Foxwell heads to Wisconsin amid eligibility chaos

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Australian Boomers guard Owen Foxwell is headed to Wisconsin, despite the calamitous NCAA introducing rules about foreign-born professionals being allowed to sign with colleges under the Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) rules.

The South East Melbourne Phoenix bid the older Foxwell brother farewell yesterday after the Wisconsin Badgers recruited him away from LSU.

“I’m just really grateful and thankful for the investment they've made in me and the support,” Foxwell said.

“It’s super cool to look around John Cain Arena and see all the Foxwell jerseys and stuff, and it's been awesome not even just like the fans but everybody involved in the club as well just taking me and my family in and having so much commitment to me is really special, so that's just as I said, super grateful for it all.”

Given Foxwell, 22, has now left the Phoenix, it would appear he and the Badgers are confident he’ll be playing at Wisconsin next season.

After Foxwell committed to the Badgers, the NCAA released a new set of guidelines for professionals playing what used to be amateur basketball.

The NCAA’s new international eligibility guidance is mainly targeting two things:

1. Professional league participation
2. Compensation received before enrolling in college

The problem is that the language is broad and the enforcement is still unclear.

Here’s what changed:

Players can lose eligibility if they:

• Signed agreements with professional teams
• Played in leagues considered fully professional
• Received compensation above “actual and necessary expenses”

The NCAA specifically referenced leagues with minimum salaries above expenses, including:

• NBA
• WNBA
• NFL
• Premier League baseball/soccer examples

It would mean NBL Next Stars Dash Daniels and Luke Paul could be ineligible to play college basketball even if they wanted to, along with other rising stars who have been paid to play in the NBL or WNBL.

But the key issue for basketball is Europe.

The NCAA is now strongly implying that major international leagues – especially the EuroLeague and top domestic leagues like Spain’s ACB – could make players ineligible.

Owen had originally committed to LSU before the portal opened but "flipped" his decision to Wisconsin.

"Well, like when I flipped my recruiting from LSU after the coaching change, I was kind of just trying to find the right fit: play-style-wise," Owen told Badger247.

"Obviously, the style I play is a very fast tempo, so that is what I was looking for.

"I was obviously talking with quite a few schools. And, I was talking with the Rapps to get a good gauge of the program and what was going on.

"And, all I heard was good things.

"It kinda came down to the people involved. It was hard not doing any visits, so it came down to what I thought was the best fit, and talking with Aus was helpful.

"Overall, it was really good getting on the phone with those guys (at Wisconsin). The quality was really great, and the vibe of everything seemed awesome."

Foxwell’s younger brothers Joel and Austin will both play in 2026-27. Joel transferred from Portland State to Arizona State while Austin committed to Joel’s Portland State for his freshman season.

They are part of the more than 60-strong Australian men’s contingent playing division 1 college basketball in the US along with more more than 120 women’s basketballers suiting up next season.