'Boomer Ben' ready for Finals

Newly minted Boomer Ben Henshall has been a bit-part player for the Perth Wildcats this season, but the rookie has thrived for the Playoff side whenever his name has been called.

The 19-year-old guard brought his scoring prowess to the fore in Australia’s recent win over South Korea, where he added 14 points in what was a tight win for the Boomers in FIBA Asia Cup qualifying.

Henshall has since returned to Perth to commence preparations for the Wildcats’ upcoming Playoff Series with Tasmania, and he says he’s brought some new learnings back from his time away playing international basketball.

“Playing at that level is a bit different than the NBL, you can be a lot more physical, so coming back here I’m going to bring that physicality, especially with guys like Bryce – he’s going to get guarded hard in these next couple of Playoff games, so at practice I’m going to bring it hard, so I can prepare those guys for next week,” Henshall said.

“I did a different Boomers thing where I was just a training player and this time I was a lot more involved with the team. Being around Nick Kay, he’s a great leader and he had a lot to share with us.

“A lot of it was to do with something they do which is ‘doing everything to a gold standard’, which is everything you do whether you’re on the court, off the court, cleaning up after yourself, is all at the highest level, so I’m definitely going to take that away.”

Henshall has established himself as a top talent in what is a near-unparalleled new generation of local stars who are taking the first steps of their careers in the NBL.

He’s formed an exceptional local rookie class alongside the likes of Boomers teammates Josh Bannan and Taran Armstrong in NBL24, and says this season has been a strong year for growth.

“It’s definitely been a good development season for me, I’ve learnt a lot of things being around guys like Jesse and Bryce, and then with the Boomers stuff I’ve learnt a lot of things. Like everyone, I’d like to play more, but right now I’m just doing what I can to help the team win,” he said.

“It’s awesome, this is my first year in the NBL and to be in a Playoff run with such a special team we have is going to be fun. Hopefully we can get these first two games out the way and move onto the big games.”

The first game of Perth’s Playoff Series against Tasmania will tip off at 7:30pm AEDT on Friday, March 8, and will be shown live on ESPN via Kayo.