Madut's "Open-Minded" Free Agency Experience

As NBL Free Agency continues more and more local talents are being snapped up. One man who, realistically, should have a place in the NBL next season is still on the board though. Junior Madut.

After an impressive debut campaign with South East Melbourne last season the Phoenix elected not to take up the team option for the second year of his contract.

At the time the club was still knee-deep in the search for a new head coach and eventually settled on handing former Cairns coach and Perth assistant Mike Kelly the job.

Since Kelly’s appointment three weeks ago the Phoenix have largely worked in the background of free agency and have only added Gorjok Gak and Matt Kenyon to the roster in the time since.

 “It’s interesting because you don’t know where you’re going to end up, and you’re not 100 per cent sure about what’s going to happen next,” Madut told NBL Media on his free agency experience.

“I’m just being open-minded through the whole process, and listening to people who I see as mentors and other people who I can speak to about these types of things.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">5?1? POINTS.<br><br>Former S.E Melbourne Phoenix wing and current NBL free agent Junior Madut went to work in <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NBL1</a> East tonight with a 50 piece ?<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL24?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL24</a> <a href="https://t.co/ty7mBNRClJ">pic.twitter.com/ty7mBNRClJ</a></p>&mdash; NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1647153752753963008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 15, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Madut, who has also represented the South Sudanese national team, has some experience of being a wanted man.

He transferred from Eastern Florida SC to the University of Hawaii while playing in college before returning to Australia to turn professional.

“It kind of reminds me of being in college and trying to transfer colleges,” he said. “You have to stay positive and let things play out.

“It’s been good so far, and I’ve been weighing up my options and communicating with my agent.”

Madut’s relationship with the Phoenix as an organisation spanned far further than his sole season representing the club in the NBL. It’s a relationship that’s existed since the club’s first season in the competition.

In 2019, he spent almost a full year training with the side before heading to Hawaii to continue his college career.

Upon signing with the side 12 months ago he said it was a “full circle moment”. Now, though, it looks like more of a full-stop.

“I understood at the end of the day it is a business and there was a situation where there’s a new coach,” Madut said.

“It’s hard to recommit to a situation that hasn’t been solidified yet in terms of coaching, so I just accepted it for what it is.

“I didn’t take it harshly.”