BIO: Madut grew up in Blacktown Sydney before moving to the United States where he attended DME Academy (Daytona Beach, Florida). He then earned a scholarship to play for the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors in the NCAA.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Junior Madut made his NBL debut with the South East Melbourne Phoenix at 25 years of age. He scored 11 points in his first game.

A familiar face at South East Melbourne, Junior Madut first trained with the Phoenix during the 2019 pre-season, spending eight months with the club before officially signing with them in 2022. The Phoenix entered NBL23 with high hopes of erasing the memories of an injury-plagued prior season. They retained their core group of Ryan Broekhoff, Izaya Mauriohooho-Le’Afa, Cameron Gliddon, Reuben Te Rangi, and co-captains Mitch Creek and Kyle Adnam. The team bolstered its lineup with imports Trey Kell III and Gary Browne in the backcourt, while big man Alan Williams was brought in to replace Zhou Qi.

Qi, initially expected to return to China, made a last-minute decision to re-sign with the Phoenix, creating a much-discussed “twin towers” combination with Williams.

The Phoenix’s opening game was played without Broekhoff, Kell, and Browne due to pre-season injuries, with Qi’s arrival delayed by two weeks. Adnam stepped into the starting five and delivered a career-high scoring performance against Tasmania. Behind Adnam (30 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists), Mitch Creek (23 points and 6 rebounds), and Alan Williams (12 points and 7 rebounds), South East Melbourne defeated Tasmania (84–79), sparking excitement among fans.

When South East Melbourne fielded all five starters, they were one of the league’s most balanced and impressive units. Unfortunately, injuries disrupted the lineup throughout the season. Qi (6.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 0.2 assists) played just nine games before leaving for family reasons, Kell (12.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.8 assists) missed five games due to broken ribs, and Broekhoff (10.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 0.9 assists) was sidelined for a third of the season with a recurring hamstring issue.

Mitch Creek (23.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 2.9 assists) was the only starter to appear in every game. Creek stepped up his game to cover for the absences, emerging as an MVP candidate in the process.

Qi’s early departure led to expanded roles for first-year players Grant Anticevich (2.1 points and 1.6 rebounds) and Anzac Rissetto (1.2 points and 0.4 rebounds), while the limited availability of Broekhoff, Kell, and Browne (who collectively played just 61 of 84 possible games) opened opportunities for Adnam (8.4 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 2.6 assists) and Te Rangi (5.1 points and 3.0 rebounds) in the starting lineup. The Phoenix also relied heavily on lesser-known players Junior Madut (4.0 points and 2.3 rebounds) and Owen Foxwell (3.8 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.2 steals), who delivered strong performances when called upon.

Despite a shaky start, South East Melbourne climbed to second on the ladder before injuries derailed their momentum, ultimately finishing fifth (15–13) and earning a spot in the Play-In Tournament. Facing Perth in the Play-In Qualifier without sharpshooter Broekhoff, the Phoenix entered as favourites but were overpowered by standout performances from Perth’s imports Bryce Cotton (26 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 steals) and Brady Manek (24 points). The 106–99 loss ended South East Melbourne’s playoff hopes and left fans lamenting another “almost” season.

TASMANIA JACKJUMPERS
2023/24
After a strong rookie season with South East Melbourne, Madut signed a two-year deal to play in Tasmania.

“I feel like my strengths will really complement the guys already there and the strong roster they’re putting together,” Madut said upon signing with the club.

“It feels like they’re building something really special, and I’m excited to immerse myself in the program and be part of that.

Junior Madut played two seasons in the NBL, playing for both the South East Melbourne Phoenix and the Tasmania JackJumpers. He averaged 3.3 points, 2 rebounds, and 0.6 assists in 39 NBL games.

Dan Boyce (817 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.