Luke Rosendale is an Echuca local, with an already decorated basketball resume at only the age of 23: 2 x NBL DP for South East Phoenix, Youth Player of The Year & the youngest nominated athlete for Defensive Player of The Year in the NBL1 South region for 2024.
Learn more about Luke’s story below:
Hi Luke in 50 words or less, Introduce yourself:
My name is Luke Rosendale and I grew up in a small country town called Echuca. I currently play basketball for the South East Melbourne Phoenix and started playing basketball from the age of 8.
How was life growing up in a small country town?
There are positives and negatives to growing up in a small country town but I very much enjoyed my childhood in Echuca. I was able to have every opportunity to play different sports in order to see which I enjoyed the most. Living so close to the Murray River was also pretty awesome.
What sacrifices did you have to make to pursue your basketball career at a young age?
I feel a sacrifice I made was leaving all my friends from Echuca to go and live in Melbourne for basketball. This meant that I missed most, if not all of my friends and families birthdays from back home which was a difficult thing to accept at times.
What lessons do you think these sacrifices taught you?
These sacrifices have taught me to appreciate and value the opportunities I am given. Nothing is guaranteed and you never know how long an opportunity will last so enjoy everything that comes with it.
How did it feel when you first received a phone call from SE Phoenix offering you a contract?
It was surreal. I always had it as a massive long term goal and at times it seemed unobtainable, so to be able to persist consistently and it pay off to an extent was something I’ll never be able to explain. I still have a lot of goals I am working towards and would like to achieve in my basketball career.
How has this opportunity helped develop your game?
I’ve been around very experienced and knowledgeable players who have been very generous in passing on that knowledge to me on how to take care of my body and different ways to see the game. Obviously the facilities and professional care provided to me is also an added bonus.
For a brief moment in NBL history, you held the record for the best three point shooting percentage of all time, tell us more:
I’ve had success shooting 3’s so far in my NBL career and I plan on continuing this going forward.
Tell us about your experiences with SRA:
I started training with SRA to rehab a stress fracture in my back and have stayed with them for the advantage I get for my body and mind over my opponent. Shaun and the team have helped my body go from an average youth league player to a proper professional.
How do you think this has helped prepare you for the demands of being a professional athlete?
Training with SRA has helped my body become strong enough to handle the hits that come in a professional environment. SRA has also helped turn my mind into being a process driven athlete rather than results based; meaning when times are tough, we continue to focus on the process and ensure the work we are doing helps lead us towards the results/goals we are chasing.
If you could provide one bit of advice for young athletes living in a small country town, what would it be:
You’ve got to learn how to push yourself when no one is watching. If you can work hard when nobody’s watching and be your own harshest critic then it will provide you a great stepping stone for you to be a great athlete regardless of where you play.