.
Next season, he will join Creek as one of only two players on a Phoenix roster in five different seasons with the franchise. The season after, he’ll become the club’s longest servant.
He’s well aware of the responsibility that comes with being a fan favourite but, given he’s been as generous with his time in the community space as anyone whose ever played at the club, giving back comes naturally.
“Obviously, Creeky was a massive figure at the club, so if I can try fill his shoes in any way possible, I’ll do my best,” he said.
“The support the fans give me every time I check into the game, every time I score, every time I jump on a loose ball, that’s why I enjoy giving back to them and taking time out of my day for them.
“I do try and embrace that and it’s another reason why I wanted to stay.”
Phoenix basketball boss Simon Mitchell said Foxwell’s deep ties to the club and the south east region, coupled with his basketball talents and leadership qualities, made him a priority re-sign.
“We see him as a leader and a captain of this club at some stage and we hope he plays his career in one uniform,” Mitchell said.
“We talk about representing the south east within the culture of our basketball club and I think he lives that culture as well as anybody who’s walked through the door.
“The things he does on the court and off it are synonymous with working class, working hard, all the things that represent the south east.
“That’s why the crowd identifies with him.”
THE KID BLEW THEM AWAY
The Covid pandemic became a huge barrier as Foxwell was plotting steps out of high school and into full-time basketball.
World wide restrictions on travel cost him the chance to land at an NCAA college in the US — but opened the door to the Phoenix in a case of ‘right place, right time’ for both player and club.
During a two-week window in 2021 when Victoria’s lockdown restrictions were temporarily lifted, Foxwell’s junior coach at Bulleen Mark Holland recommended Mitchell — then-Phoenix coach — took “a look at this kid”.
Up against 60 hopefuls in a 90-minute open gym session, the teen blew away the Phoenix coaching staff.
“Myself, (then assistants) Lucas Allen and Judd Flavell, at the end of the session, convened and all of us just said, it’s this kid,” Mitchell recalls.
“It was the first open run we’d had in months and then, a couple of days later, the state shuts down again because of Covid.
“Fast forward a couple of months and we’re only permitted to have contracted players in the gym because of the lockdown rules of the time.
“We only had five under contract — we couldn’t even run three-on-three. So, on the basis of that one training session, we decided to give Foxy a chance as a development player and, four years later, here we are.”
‘GIVES YOU THE SHITS’: FROM FRUSTRATION COMES OPPORTUNITY
Foxwell opted not to be paid in his first NBL campaign to ensure the door remained open for college but meaningful minutes in the last three games of the season convinced him he was on the right path.
“I was kind of twiddling my thumbs waiting and then Simon offered me the contract, and I jumped on it,” he said.
“It probably didn’t help my year 12 studies very much, I reckon I ended up going to school probably twice a week once I signed the deal.
“I was still going to go to college after that first year in the NBL but, after the season, the Phoenix wanted me to stay and I didn’t have any official offers from any school in the states, so I decided to stay.”
Aussie talent watchers were perplexed as to why Foxwell didn’t get more college buzz — and he admits he was frustrated — but, in hindsight, Covid times were “weird”.
“I couldn’t get over there and play at all. I wasn’t a junior Australian. I wasn’t at the (Basketball Australia) Centre of Excellence. I wasn’t in the NBA Global Academy. So getting a look in was pretty difficult, not just for myself but for many other Australian kids,” he said.
“Obviously it gives you the shits because you’re a young kid and you want to experience that, and you want the best for your basketball career.
“But I don’t regret my path at all. I’m super grateful for what I’ve got to achieve and where I’m at.
“It’s been a massive road and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
Originally published as Owen Foxwell recommits to South East Melbourne Phoenix, inking two-year extension
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