Tristan Forsyth
February 1, 2021
Matt Kenyon
- Nationality: AUS
- Date of Birth: 8/02/98
- Place of Birth: Avoca Beach (QLD)
- Position: SG
- Height (CM): 196
- Weight (KG): 91
- Junior Assoc: NSW - Gosford
- College: None
- NBL DEBUT: 8/10/16
- AGE AT DEBUT: 18
- LAST NBL GAME: 12/10/24
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 26
- NBL History: Brisbane 2017-18 | Tasmania 2022-23 | South East Melbourne 2024-25
- Championships: 0
- None
BIO: Matthew Dylan Kenyon was born in Avoca Beach (QLD) and raised in the Newcastle (NSW). He attended Hunter Sports High School in Newcastle (NSW) and played junior basketball with the Gosford City Basketball Association. Between 2013 and 2016, he played for New South Wales under 16s, under 18s and under 20s at the Australian Junior National Championships. At the Under 20 National Championships in February 2016, he averaged 18.5 points, 9 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game for NSW. Kenyon received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 2016. He spent two years year there and played for the program’s state league team (2016).
NBL EXPERIENCE
Matt Kenyon made his NBL debut with the Brisbane Bullets at 18 years of age. He scored three points in his first game.
After leaving the AIS, Kenyon signed a development player deal with the Brisbane Bullets. He averaged 1.9 points and 0.8 rebounds, and helped guide the Bullets to a eighth place finish in the regular season with a 10-18 record.
2017/18
In his second year of a development player contract, Kenyon averaged 0.5 points and 0.5 rebounds, and helped guide the Bullets to a eighth place finish in the regular season with a 9-19 record.
Kenyon spent the 2020 season playing in the NBA G-League and the 2021 season with Ballarat in the NBL1 state league.
TASMANIA JACKJUMPERS
2021/22
In 2021, Kenyon signed with the NBL’s newest team, the Tasmania Jackjumpers for their first NBL season. The JackJumpers debut NBL season began with low expectations, multiple betting agencies gave them 400:1 odds of taking out the championship.
In their NBL debut on 3 December 2021, the JackJumpers defeated the Brisbane Bullets 83–74 in overtime at MyState Bank Arena in Hobart but it was a slow start from them on for the ants.
Heading into round 8 the team had won only one more game and sat in ninth spot with a record of 2-6 record. A season ending injury suffered by marquee signing Will Magnay made things even more difficult and forced the head coach Scott Roth to change their game plan from relying on perimeter shooting to a much more well rounded approach. The move paid off and the team rounded out their season with 10 wins from their last 12 games, finishing with a 17–11 record and fifth spot on the ladder.
Kenyon and the JackJumpers weren’t done however as in true Cinderella fashion, thanks to the South East Melbourne Phoenix beating the Perth Wildcats in the last game of the season, Tasmania overtook Perth to finish in fourth place thanks to points percentage.
Kenyon, who had bounced around the NBL a little, blossomed as a hard-nosed perimeter defender in Coach Roth’s system and averaged 3.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 0.9 assists, even playing a number of games as a starter during the season.
The JackJumpers drew the reigning champions and first-placed Melbourne United in the semifinals where again they were not expected to fare well. Tasmania would lose game one to Melbourne on their home court (74-63), before returning the favour on their home court to even the series (1-1). Heading into the deciding game three a additional stroke of luck befell the team with United Captain Chris Goulding unable to play in game three due to injury. Tasmania would take control in the games final moments, defeating Melbourne in a nail-biter (76-73) to advance to the Grand Final series.
The Sydney Kings defeated the Illawarra Hawks 2-0 on the opposite side of the finals bracket and maintained their strong form, defeating Tasmania in Game one of the Grand Final series 95-78.
Game two saw the first NBL Grand Final game ever played in Hobart, where the JackJumpers threw everything they had at the Kings and on the back of a monster performance from American guard Josh Adams the newcomers almost pulled off a huge upset.
Again, the JackJumpers would benefit from a opposition injury when Kings guard Jaylen Adams, who had been named NBL MVP the previous week, suffered a left hamstring injury which would see him miss the remainder of the Grand Final series.
Game two saw JackJumpers fan favourite Josh Adams erupt for 36 points in front of a sell-out Tasmanian crowd, but thanks to 20 point efforts from both captain Xavier Cooks and Jarell Martin (who shot 80% from the field) as well as Dejan Vasiljevic, who nailed a long range dagger in the closing minutes clinched game two for the Kings, 90-86. The win was Sydney’s 12th straight road game victory – the most away wins ever during a single NBL season.
Dejan Vasiljevic with the ???????????????????????? ????️
–
– ???? Watch the #NBLFinals Live on ESPN pic.twitter.com/XDIgoHVKo9— ESPN Australia & NZ (@ESPNAusNZ) May 8, 2022
The Kings then closed out the series in game three, ending their 17-year championship drought in front of 16,000 fans at Qudos Bank Arena. Xavier Cooks and Jarell Martin would combine for 45 points and 29 rebounds, and the Kings won their 19th win of their final 21 games.
2022/23
The JackJumpers entered their second year with most of their roster locked into multi-year deals, with the only major exits being import duo Josh Adams and MiKyle McIntosh.
While fans lamented the loss of Adams, the team’s leading scorer, coach Scott Roth swiftly replaced him with perhaps an even better talent in Milton Doyle and brought in Rashard Kelly to replace McIntosh.
With Will Magnay (5.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks) recovering from a foot injury and captain Clint Stiendl (4.6 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 0.6 assists) sidelined from a knee injury from playing for Australia at the FIBA Asia Cup, Tasmania got off to a shaky start.
Losses to South East Melbourne (79-84), Cairns (84-106) and New Zealand (65-71) saw them sitting equal last with Brisbane three games in. In a battle for the bottom of the ladder, they defeated Brisbane in overtime (90–86) to earn their first win of the season, thanks primarily to Doyle’s 32 points and 4 assists.
Tasmania then rolled off a four-game wining streak which propelled them back into the top six and within playoff contention, where they stayed for the rest of the season.
Milton Doyle (17.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.7 steals) led the team in scoring, while Jack McVeigh (14.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.5 assists) increased his scoring for the fifth consecutive season and was the team’s best local player this season.
Tasmania finished the season in fourth place (16-12), earning a spot in the debut of the NBL’s play-in tournament.
A casualty of the regular season was point guard Josh Magette (10.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 2.0 steals) copping an accidental elbow to the face in Tasmania’s final regular season game against the Hawks. The JackJumpers’ leader and floor general required surgery to fix a broken cheekbone and fractured eye socket and would miss the entire playoffs.
Import Rashard Kelly (12.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.5 assists) as well as development player Sean MacDonald (6.3 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.5 assists) and Isaac White (5.3 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 0.6 assists), an injury replacement for Stiendl and Magnay, would fill the void of Magette during the playoffs and after defeating Cairns (79–87) in the play-in qualifier, Tasmania would face second seed New Zealand (18-10) in the semifinals.
In game one, Tasmania would struggle to score, managing only 68 points as a team, their third-lowest score of the season with Kelly (12 points) and Doyle (10 points) the only two players to reach double figures.
Doyle (23 points and 5 assists) would make sure the JackJumpers would even the series with a home win (89-78) in game two., but New Zealand were too strong back on their home floor, closing out the series defeating Tasmania by 15 points (77-92).
Kenyon would average 4.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 0.7 assists across 21 games and finish the season as one of the team’s best rebounders. Kenyon was shifted into the starting lineup during the semifinals series against New Zealand, and prove instrumental during the first two games. He led the team in rebounds for two of the three games and his 11 points and 6 rebounds in game two was a key part of the win.
SOUTH EAST MELBOURNE PHOENIX
2023/24
Kenyon signed a two-year deal to play with South East Melbourne with newly signed head coach Mike Kelly excited add the defensive mindset that Kenyon brings to the roster for the coming season.
“I am excited to welcome Matt to the South East Melbourne Phoenix. Matt is a team-first, tough player who will help set the tone defensively for this group. Matt’s unselfishness helps his team win. It’s been fun to watch his development on the offensive end and we look forward to helping him continue to grow,” said Kelly.
Matt Kenyon currently plays for the South East Melbourne Phoenix and has played 101 games in his NBL career. He has averaged 3.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 0.6 assists since entering the league in 2016.
CURRENT CONTRACT:
South East Melbourne Phoenix – 2 Year Deal (2023-25)
2nd Year Team Option
Dan Boyce is a die-hard Sydney Kings fan who grew up in Melbourne during the roaring 90's of Australian Basketball and spent far too much time collecting Futera NBL Basketball cards.
NBL TOTAL STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 27 | South East Melbourne | 0-5 (10) | 3 | 5.0 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 60% | 1 | 2 | 50% | 0 | 2 | 0% | 59% | 0% | 5 |
| 2023-24 | 26 | South East Melbourne | 10-18 (10) | 25 | 595.0 | 147 | 128 | 17 | 40 | 88 | 17 | 1 | 17 | 46 | 56 | 132 | 42% | 17 | 58 | 29% | 18 | 28 | 64% | 51% | 49% | 14 |
| 2022-23 | 25 | Tasmania | 16-12 (4) | 21 | 343.0 | 90 | 66 | 15 | 25 | 41 | 9 | 1 | 14 | 29 | 31 | 82 | 38% | 18 | 52 | 35% | 10 | 16 | 63% | 50% | 49% | 15 |
| 2021-22 | 24 | Tasmania | 17-11 (4) | 32 | 555.0 | 116 | 113 | 29 | 36 | 77 | 23 | 3 | 18 | 46 | 43 | 91 | 47% | 14 | 45 | 31% | 16 | 27 | 59% | 56% | 55% | 10 |
| 2017-18 | 20 | Brisbane | 9-19 (8) | 4 | 18.0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 50% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 50% | 0% | 2 |
| 2016-17 | 19 | Brisbane | 10-18 (8) | 17 | 180.0 | 33 | 13 | 7 | 4 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 22 | 10 | 35 | 29% | 3 | 16 | 19% | 10 | 15 | 67% | 39% | 33% | 9 | Totals | 101 | 1714 | 395 | 326 | 68 | 109 | 217 | 55 | 5 | 61 | 145 | 144 | 347 | 41.5% | 53 | 173 | 30.6% | 54 | 88 | 61.4% | 51% | 49% | 15 |
NBL PER GAME STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 27 | South East Melbourne | 0-5 (10) | 3 | 1.7 | 2.3 | 1.3 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.7 | 60% | 0.3 | 0.7 | 50% | 0.0 | 0.7 | 0% | 59% | 0% | 5 |
| 2023-24 | 26 | South East Melbourne | 10-18 (10) | 25 | 23.8 | 5.9 | 5.1 | 0.7 | 1.6 | 3.5 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 1.8 | 2.2 | 5.3 | 42% | 0.7 | 2.3 | 29% | 0.7 | 1.1 | 64% | 51% | 49% | 14 |
| 2022-23 | 25 | Tasmania | 16-12 (4) | 21 | 16.3 | 4.3 | 3.1 | 0.7 | 1.2 | 2.0 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 3.9 | 38% | 0.9 | 2.5 | 35% | 0.5 | 0.8 | 63% | 50% | 49% | 15 |
| 2021-22 | 24 | Tasmania | 17-11 (4) | 32 | 17.3 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 2.4 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 2.8 | 47% | 0.4 | 1.4 | 31% | 0.5 | 0.8 | 59% | 56% | 55% | 10 |
| 2017-18 | 20 | Brisbane | 9-19 (8) | 4 | 4.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 50% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 50% | 0% | 2 |
| 2016-17 | 19 | Brisbane | 10-18 (8) | 17 | 10.6 | 1.9 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 1.3 | 0.6 | 2.1 | 29% | 0.2 | 0.9 | 19% | 0.6 | 0.9 | 67% | 39% | 33% | 9 | Total | 101 | 17.0 | 3.9 | 3.2 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 2.1 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 3.4 | 41.5% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 30.6% | 0.5 | 1.7 | 61.4% | 51% | 49% | 15 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 15 | 10 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
|---|
STATE LEAGUE EXPERIENCE
- BA CoE 2016 | Sunshine Coast 2017-18 | Dandenong 2019 | Ballarat 2021
Led the Ballarat Miners in rebounding in NBL1 in 2021 at 8.6 per game with 10.6 points and 3.5 assists.
Kenyon won the NBL1 Defensive Player of the Year award.
FIBA EXPERIENCE
Kenyon was a part of U19 Australian Emus squad which participated in the 2016 Oceania Qualifiers.
NBA EXPERIENCE
In 2019, Kenyon got a call from Washington and was drafted to the G League team Capitol City Go-Go. While over there, he trained with NBA teams LA Lakers, LA Clippers, and Chicago Bulls and also played with the G Leagues South Bay Lakers in 2020.
AWARDS
- QBL U23 Player of the Year (2017)
Related
HAVE MORE INFORMATION ON THIS PLAYER?
Whilst we try to source as much information as we can for every player who has ever played in the NBL some information on a player profile may be missing. If you have additional information on a player you'd like us to add to a profile, please send it to us using the enquiry form below.
Submissions are then sent to info@aussiehoopla.com
