Ben Kearins
- Nationality: AUS
- Date of Birth: 1/07/94
- Place of Birth: Penrith (NSW)
- Position: GRD
- Height (CM): 188
- Weight (KG): #N/A
- Junior Assoc: NSW - Penrith
- College: None
- NBL DEBUT: 9/11/14
- AGE AT DEBUT: 20
- LAST NBL GAME: 10/02/16
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 21
- NBL History: Sydney 2015-16
- Championships: 0
- None
BIO: Ben Kearins was born in Penrith (NSW) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Penrith basketball program.
NBL EXPERIENCE
Ben Kearins made his NBL debut with the Sydney Kings at 20 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game.
In 2014, Kearins signed with Sydney as a development player. His first season with the team saw him fail to score a point while the Kings finished with a record of 9 wins and 19 losses.
2015/16
After finishing seventh with a 9-19 record in 2014/15, Sydney retained head coach Damian Cotter and Josh Childress, Jason Cadee, Tom Garlepp and reigning Rookie of the Year Angus Brandt. Cody Ellis (to Illawarra), Kevin White (to Illawarra), Ben Madgen (to Belgium), Kendrick Perry, Josh Duinker and Daniel Joyce departed, while Julian Khazzouh (via Lebanon), Steven Markovic (via Townsville), Rhys Carter (via New Zealand), Jeromie Hill (via UTSA), Marcus Thornton (via William & Mary) and Dion Prewster (via Wellington) were added. The returning development guard had joined Sydney as a development player the previous season after coming through the Penrith program.
Kearins (0 points and 1 assist) played 1 minute and 35 seconds in Sydney’s opening game against Cairns on October 10, missing his only three-point attempt but recording an assist as the Kings won 87-63. Khazzouh (22 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals, and 5 blocks) and Cadee (19 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals) led Sydney, while Mark Worthington (13 points) was Cairns’ leading scorer.
Kearins (0 points across 2 games) remained a development player and saw only three minutes of court time across the season, with no reported injury behind his limited opportunities. His role remained primarily around training with the senior group while continuing his development, and in December he agreed to join Albury-Wodonga for the 2016 SEABL season alongside fellow Sydney development player Madol Chol.
Sydney’s roster changed repeatedly through injury. Childress (21 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.2 steals, and 1.7 blocks across 13 games) broke his right hand shortly after returning from a foot injury and was temporarily replaced by Al Harrington (via Fujian), before a fractured left hand later led Damion James (via Le Mans) to join until Childress returned. Khazzouh (13.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks across 17 games) ruptured his right quadriceps tendon in December, resulting in assistant coach Ben Knight (via retirement) returning to the playing roster before Jordan Vandenberg (via Westchester) was signed as the longer-term replacement. Steven Markovic’s illness and tonsil surgery led Indiana Faithfull to join as his replacement, while Cotter was released in November and Joe Connelly was promoted to interim head coach.
Kearins’ second and final appearance came against Perth on February 10, where he was credited with 0 points in 1 minute and 47 seconds as Sydney produced its biggest win of the season. Childress (25 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks) and Garlepp (22 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists) led the Kings to a 103-77 victory in their final home game.
Cadee (14 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 3.5 assists across 28 games), Garlepp (13.9 points and 4.2 rebounds across 27 games), Thornton (12.8 points across 28 games) and Brandt (8.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks across 28 games) provided Sydney’s main production, with Garlepp named the Kings’ Most Valuable Player.
Kearins remained a development player as Sydney closed the season in Townsville on February 13, where Cadee (32 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists) and Childress (31 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 blocks) led the Kings, while Omar Samhan (25 points and 13 rebounds) led Townsville to a 126-123 overtime victory as Sydney finished last with a 6-22 record.
Ben Kearins played two seasons with the Sydney Kings.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 21 | Sydney | 6-22 (8) | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0% | 0 | 1 | 0% | 0 | 0 | #DIV/0! | 0% | 0% | 0 |
| 2014-15 | 20 | Sydney | 9-19 (7) | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0 | Totals | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.0% | 0 | 1 | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 21 | Sydney | 6-22 (8) | 2 | 1.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | #DIV/0! | 0% | 0% | 0 |
| 2014-15 | 20 | Sydney | 9-19 (7) | 5 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0 | Total | 7 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.1428571429 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.1428571429 | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
|---|
STATE LEAGUE EXPERIENCE
- Penrith (2012–2019, 2024–2026), Albury-Wodonga (2016), Hills (2022–2023)
Kearins joined Penrith for the 2012 Waratah League season, starting his senior state league career with his home association after coming through the Penrith junior pathway. His first Penrith stretch ran across the 2012–2019 period, with the club later returning to the Waratah Championship League after not fielding Championship Division teams in 2016 and 2017.
Kearins continued with Penrith through the 2013, 2014 and 2015 Waratah League seasons, playing as a young guard in the club’s senior men’s setup before the Panthers stepped away from the Championship Division because of costs.
Kearins joined Albury-Wodonga for the 2016 SEABL season and played as the Bandits’ point guard. During that season, he was part of an Albury-Wodonga group that pushed into the SEABL finals and prepared for an elimination matchup against Geelong, with Kearins included among the Bandits’ key rotation pieces during their late-season run.
Kearins returned to Penrith for the 2018 Waratah Championship League season, with the Panthers re-entering men’s and women’s teams at top state level. The 23-year-old guard was named captain of the men’s team, with Penrith opening the season against Central Coast on 10 March and then playing its first home games a week later against the Sydney Comets.
Kearins remained with Penrith for the 2019 Waratah League season and was one of the Panthers’ lead guards. In Round 3, he had 19 points and nine assists in a 74–73 loss to Bankstown, with Penrith winning the rebounding and assist counts but committing 27 turnovers. That game also came during a stretch where he was leading the division in assists per game.
Kearins joined Hills for the 2022 NBL1 East season, with the Hornets signing him for the first season of the NBL1 East competition. He finished the season among the league’s assist leaders, averaging 5.63 assists per game, which ranked second in the competition behind Kiwi Gardner.
Kearins continued with Hills for the 2023 NBL1 East season, with the Hornets bringing him back as one of their key guards. He scored 30 points with six rebounds, five steals and three assists in a 107–67 win over Penrith, helping Hills claim its first win of the season after opening the year with four straight losses.
Kearins remained with Hills during the 2023 NBL1 East season as the Hornets finished sixth in the men’s competition. He was part of the roster alongside Liam Moss, Campbell Green, Joe Patmore, Josh Kalwy, Lachlan Charlton, Marvin Fidel, Paul Brotherson and Shawn Montague, and later entered 2024 after averaging 9.81 points and 5.63 assists per game for Hills.
Kearins returned to Penrith for the 2024 NBL1 East season, with the Panthers adding him back as an experienced guard and former Penrith junior. He scored 29 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals on 4-of-7 three-point shooting in a 109–78 loss to Hills during Anzac Round, then had 21 points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals in a 112–109 overtime loss to Hills during Heritage Round.
Kearins continued with Penrith for the 2025 NBL1 East season and remained part of the Panthers’ senior guard rotation. In Round 14 against Albury-Wodonga, he scored 17 points as Penrith lost 86–82 in a game that had 22 lead changes.
Kearins stayed with Penrith for the 2026 NBL1 East season, remaining on the Panthers roster as guard number 9. Early in the season, he was among Penrith’s team leaders in scoring and assists, averaging 10.20 points, 3.60 assists and 2.40 rebounds per game.
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