SEASON 2024/25 of the National Basketball League (NBL) is already approaching the halfway mark, and the race for a top six spot is as tight as ever.

Now 10 rounds into the fixture has seen record-breaking performances, dominant team displays and thrilling finishes as the NBL produces its most exciting season yet, with the championship race wide open as it stands.

With that in mind, Rookie Me Central will be putting each side under the microscope, and the final cab off the rank for the week is the SEM Phoenix, who have delivered the biggest in-season turnaround of any side, and are a genuine threat in the second half of the fixture.

South East Melbourne Phoenix

Record as of Round 10 – five wins, eight losses

How its happened

You would be hard pressed to find a team that has had a more eventful start to NBL25 than the Phoenix, but the team looks heavily improved since the opening weeks of the fixture. South East Melbourne started the season with five losses from five games, and that resulted in Mike Kelly being dismissed as head coach after the disastrous start. After a short stint with assistant coach Sam McKinnon at the helm, Josh King was brought in and has had the team firing since. The Phoenix have turned their fortunes around with five wins and three losses since the move, and are steadily climbing up the standings, looking to make a charge into finals contention in the final 10 games of the regular season.

MVP – Matt Hurt

Although the Phoenix have been shaky at times throughout the season, one factor that has remained steadfast is the scoring performances of Hurt. The US import has been a revelation for South East Melbourne, emerging as one of the best offensive players in the competition, and proving a reliable source of offence with his lights-out shooting and innate ability to find the bottom of the net. Hurt is ranked fourth in points per game, averaging 19.5 per game along with 6.9 rebounds on 51 per cent shooting from the field. He has put the Phoenix on his back whenever their other offensive options are struggling to impact and carried the team to victory.

Where to from here?

One of the biggest factors for the Phoenix in the second half of the season will be how the backcourt duo of Derrick Walton Jr and Nathan Sobey fares in the final 10 games. The pairing had not been successful to start the season, but while Walton Jr. spent some time on the sidelines with a hamstring injury, Sobey found his groove, putting together his best patch of form in a Phoenix uniform. In the weeks leading into the international break, Walton Jr. was eased back into the rotation, but should be back to normal minutes after the extra week off. If King can get Walton Jr. and Sobey to perform alongside Hurt each game, it makes the Phoenix a much more dangerous outfit and one of the most exciting offensive teams in the NBL.