'Top Gun' Foxwell is Portland Pilots' freshman ace

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Melbourne freshman point guard Joel Foxwell in just 22 games has become the Top Gun for the NCAA Men's Basketball Portland Pilots.

Foxwell, 20, has played the most minutes of any freshman (780) in the country and is just one of three players in NCAA to average at last 15 points and seven assists.

"I did not expect to have the season that I’m having right now," Foxwell said on Field of 68: After Dark podcast.

"Obviously, with some unfortunate things happening to Riley Parker, who was the senior guard who was supposed to kind of come in and lead the team, I was just kind of going to be his backup, which I was obviously fine with.

"But I guess in another way it’s kind of helped me, because I’ve kind of gotten to take the reins and lead the team. It’s been good."

Australian senior guard Parker, from Mandurah in WA, has played just one game in the 2025-26 season back on November 16, 2025 and has been out injured since.

Foxwell said adjusting to the college game was been a challenge and his learning curve step.

"Obviously, there are times where I think, especially in the last few games in WCC play, we had a few tough losses where I wasn’t at my best down the stretch," he admitted.

"I had a few turnovers in a couple games and a few shots that I probably shouldn’t have shot. In the last two games, I think I’ve been much better. It’s just controlling those clutch moments. That’s probably been the biggest learning curve, being able to stand up in those big moments.

"I came in knowing it wasn’t going to be easy at all. Obviously it’s Division 1, and everyone who’s at the Division 1 level can play. I’ve kind of luckily found some good form as the season started, and the confidence that I’m playing with right now is at an all-time high, for sure."

The Pilots are 10-12 on the season and seventh in the WCC.

Foxwell said he had benefitted from the way the Pilots play under coach Shantay Legans.

"All the high school basketball in America is a lot of ISO ball, and even some colleges it’s a lot of just get downhill or go get a bucket," Foxwell said.

"But I think Portland, because we’ve had so many Australians and because Coach Legans likes the Australian way, we kind of do play Australian type of basketball.

"It’s a lot of getting off the ball, go first side, second side, and a lot of on-balls, which I’m really glad we can play, because I feel like that’s when I’m at my best.

"I don’t think there’s been a massive difference from the Portland standpoint, but definitely when I came over here and tried to get recruited, there was a complete difference. It was just straight ISO ball, and I didn’t really like that.

"I struggled with it, and I thought coming in I was going to struggle with that as well, because I’m not really the type to just break stuff off and try to go get a bucket.

"I’m a system guy, and I like being in a system. Portland’s made that really easy for me, but coming in I was a little bit worried it might be a bit different playing the American way."

Foxwell said time spent at Melbourne United as a development player helped prepare him to run the Pilots offense while explaining to the US hosts what a DP was.

"To put it in the best way, it’s kind of like a walk-on, but at the same time I didn’t get paid because my eligibility would have been stuffed up," he said.

"You can get decent money and you can obviously play, but it’s more for the younger kids. You gotta be under the age of, I think, 24, and it’s just like developing.

"Then you kind of stay in the system for two years, and then you hope to get elevated to an actual roster spot after that. So you kind of have to do your time if you’re not going to college, but I always knew that I was going to go to college.

"That one year as a development player really set me up well, just playing against pros for a whole year and going against Matthew Dellavedova and going against Ian Clark, another NBA champ. That helped me."

But it's another Australian guard that Foxwell admired most.

"The main one was Patty Mills, just another small, kind of undersized guard who wasn’t the biggest," Foxwell revealed.

"Obviously he made his way to Saint Mary’s and did his thing, and he played in the NBA for 15 seasons or some seasons. I would say definitely him.

"Watching him ball out for our country and all the Olympic stuff was really cool. He was the one I really looked up to, and I really tried to model my game around him.

"But I also did have a lot of – I think the person I looked up to the most was definitely my older brother (Owen), who does play pro back home right now.

"Being able to pick his brain and pick up his pro habits has helped me immensely."

Extraordinarily, Foxwell didn't have Portland on his radar before his freshman season.

"I was actually committed to another school, Samford University in Alabama, so they’re in the SoCon," he said.

"I was going there because of Bucky (McMillan), who’s now at Texas A&M, and he is kind of doing really well with that program.

"Then obviously he got the job, and a couple things happened, and I kind of felt like, 'Oh, this maybe isn’t the fit for me anymore'.

"Obviously with the Australian connection that I had, the Australian and Portland connection, one of the assistant coaches just hit me up because he obviously saw the news that I was going to de-commit.

Then he hit me up and we kind of just got chatting, and it kind of had to happen quick because I had to de-commit late.

"I reckon it all happened in about a week and a half. I didn’t go on no visit. I was just like, 'Yep, let’s do it'.

"I was ready, and I tried to get over here as quick as I could. It was a really quick process, but I’m kind of glad things have turned out this way.

"I didn’t have many schools coming through. It was really just Samford and a bunch of D2s or junior colleges. Portland just kind of happened, and thank God that this has happened."

The Portland Pilots roster has four Australians: Foxwell; Parker; James O'Donnell; and Carlin Briggs.

Joel Foxwell — 2025–26 Game Log Summary
Team: Portland Pilots
Position: Guard │ Age: 20 │ Height/Weight: 185 cm, 81 kg │ Hometown: Melbourne, Australia

• ‍Games: 22 │ Minutes: 35.5 │ Points: 15.1 │ Rebounds: 4.0 │ Assists: 7.1 │ FG: 41.1% │ 3PT: 35.1% │ FT: 79.1% │ eFG: 49.1% │ Turnovers: 3.1 │ Steals: 1.4

Foxwell has been Portland’s primary on-ball organiser and scoring guard across 22 starts, averaging 15.1 points, 7.1 assists, and 4.0 rebounds in heavy minutes. His shooting profile is solid rather than spectacular (41.1% FG, 35.1% 3PT, 79.1% FT), with efficiency swinging game to game, but his workload and responsibility never wavered.

Season shape

• Usage + minutes: Consistently 30–40 minutes, including multiple 38–43 minute outings in tight WCC games.
• Playmaking: Double-digit assists four times; 15 assists vs Santa Clara highlighted his control of tempo and reads.
• Scoring spikes: Three 27-point games (Pacific OT win; St. Mary’s home loss; non-conference UC Davis was 23), showing shot-making when volume rose.
• Range volatility: Hot nights (5-of-6 from three vs Pacific; 5-of-8 vs Cal State Fullerton) mixed with cold stretches, especially early conference play.
• Late-game trust: Ball in hand in close finishes, including the 90–89 OT win over Pacific.

Bottom line: Foxwell’s year is defined by volume responsibility and playmaking gravity. The efficiency ebbed and flowed, but Portland leaned on him every night to initiate, organise, and close — reflected in his PER 15.6 and steady production despite a 10–12 team record.