Ben Henshall

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.

Ben Henshall
No. 10 – Perth Wildcats
PositionShooting guard / small forward
LeagueNBL
Personal information
Born (2004-06-22) 22 June 2004
Western Australia
NationalityAustralian
Listed height195 cm (6 ft 5 in)
Listed weight90 kg (198 lb)
Career information
High schoolWilletton Senior
(Perth, Western Australia)
Playing career2021–present
Career history
2021Cockburn Cougars
2022–2023BA Centre of Excellence
2023–presentPerth Wildcats

Early life and career

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]

Professional career

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]

National team

In February 2023, Henshall joined the Australian Boomers as a training player ahead of two FIBA World Cup qualifiers.[22]

Personal life

Henshall is the son of Mark and Joanne.[2]

References
  1. Hodges, Rani (20 April 2023). "Henshall "Future of the Franchise" at Wildcats". NBL.com.au. Archived from the original on 20 April 2023.
  2. Randall, Michael (20 July 2023). "Inside the Perth Wildcats' NBL off-season revamp and how they lured top talent Ben Henshall". codesports.com.au. Archived from the original on 20 July 2023.
  3. "Ben Henshall Interview | Perth Wildcats vs G-League Ignite | 9.8.23". YouTube. Pro Insight. 16 September 2023. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  4. "WA METRO MEN CROWNED 2021 AUSTRALIAN UNDER-18 CHAMPIONS". BasketballWA.asn.au. 17 April 2021. Archived from the original on 14 April 2023.
  5. "2021 WABL ANNUAL AWARD WINNERS". WABL.asn.au. 19 September 2021. Archived from the original on 14 April 2023.
  6. "Ben Henshall – 2021 NBL1 West". nbl1.com.au. Archived from the original on 14 April 2023.
  7. "NBA Global Academy and Centre of Excellence announce new recruits". australia.basketball. 1 November 2021. Archived from the original on 14 April 2023.
  8. "Ben Henshall – 2022 NBL1". nbl1.com.au. Archived from the original on 14 April 2023.
  9. "Glory in Geelong for our new National Champs". australia.basketball. 19 February 2023. Archived from the original on 14 April 2023.
  10. "Wildcats Around the World". Wildcats.com.au. 4 May 2023. Archived from the original on 4 May 2023.
  11. "Henshall Stars in NBA Academy Games Opener". NBL.com.au. 6 July 2023. Archived from the original on 6 July 2023.
  12. "New Wildcat Henshall shines in NBA Academy series as COE claim title". Wildcats.com.au. 10 July 2023. Archived from the original on 10 July 2023.
  13. Hodges, Rani (20 July 2023). "No Limits for Highly Talented Henshall". NBL.com.au. Archived from the original on 22 July 2023.
  14. Hodges, Rani (20 May 2023). "Ben Henshall prepares for NBL24". NBL1.com.au. Archived from the original on 20 May 2023.
  15. Hodges, Rani (25 July 2023). "Sky's the limit for CoE star Ben Henshall". NBL1.com.au. Archived from the original on 2 August 2023.
  16. "Ben Henshall – 2023 NBL1 East". nbl1.com.au. Archived from the original on 31 July 2023.
  17. "Perth Wildcats Sign Talented Youngster Ben Henshall". Wildcats.com.au. 17 April 2023. Archived from the original on 17 April 2023.
  18. O'Donoghue, Craig (17 April 2023). "Perth Wildcats sign exciting West Australian talent Ben Henshall to join locals Keanu Pinder and David Okwera". TheWest.com.au. Archived from the original on 17 April 2023.
  19. O'Donoghue, Craig (19 April 2023). "Perth Wildcats GM of Basketball Danny Mills names recruit Ben Henshall NBL's Next Big Thing". TheWest.com.au. Archived from the original on 19 April 2023.
  20. "Wildcats go down to Phoenix on the road". Wildcats.com.au. 1 October 2023. Archived from the original on 1 October 2023.
  21. O'Donoghue, Craig (8 October 2023). "Perth Wildcats labelled Ben Henshall the 'future of the franchise' but NBA may take him first". TheWest.com.au. Archived from the original on 8 October 2023.
  22. "Boomers ready to hit the burbs". australia.basketball. 22 February 2023. Archived from the original on 14 April 2023.
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