NBL stars turn heads on global stage

Sunday, June 1, 2025

malique lewis

next stars

roman siulepa

Malique Lewis, Owen Foxwell and Roman Siulepa were all shining lights for the NBL Next Stars.

Featured above: Malique Lewis.

Led by South East Melbourne Phoenix duo Owen Foxwell and Malique Lewis, the NBL Next Stars team opened their inaugural Adidas Eurocamp campaign with a victory overnight, as they held off Team Eurocamp 2 for an 82-77 win.

The result gives Phil Handy’s squad a chance to claim the 2025 Eurocamp title, as a victory on Day 2 against Team World will secure the Next Stars team a spot in Monday’s final.

Playing in front of over 70 NBA scouts, Foxwell boosted his chances of securing an NBA Summer League gig with outstanding play at both ends of the floor. The 21-year-old scored a game-high 19 points on 8/11 shooting from the field (including 3/4 from downtown), while adding 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and a game-high 5 steals.

Foxwell
Owen Foxwell.

His Phoenix teammate, Next Star Lewis, also turned heads, producing 18 points and 8 rebounds while playing a team-high 32 minutes.

Team Eurocamp 2, coached by current Milwaukee Bucks assistant Dave Joerger, were led by Serbian guard Savo Drezgic (18 points) and French wing Ramon Domon (17 points, 6 rebounds).

Opening the game with impressive defensive intensity, the Next Stars team jumped out to an early 10-3 lead, forcing a quick time-out from Coach Joerger. A response from his charges saw Team Eurocamp 2 tie things up at 15-15, before Coach Handy’s group took a 6-point lead into the first break.

The Europeans controlled the second term 27-20, grabbing a one-point lead at half-time.

The Next Stars group responded emphatically, however, as they rode a 9-0 scoring run early in the third term to regain the ascendancy, while a similar start to the final period was enough to secure victory.

Following Coach Handy’s instructions to play with high levels of energy, this was a win built off gritty defensive play and consistent effort on the boards. The Next Stars team limited their opponents to just 33 per cent shooting from the field (23/70), including just 14 per cent from three-point territory (4/28), while winning the rebounding count 52-41.

Queenslander Roman Siulepa, back-to-back MVP of the Basketball Australia U20 National Championships, was a force in the paint as he notched up 13 points and a game-high 10 rebounds, while athletic wing Abdou Toure (Guinea) impressed with 8 points, 3 rebounds, and a game-high 4 blocks. Despite being the youngest member of either team’s starting line-ups, Toure had a significant impact, with the Next Stars squad outscoring their more experienced opponents by 25 points during his minutes on the floor.

Siulepa
Roman Siulepa.

The Eurocamp continues on Day 2, with the Next Stars squad set to take on Team World, led by American prospect Adam Oumiddoch, Brazilian guard Reynon Dos Santos, and Chinese star Wei Lin, the highest-scoring local player in the CBA this past season.