No Limits for Highly Talented Henshall

Friday, July 21, 2023

"The sky is the limit for that kid"

Photo: Discovery One Photography

Ben Henshall is going to be a handful for opposition teams, according to those who have watched him develop in recent years.

At just 19, he’s already on the Perth Wildcats’ roster, and now, there’s nothing holding him back.

“The sky is the limit for that kid,” NBL analyst Liam Santamaria said on SEN.

“He’s an aggressive, in your face, attacking defender. [He’s] long, athletic, can shoot it but can also attack off the bounce and get to the rim.

“So he’s got a lot of tools, and Wildcats’ fans are going to enjoy the fact that when he gets out there … he’s gonna get after it.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The kid gets on the rim ?<br><br>19-year-old Wildcat Ben Henshall dominated in the Centre of Excellence's opening NBA Academy Game clash ?<br><br>He finished with a game-high 20 points in the win over Latin America ? <a href="https://t.co/9BJQyrINxx">pic.twitter.com/9BJQyrINxx</a></p>— NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1676769859630403584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 6, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Santamaria watched Henshall at the NBA Academy Games in Atlanta recently, where he represented Basketball Australia's Centre of Excellence.

Henshall impressed for the CoE alongside Victorian up-and-comer John Furphy, against some of the most exciting young talent the world has to offer.

“I watched him first-hand earlier this year; MVP of the Under 20 National Championships for Western Australia - really impressive tournament. And then again this past couple of weeks over in Atlanta … he was the best player there,” Santamaria said.

“[A] really savvy pick up by Danny Mills and John Rillie.”

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Santamaria, who is also the NBL's General Manager of Next Stars Recruitment, holds high hopes for the West Australian, and believes his future is as bright as any.

“There’s guys there [at the NBA Academy Games] that are going to be NBA draft picks over the next couple of years and they’ve got some growing and developing to do, but Ben Henshall was further developed in his game and in his mindset, and his aggressive approach to any of those guys.”

Henshall will play his first professional game with the Wildcats on Friday, September 29 against the Tasmania JackJumpers.