BIO: Although his birth name is “George Earl Kell III” he goes by the name ‘Trey”. Kell was born in San Diego, California (USA) and attended St. Augustine High School in San Diego. As a junior, he led St. Augustine to a 29-4 record and a CIF Division III state title. He was ranked the No. 13 shooting guard in his class by Scout.com, and the 79th ranked player overall by ESPN. On October 1, 2013, Kell verbally committed to San Diego State, picking the Aztecs over offers from Vanderbilt, Gonzaga and Oregon.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Trey Kell III made his NBL debut with the South East Melbourne Phoenix at 26 years of age. He scored seven points in his first game.

2022/23
South East Melbourne Phoenix entered NBL23 aiming to leave behind the challenges of their injury-plagued previous season. The core group, featuring Ryan Broekhoff, Izaya Mauriohooho-Le’Afa, Cameron Gliddon, Reuben Te Rangi, and co-captains Mitch Creek and Kyle Adnam, all returned, bolstered by the additions of imports Trey Kell III and Gary Browne to strengthen the backcourt, while Alan Williams was signed to replace Zhou Qi in the frontcourt.

Qi, who was initially expected to return to China, surprised everyone by re-signing with the Phoenix, creating a ‘twin towers’ dynamic alongside Williams. Many wondered how the two big men would fit together on the floor.

Unfortunately, Kell’s season got off to a rocky start, as he suffered a broken rib during the NBL Blitz pre-season tournament, which sidelined him for the first month of the season. To cover for his absence, NBL1 import Malcolm Bernard was signed as an injury replacement. In their season opener, South East Melbourne faced a depleted squad, with Qi delayed two weeks, and Kell, Broekhoff, and Browne all unavailable due to injury.

Despite the absences, Kyle Adnam stepped into the starting five and had a career-high scoring night, putting up 30 points alongside Mitch Creek (23 points, 6 rebounds) and Alan Williams (12 points, 7 rebounds) as the Phoenix defeated Tasmania (84-79). The performance gave fans hope for the season ahead.

When all five Phoenix starters were healthy, the team was one of the most balanced and dangerous units in the league. However, injuries plagued the squad throughout the season. Qi (6.2 points, 4.4 rebounds) only managed nine games before returning home for family reasons, Kell (12.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists) missed five games with broken ribs, and Broekhoff (10.3 points, 4.1 rebounds) struggled with a persistent hamstring issue, missing a third of the season.

Amidst the injuries, Mitch Creek (23.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.9 assists) elevated his game, becoming an MVP candidate as he carried the load for the Phoenix throughout the season.

Qi’s early departure led to increased opportunities for first-year players Grant Anticevich (2.1 points, 1.6 rebounds) and Anzac Rissetto (1.2 points, 0.4 rebounds), while the unavailability of key perimeter players like Broekhoff, Kell, and Browne (12.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 1.5 steals) opened the door for Adnam (8.4 points, 1.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists) and Te Rangi (5.1 points, 3.0 rebounds) to step into the starting lineup.

The injury crisis also saw extended minutes for lesser-known players Junior Madut (4.0 points, 2.3 rebounds) and Owen Foxwell (3.8 points, 1.7 rebounds, 1.2 steals), both of whom made significant contributions when called upon.

Mitch Creek celebrated his 300th NBL game in style, with Kell leading the team in scoring (24 points) as South East Melbourne recorded their largest victory in club history (112-78).

Despite their injuries, the Phoenix reached the second spot on the ladder but quickly fell to fifth (15-13) after their injury issues continued to derail the team. They were forced to face Perth in the Play-In Tournament.

Although the Phoenix entered their Play-In Qualifier against the Wildcats as favourites, despite being without sharpshooter Broekhoff, they were overpowered by stellar performances from Perth’s Bryce Cotton (26 points, 8 rebounds, 4 steals) and Brady Manek (24 points), resulting in a 106-99 defeat and an early exit from the playoffs, leaving fans lamenting another ‘almost’ season.

ADELAIDE 36ERS
2023/24
Following a second underwhelming season under coach CJ Bruton, the Adelaide 36ers made significant changes to their roster. Although imports Robert Franks and Antonius Cleveland were both contracted for a second season, they were allowed to pursue opportunities overseas.

Several key players also departed, including Anthony Drmic (to Tasmania), Ian Clark (to Melbourne), and Kai Sotto (to Japan). However, the most impactful loss for Adelaide fans was the decision not to re-sign Daniel Johnson after 13 years with the club.

In response, the 36ers brought in a mix of familiar and new faces, including former Sixers Jason Cadee (via Brisbane), Isaac Humphries (via Melbourne), and import Jacob Wiley to provide much-needed leadership. They also added Next Stars prospect Trentyn Flowers, AFL-to-NBL convert Alex Starling, and new imports Trey Kell (via South East Melbourne) and Jamaal Franklin.

Franklin’s stint with the club was short-lived, as he was released midway through the NBL Blitz. Adelaide stumbled out of the gates with a 1-4 start before signing DJ Vasiljevic, who had recently exited a deal with Washington in the NBA. Vasiljevic (19.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.2 assists) brought an immediate offensive boost to the squad.

However, following a heavy loss to Tasmania, where the 36ers shot just 29% from the field and 2-11 from three-point range, Bruton was dismissed. With the team sitting at 4-9, assistant coach Scott Ninnis, who had previously coached Adelaide from 2008-2010, took over. Ninnis managed to right the ship, leading the team to a 5-1 record in January, bringing the 36ers back into playoff contention.

Adelaide ended the season as the second-best rebounding team in the league (43.5 rebounds per game), but they also had the worst three-point shooting percentage (29.9%).

Trey Kell (17.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.1 steals) and Isaac Humphries (15.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks) both enjoyed career-best seasons, while Jacob Wiley (10.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 2.1 assists) led the team in rebounding.

Despite the late-season surge, Adelaide ultimately fell just short of the Play-In Tournament, finishing with a 12-16 record.

ILLAWARRA HAWKS
2024/25
Mat Campbell, the Hawks’ General Manager of Basketball, expressed his excitement about securing Kell III for the NBL25 season.

“Trey is a player that we have followed closely over the past two seasons, and we are thrilled to welcome him to our squad for the upcoming season.”

“With a majority of our NBL24 team returning, we prioritised a guard that has NBL experience, and Trey will add another weapon to our perimeter play in Coach Tatum’s system ” he explained.

Trey Kell III currently plays for the Illawarra Hawks and has played 54 games in his NBL career. He has averaged 15.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists since entering the league in 2022.

CURRENT CONTRACT:

Illawarra Hawks – 1 Year Deal (2024-25)

Dan Boyce (811 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.