BIO: Luke Rosendale was born in Echuca, VIC and began playing basketball as a junior with the Echuca basketball program. There, he represented his hometown from U12’s to U18’s in country tournaments for the Echuca Pirates. As a teenager, he started playing for Metro team’s as well, making the long drives from Echuca to Melbourne to play VJBL for the Eltham at U16 levels and then Dandenong for U18 levels.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Luke Rosendale made his NBL debut with the South East Melbourne Phoenix at 22 years of age. He scored six points in his first game.

After South East Melbourne’s 15-13 season ended with a loss to Perth in the Play-In Qualifier, Mike Kelly replaced Simon Mitchell as head coach. Kyle Adnam (to Sibiu), Trey Kell III (to Adelaide), Ryan Broekhoff (retired) and Dane Pineau (to New Zealand) departed, while Kelly added Ben Ayre (via Cairns), Gorjok Gak (via Brisbane), Matt Kenyon (via Tasmania), Rhys Vague (via Kagawa), Craig Moller (via Würzburg) and import Will Cummings (via Zhejiang) around returning leaders Mitch Creek, Alan Williams and Gary Browne.

Rosendale spent NBL23 as a training player with South East Melbourne before earning a one-year development player deal for NBL24. He entered the NBL after a breakout season with Bendigo, where he averaged 16.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists and was named the 2023 NBL1 South Youth Player of the Year.

“Luke is a talented young player that has been great over my short time back at SE Melbourne. Luke brings energy and toughness to every session. I’m so happy that Luke’s hard work has resulted in this opportunity,” said Kelly upon signing Rosendale.

Rosendale made his NBL debut against Perth at John Cain Arena on October 1, where Rosendale (6 points) made two of three three-pointers in just under four minutes as South East Melbourne defeated the Wildcats 110-99. Creek (23 points and 9 rebounds) and Cook (23 points and 10 rebounds) led the Phoenix, while Henshall (24 points and 5 rebounds) was Perth’s best.

Rosendale (3.4 points across 14 games) remained a development player throughout his rookie season and received limited minutes early before South East Melbourne’s growing injury list created greater opportunities late in the campaign. His perimeter shooting quickly became his biggest weapon, with Rosendale making 10 of his first 13 three-point attempts and, by Round 19, holding the highest three-point percentage in NBL history among players to have attempted at least six. He eventually finished the season shooting 57.9 percent from three.

Rosendale received an important opportunity against Sydney on January 25 when the Phoenix entered the game without Williams, Browne, Kenyon and Moller, while Nader dressed but did not play. Rosendale (8 points and 1 assist) made three of four shots in eight minutes as South East Melbourne snapped a five-game losing streak with a 104-98 victory. Creek (31 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals) and Ayre (23 points and 3 rebounds) led the Phoenix, while Adams (24 points and 9 assists) was Sydney’s best.

Rosendale’s best scoring game came against Melbourne United at John Cain Arena on February 3, where Rosendale (9 points and 1 steal) made all three of his field goal attempts in 11 minutes. Nader (18 points and 4 rebounds) and Foxwell (14 points and 2 rebounds) led South East Melbourne, while Lual-Acuil (16 points and 4 rebounds) helped United win 99-83.

Creek (20.8 points and 6.7 rebounds across 23 games) remained South East Melbourne’s leading scorer and earned All-NBL Second Team honours, while Williams (16.7 points and 10.9 rebounds across 15 games) led the NBL in rebounding. Browne (13.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.2 steals across 20 games) and Ayre (10.7 points across 27 games) were the other main contributors, with Moller (6.2 points and 5.3 rebounds across 12 games), Kenyon (5.9 points and 5.1 rebounds across 25 games), Te Rangi (5.8 points across 26 games) and Gak (5.4 points and 4.9 rebounds across 17 games) filling out the rotation. Cook (13.3 points and 7 rebounds across 3 games) had earlier served as Williams’ injury replacement, while Cummings (14.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.7 steals across 12 games) was released during December and replaced by Nader (14.4 points and 3.9 rebounds across 8 games).

Rosendale’s best game came in South East Melbourne’s final game against Sydney at John Cain Arena on February 17, where Rosendale (5 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal) played a season-high 19 minutes. Foxwell (16 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists) and Creek (13 points and 3 rebounds) led the Phoenix, while Hogg (25 points and 7 rebounds) powered Sydney to a 122-67 victory as South East Melbourne finished last with a 10-18 record.

2024/25
South East Melbourne entered NBL25 rebuilding after finishing last, with Mitch Creek (to Turkey), Alan Williams (released), Reuben Te Rangi and Gorjok Gak (both to Tasmania) among the exits. Mike Kelly remained head coach as Nathan Sobey (via Brisbane), Jordan Hunter and Angus Glover (both via Sydney), Tom Vodanovich (via Tasmania), and imports Derrick Walton Jr., Matt Hurt and Joe Wieskamp joined the roster.

On July 16, 2024, the Phoenix re-signed Luke Rosendale to a one-year development player deal for NBL25 after he made 14 appearances in NBL24 and, at one stage, held the highest three-point shooting percentage in league history. Rosendale entered the season looking to continue developing defensively while remaining ready to shoot when opportunities came.

Rosendale (1.3 points across 9 games) remained at the end of the rotation, appearing only in short stretches and never playing more than 2:36 during a regular-season game. His best performance came against Cairns on November 10, where Rosendale (5 points and 1 steal) made both field-goal attempts, including a three-pointer, in 2:20 as South East Melbourne defeated the Taipans 97-74, with Glover (22 points, 3 assists, and 2 steals) and Hurt (15 points and 7 rebounds) leading the Phoenix while Waardenburg (16 points) was Cairns’ top scorer.

After Kelly was replaced by Sam Mackinnon and then Josh King, the Phoenix recovered from their 0-5 start to finish fourth with a 16-13 record. Rosendale’s only postseason appearance came against Perth, where Rosendale (0 points, 1 rebound, and 1 assist) played 1:26 in a 122-105 loss. He was not used again as South East Melbourne’s season ended with a 126-96 semifinal loss to Illawarra.

2025/26
In 2026, Rosendale was signed by the South East Melbourne Phoenix midseason to replace Gorjok Gak, who departed the club to join a team in China. Rosendale had previously been a development player with the Phoenix across the two seasons prior to this signing.

Rosendale (1.8 points, 0 rebounds, 0 assists, 0 steals, and 0 blocks across 4 games) played only 6:05 across the season. His first appearance came against Cairns on January 24, where he scored 1 point in 1:41 as South East Melbourne defeated the Taipans 118-91, with Glover (22 points and 5 assists) and Iwundu (21 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists) leading the Phoenix, while Jack McVeigh (21 points and 6 rebounds) was Cairns’ best.

Rosendale (6 points) produced his best performance in the Seeding Qualifier against Perth, making both field-goal attempts, including a three-pointer, and his only free throw in 2:16 as South East Melbourne won 111-94. Sobey (24 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists) and Foxwell (18 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals) led the Phoenix, while Doolittle (22 points and 6 rebounds) was Perth’s best. The victory sent South East Melbourne into the semifinals after finishing third with a 22-11 record.

Rosendale did not enter any of the three semifinal games against Adelaide. Game one saw Sobey (23 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists), Glover (14 points) and Hunter (14 points) lead South East Melbourne, while Cotton (42 points) and Rakocevic (14 points and 10 rebounds) carried Adelaide to a 104-97 win. The Phoenix levelled the series in game two behind Sobey (41 points), Brown (12 points and 7 rebounds) and Glover (10 points), while Cotton (29 points) and Rakocevic (18 points and 10 rebounds) led Adelaide in South East Melbourne’s 101-92 win. Game three returned to Adelaide, where Clark (32 points) and Sobey (17 points and 8 assists) led South East Melbourne, but Cotton (38 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists), Vasiljevic (27 points) and Rakocevic (14 points and 12 rebounds) powered the 36ers to a 108-96 win.

Luke Rosendale — NBL26 Highlights (official South East Melbourne Phoenix video)

Watch Luke Rosendale’s NBL26 highlights on the Phoenix website

Luke Rosendale played three seasons with the South East Melbourne Phoenix. He averaged 2.4 points, 0.3 rebounds, and 0.3 assists in 28 NBL games.