No. 10–Perth Wildcats | |
---|---|
Position | Shooting guard / small forward |
League | NBL |
Personal information | |
Born | Western Australia, Australia | 22 June 2004
Listed height | 195 cm (6 ft 5 in) |
Listed weight | 90 kg (198 lb) |
Career information | |
High school | Willetton Senior (Perth, Western Australia) |
Playing career | 2021–present |
Career history | |
2021 | Cockburn Cougars |
2022–2023 | BA Centre of Excellence |
2023–present | Perth Wildcats |
2024 | Otago Nuggets |
Ben Henshall (born 22 June 2004) is an Australian professional basketball player for the Perth Wildcats of the National Basketball League (NBL). He played for the BA Centre of Excellence in the NBL1 in 2022 and 2023 and then joined the Otago Nuggets of the New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL) in 2024.
Henshall was born and raised in Western Australia. [1] He grew up in the Perth suburb of Lynwood [2] and initially played soccer and football. [3] He started to take basketball seriously at age 14 while attending Willetton Senior High School. [2]
In 2021, Henshall led the Western Australia Under 18 Metro team to the gold medal at the national championships [4] and was named the Western Australian Basketball League (WABL) Player of the Year while playing for the Cockburn Cougars. [5] He also debuted for the Cougars in the NBL1 West in 2021, averaging 6.17 points, 2.67 rebounds and 1.58 assists in 12 games. [6]
In 2022, Henshall moved to Canberra to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS). [7] He played for the BA Centre of Excellence in the NBL1 and averaged 8.0 points, 2.24 rebounds and 1.65 assists in 17 games in the Wildcard conference. [8]
In 2023, Henshall led the Western Australia Under 20 team to the gold medal at the national championships and won the Bob Staunton Medal as the most outstanding player of the tournament. [9] He also helped the NBA Global Academy win the NBA Academy Games in the United States, averaging a series-best 16.83 points per game. [10] [11] [12] [13] With the BA Centre of Excellence in the NBL1 East, [14] he captained the team to a 20–2 record [15] and averaged 18.05 points, 3.57 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.86 steals in 21 games. [16]
On 17 April 2023, Henshall signed a two-year deal with the Perth Wildcats of the National Basketball League (NBL). [17] [18] [19] In his NBL debut on 1 October 2023, he scored a game-high 24 points in a 110–99 loss to the South East Melbourne Phoenix. [20] He became the first Australian to top score on debut in the NBL and joined Joe Ingles as the only player under the age of 20 to score 20 points on debut. [21] He lacked further opportunities over the rest of the season however, and didn't have another double-figure game. [22] He appeared in 16 games for the Wildcats in 2023–24, averaging 3.1 points and 1.3 rebounds per game. [23]
Henshall joined the Otago Nuggets for the 2024 New Zealand NBL season. [24] [25] In 15 games, he averaged 19.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game. [26] [27]
Early in the 2024–25 NBL season, Henshall seized his chances and earned a spot in the Wildcats' starting five. [22] After missing all 10 of his field goal attempts on 25 October against the Sydney Kings, [22] [28] Henshall responded a week later with a career-high 26 points and five 3-pointers in a 113–105 win over the Illawarra Hawks. [22] [29]
In February 2023, Henshall joined the Australian Boomers as a training player ahead of two FIBA World Cup qualifiers. [30] He re-joined the Boomers as a member of the 12-man squad twelve months later. [31]
Henshall is the son of Mark and Joanne. [2]
Terrico Reshard White is an American professional basketball player for the Kalamunda Eastern Suns of the NBL1 West. A native of Memphis, Tennessee, he was drafted by the Detroit Pistons with the 36th overall pick in the second round of the 2010 NBA draft after playing two collegiate seasons at Ole Miss, where he earned SEC Rookie of the Year in 2009.
Ben Purser is an Australian former basketball player. He played 16 years for the Perry Lakes Hawks of the NBL1 West, debuting in 2008 and playing every year until retiring in 2023. As team captain, he led the Hawks to two championships, the first in 2018 in the State Basketball League (SBL) with grand final MVP honours and the second in 2021 in the inaugural NBL1 West season. He was named to the All-SBL First Team in 2018 and the SBL All-Defensive Five every year between 2016 and 2019. He was also the league's Most Improved Player in 2009.
Bryce Jiron Cotton is an American professional basketball player for the Perth Wildcats of the National Basketball League (NBL). In the NBL, he is a four-time winner of the Most Valuable Player Award and has won three championships. He is also a two-time grand final MVP, seven-time All-NBL First Team recipient, and has seven scoring titles.
Cameron Richard Gliddon is an Australian basketball coach and former professional player, currently the head coach of the Auckland Tuatara in the New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL). He played four years of college basketball for Concordia University before returning to Australia and joining the Cairns Taipans of the National Basketball League (NBL), where he won the NBL Rookie of the Year Award in 2013. After six seasons with the Taipans, he played two seasons for the Brisbane Bullets (2018–20), two for the South East Melbourne Phoenix (2020–22), and two for the New Zealand Breakers (2022–24). He also played in Poland, Russia and the New Zealand NBL throughout his career. In September 2024, he retired from playing and was appointed head coach of the Auckland Tuatara.
Angus John Brandt is an Australian professional basketball player for the Veltex Shizuoka of the Japanese B.League. He played college basketball for Oregon State University before beginning his professional career with the Sydney Kings in 2014. After two seasons with the Kings, he joined the Perth Wildcats, where he won two NBL championships in three years. He has also had stints in Lithuania, New Zealand and Italy.
Tai Jack Webster is a New Zealand professional basketball player for the Perth Wildcats of the National Basketball League (NBL). Prior to playing college basketball in the United States, Webster won a New Zealand NBL championship with the Auckland Pirates in 2012 and an Australian NBL championship with the Breakers in 2013 as a development player. He played four college seasons for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, earning second-team All-Big Ten as a senior in 2017. He played professionally in Germany and Turkey between 2017 and 2020.
Thomas Lachlan Jervis is an Australian professional basketball player who last played for the Rockingham Flames of the NBL1 West. He played college basketball for Bevill State Community College and Troy University in the United States before debuting in the National Basketball League (NBL). He won two NBL championships with the Perth Wildcats between 2013 and 2016. After two seasons with the Brisbane Bullets, Jervis returned to the Wildcats in 2018 and won his third championship. He retired from basketball in 2019 but made a comeback in January 2021 to re-join the Wildcats. Jervis is also well known for his time spent in the State Basketball League (SBL) with the East Perth Eagles, having played for them every year between 2009 and 2016, helping them win their maiden championship in 2014.
Devondrick Deshawn Walker is an American professional basketball player for the Rockingham Flames of the NBL1 West. He played three years of college basketball for the Texas A&M–Commerce Lions between 2011 and 2014 before playing the first three seasons of his professional career in the NBA Development League. He later played in Italy, France, Australia, New Zealand and Latvia. In the NBL1 West, Walker is a two-time league MVP and a championship winner in 2022.
Keanu Tecumseh Pinder is an Australian professional basketball player for the Perth Wildcats of the National Basketball League (NBL). He played college basketball for Hutchinson Community College and the Arizona Wildcats.
Michael James Vigor is a Scottish-born Australian professional basketball player for the Willetton Tigers of the NBL1 West. He made his debut in the State Basketball League (SBL) for the Perth Redbacks in 2008 and in 2011 joined the Perth Wildcats of the National Basketball League (NBL) as a development player. He won an NBL championship with the Wildcats in 2014 and an SBL championship with the Redbacks in 2017. He played in Europe between 2015 and 2020, and in 2018 he represented Scotland at the Commonwealth Games.
Sunday Dech is a South Sudanese-Australian professional basketball player for the Adelaide 36ers of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL). He is a two-time NBL champion with the Perth Wildcats, having won in 2014 and 2019. Dech played NCAA Division II college basketball for the Metro State Roadrunners and Barry Buccaneers.
Todd Dwoyne Withers is an American professional basketball player for the Perth Wildcats of the National Basketball League (NBL). He played college basketball for the Queens Royals.
Jarred Bairstow is an Australian professional basketball player for the Brisbane Bullets of the National Basketball League (NBL). He played three seasons of college basketball in the United States for the Central Oklahoma Bronchos before returning to Australia and spending the 2016–17 season as a development player with his hometown Brisbane Bullets in the NBL. Between 2020 and 2024, he played one season with the Perth Wildcats and three seasons with the Tasmania JackJumpers. He returned to the Bullets in 2024.
Wani Lodu Swaka Lo Buluk is a Sudanese-Australian professional basketball player for the Illawarra Hawks of the National Basketball League (NBL). Opting to forgo college basketball in the United States to begin his professional career in Australia, he made his debut for the Perth Wildcats in the NBL in 2018. He won two NBL championships with the Wildcats over three years before joining the Sydney Kings in 2021 and winning a third championship in 2022. He also helped the Warwick Senators win the West Coast Classic in 2020.
Luke Jacob Travers is an Australian professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Cleveland Charge of the NBA G League. After playing for the Rockingham Flames in the State Basketball League (SBL), Travers opted to forgo college basketball in the United States to begin his professional career in Australia. He made his debut for the Perth Wildcats in the National Basketball League (NBL) in 2019 and went on to be selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the 56th overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft. He joined Melbourne United in 2023 and then joined the Cavaliers in 2024.
Mitchell Clarke is an Australian professional basketball player for the Reading Rockets of the English National Basketball League. He played five seasons with the Perry Lakes Hawks in the NBL1 West before joining the Perth Wildcats of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL) in 2021, where he spent two seasons with their extended squad. He played for the Bendigo Braves of the NBL1 South in 2022 before returning to the Hawks in 2023. After a season with the Reading Rockets of the English NBL, he re-joined Bendigo in 2024.
Kyle Luke Zunic is an Australian professional basketball player for the Keilor Thunder of the NBL1 South. He played four seasons of college basketball in the United States for the Winthrop Eagles before joining the Perth Wildcats of the National Basketball League (NBL) in 2021.
Oliver Harry Hayes-Brown is an Australian sportsman who currently plays Australian rules football with the Richmond Football Club. He previously played basketball, playing one season of college basketball for the UC Riverside Highlanders before spending two seasons as a development player with the Perth Wildcats of the National Basketball League (NBL). In 2023, he changed codes and joined the Richmond Football Club of the Australian Football League (AFL) as a category B rookie.
Corey Shervill is an Australian professional basketball player for the Southern Districts Spartans of the NBL1 North. He played three seasons of college basketball in the United States for the St. Edward's Hilltoppers before joining the Perth Wildcats of the National Basketball League (NBL) in 2020, where he spent three seasons. In 2017, he won the SBL Most Improved Player Award while playing for the Lakeside Lightning.
Michael Harris is an Australian professional basketball player for the Perth Wildcats of the National Basketball League (NBL).