BIO: Born in Williamstown (SA), Madgen played basketball at Faith Lutheran College in Tanunda and was a member of the 2002 state championship winning team. Ben He also played as a junior with the Eastern basketball program.

FAMILY: Ben’s brother, Jack Madgen also played 1 games in the NBL. Ben also has a sister Tess who played in both the WNBA, WNBL as well as represented the Australian Opals.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Ben Madgen made his NBL debut with the Sydney Kings at 25 years of age. He scored two points in his first game.

Before moving to the United States to attend college, Madgen spent the 2005/06 NBL season with the Adelaide 36ers as a development player but didn’t play in any NBL games.

SYDNEY KINGS
2010/11
After the Sydney Kings licence was revoked in 2008 after club sponsor Firepower collapsed and the Kings were unable to pay player salaries, new ownership relaunched the Sydney Kings for the 2010/11 NBL season, returning to the league after a two-year absence.

The ‘Resurrection Squad’, the name given to the Sydney Kings roster which had returned to the league for the first time in two years with the team’s first moves being the hiring former Kings player Ian Robilliard as head coach and convincing a number of European based aussies to return to play for the team’s latest reincarnation.

Julian Khazzouh (Israel), Luke Cooper (Latvia) and Damien Ryan (Italy) all signed deals for the 2010/11 season, as was college graduate Ben Madgen (Augusta State University). The Kings then filled the remaining roster with offcast NBL talent, Graeme Dann (via State League), Luke Martin (via Wollongong) and Ben Knight (via Melbourne), who had played for the previous iteration of the Kings, was added and named co-captain along with Khazzouh. Robilliard added imports Taj McCullough and Rod Grizzard for excitement and scoring punch to the roster and the team was ready to return to the NBL.

Grizzard, who had previously put up 19 points per game with Singapore and 13 points per game with Melbourne struggled to produce as a King. He produced a megre 8 points per game on a 36% field goal percentage, resulting in the import axe swinging quickly, as he was released five games into the season.

The axe then fell for fellow import McCullough who after being told his contract was on the line prior to a game against New Zealand he managed only ten points on a lowly 5 from 17 from the field in a 80-94 home loss. After eight games Taj McCullough (11.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per game) would become the second import to be released by the Sydney Kings during the 2010/11 season.

Former NBA talent Trey Gilder (13.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.1 steals) replaced Taj McCullough then Patrick Sanders (13.3 points, 4 rebounds, and 1.7 assists) filled the shoes of Rod Grizzard as Robilliard looked to deliver a team capable of entertaining the valuable Sydney market while it was clear they would struggle to compete against other NBL teams. The Kings limped home to a last place finish and a record of 8–20, the poor season likely costing Julian Khazzouh (17.4 points, 10 rebounds, and 1.7 assists, 1 steal, and 1.8 blocks per game) a MVP trophy as mid-season he was the hot favourite for the award but ended up finishing second in the voting behind Wollongong’s Gary Ervin.

Madgen (10 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.3 assists) would be named the league’s Rookie of the Year during the Kings comeback season where Sydney finished in last place (8–20).

2011/12
The Kings’ retained their core group of Julian Khazzouh (team captain), Ben Madgen, Luke Martin, Luke Cooper and Graeme Dann and looked to build on their disappointing return to the NBL. Head coach Ian Robilliard was able to bolster the roster by signing former Australian Boomers guard Aaron Bruce (via Adelaide), college grad Anatoly Bose (via Nicholls State) and, after a import roller-coaster the previous season, signed Jerai Grant (son and nephew of NBA stars Harvey Grant and Horace Grant respectively) and state league talent, Kevin Ratzsch.

Additionally, due to the 2011 NBA Lockout, Australia’s highest profile basketballer, former Milwaukee Bucks centre Andrew Bogut, was looking to play in the NBL during the 2011/12 season. He was linked with the Adelaide 36ers, the Gold Coast Blaze and the Kings, whom Bogut had supported when growing up in Australia. Sydney was favoured to secure his services, and Bogut ultimately chose to make his NBL debut with the Kings. However, the insurance to cover his remaining US$39 million contract with the Bucks couldn’t be resolved, leaving the Kings and the NBL without the services of Australia’s highest profile player. It was expected that Bogut’s signing would see a increase in Kings membership and league attendances. Despite not being able to play, Bogut later expressed interest in joining the Kings’ coaching staff during the lockout to help the club. This ultimately did not happen either.

Khazzouh was unstoppable during the first two months of the season was clearly the best player in the competition. This was no clearer than in the Kings 23 point win over the Adelaide 36ers in October 2011 when he filled the box score with 26 points, 13 rebounds, and 2 blocks in 36 minutes, a game which gained the attention of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors. In December 2011, halfway through the season, Khazzouh would leave the team to participate in the Warriors pre-season camp. Khazzouh was then waived on 18 December 2011 and returned to Sydney to finish out the season.

The Kings fared better in their second year back in the NBL, beginning the season by winning half their games each month for the first three months. This saw the Kings jostling between fifth and sixth position, vying for a playoff spot, and having equalled their win from last season by round 14.

It was around this time Aaron Bruce (13.9 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 4.4 assists) suffered a vertical fracture to his tibia which ended his season and created a huge void within the team’s backcourt. With Bruce going down, the team managed only three additional wins for the year, resulting in Robilliard being moved into a executive role and replaced by Tim Hudson as interim head coach until the Kings came to term with club legend Shane Heal who agreed to coach the team on a multi-year deal.

Sydney finished in seventh place (11-17).

Julian Khazzouh (16.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 2.1 blocks) would lead the team in scoring as well as finish the season as the NBL’s leader in rebounds and blocked shots before being named to the All-NBL First team. Jerai Grant (11.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.4 blocks) would have a inconsistent season, winning Player of the Week in some rounds and then disappearing totally in others and Anatoly Bose (15.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.5 assists) was impressive in his debut season, earning the Rookie of the Year award. Madgen would appear in 28 games and averaged 13 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game.

2012/13
Having taken over the head coaching reigns mid-season the year before, Shane Heal set to work on helping the Kings return to the NBL playoffs for the first time since returning to the league in 2010. Heal began the season with some big roster holes to fill after losing both the league’s leading rebounder, Julian Khazzouh, Rookie of the Year Anatoly Bose and talented import Jerai Grant to European opportunities.

Heal would convince Former King Ian Crosswhite to return (via Cairns) and fill the shoes of Khazzouh, high-scoring shooting guard James Harvey (via Gold Coast) to cover the loss of Bose and recruit diminutive point guard Corin Henry and Darnell Lazare as the team’s import duo. Sydney was also bolstered by the return of Aaron Bruce, who had missed the second half of last season due to a tibia injury.

After losing to Illawarra in the opening game of the season (76–79), the team delivered a strong start to the season, and by the time of the league’s All-Star break, Sydney (9-5) was sitting in third place on the ladder.

The Kings’ second half of the season wasn’t as successful, managing just three wins from their remaining 14 games. Due to the dominance of the New Zealand Breakers (24-4) and Perth Wildcats (22-6), every other team in the NBL finished the season with a losing record. Thus, in unusual fashion, despite having a losing record, the Kings finished in fourth place and returned to the playoffs for the first time since returning to the league in 2010.

Once into the semi finals, the Kings were outclassed by the Breakers, who claimed game one in New Zealand (81-64) before closing out the series with a win on Sydney’s home floor (99-88). New Zealand would then defeat Perth in two games to become NBL Champions.

Sydney owed much of its success to a breakout season from Ben Madgen (18.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists) recorded a career best 33-points against the Crocodiles in March 2013 and finished the season as the NBL’s leading scorer. He was then awarded the league’s Most Improved Player award and named in the All-NBL first team. Ian Crosswhite (10.2 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists) was named in the All-NBL third team and announced his retirement shortly after.

2013/14
During the 2013/14 season Madgen averaged 15.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.4 assists and helped the Kings finish with a record of 12-16 and end the regular season in sixth place.

2014/15
During the 2014/15 season, Madgen averaged 15.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2 assists and was a part of the Kings squad which finished in a seventh place with a record of 9-19.

In May 2015, Madgen exercised a option in his contract to play overseas – seeing him ply this trade with Royal Basketball Club Pepinster (Belgium), BC Lietkabelis, Rytas Vilnius (both Lithuania) and Crailsheim Merlins (Germany).

SOUTH EAST MELBOURNE PHOENIX
2019/20
Madgen decided to return to Australia in 2019, signing with the league’s newest franchise, the South East Melbourne Phoenix. The Phoenix signed Simon Mitchell as their first head coach and shortly after added Boomers and fringe NBA talent Mitch Creek as their marquee player. South East Melbourne then built a core group playing group with Madgen, Kyle Adnam (via Melbourne) and Adam Gibson (via Adelaide). Imports John Roberson, Tai Wesley (via Melbourne) and Devondrick Walker (via state league) were later added to round out the squad.

South East Melbourne’s first game pitted them against cross-town rivals Melbourne. In the first game between the two franchises, tagged ‘The Throwdown’, the Phoenix were able to topple United by three points (91-88) after making 12 of 23 from downtown. The team’s high-octane perimeter shooting would set the tone for the rest of the season, with the team leading the league in points per game (95.4 ppg).

The win came at a cost, however, with Tai Wesley, after scoring eight rapid points, suffering a hamstring injury in the first five minutes of the game, which saw him out of action for the next ten weeks. Import Jaye Crockett (8.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.0 steals) was brought in as an injury replacement during his absence.

Following their Round 1 victory, the Phoenix would keep it rolling, knocking over the Bullets (113-93) and the Hawks (106-102) at home, tipping off their inaugural season with a handsome 3-0 record. Despite the Phoenix taking home victories against relatively good team’s, their first real challenge came in Round 4, where they would play their first away game against Perth. Although the Wildcats’ star duo of Bryce Cotton (16 points) and Terrico White (17 points) started poorly, Perth delivered South East Melbourne their first loss (79-110), ending their season-opening winning streak.

After their trouncing in Western Australia, victories would become a rarity. The Phoenix would go down to the likes of the 36ers, the Kings and twice to United, and after coming into the mid-way point of the season, the Phoenix was the definition of average at this point.

Sitting just outside the top four with a record of six wins and six losses. It was also around this time the Phoenix chose to move on from import Devondrick Walker (7.4 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 0.9 assists), who, after suffering a fracture in his left foot playing in a Perth pre-season game two years earlier, wasn’t able to deliver the production he was able to beforehand. Keith Benson (5.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks) was signed as his replacement and thought he was a much bigger body, wasn’t able to add much more to the stat sheet.

While South East Melbourne were forced to rely on Creek (20.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.2 steals) and star import John Roberson (20.2 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 5.5 assists), the next ten rounds would prove to be anything but smooth.

Across the next 16 matchups for South East Melbourne they would go on to accumulate a lacklustre 3 wins and 13 losses, while also finishing their campaign on a eight-game losing streak. With 20 rounds of basketball completed, the Phoenix (9-19) would finish second last.

Madgen would see action in 28 games, averaging 12.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in what would be his final NBL season.

Ben Madgen played six seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Sydney Kings and the South East Melbourne Phoenix. He averaged 14 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 167 NBL games.

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Dan Boyce (819 Posts)

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.