Bowen extends stay with United

Melbourne United is pleased to announce that young forward Kyle Bowen has re-signed with the club for the next two seasons.

Bowen has become a crucial member of Dean Vickerman’s rotation throughout our past two seasons, providing constant energy and effort in his minutes.

Heading into Free Agency, the 24-year-old said that remaining with United was the only thing on his mind.

“I always wanted to return, I feel like I’ve found a new home here in Melbourne,” he said.

“Not only have the club and my teammates been super welcoming but the fans and the city have made me feel like this is where I belong. It was kind of a no-brainer for me to come back if the opportunity was there and hopefully put together another few successful seasons on the court.

“I want to be in a winning environment and United definitely provides that. I want to contribute to winning at this level and I’m really excited to grow into my role and hopefully continue to do that moving forward.”

The St Mary’s product has been as reliable and consistent as possible during his time here, playing 73 of 73 games.

Vickerman said Bowen’s upside and work ethic made him impossible not to bring back for NBL26 and beyond.

“I think one of the things that we loved about Kyle this year was that when opportunities presented themselves to him, he stepped up and handled that extra responsibility really well,” Vickerman said.

“He’s proved that he has the potential to be a starter in this league at some point in his career. His work ethic is second to none, the changes he’s made over these past two years have been stark when it comes to strength, agility, mobility; he’s better in all those areas.

“That work has given him the ability to guard multiple positions which is a must in this league, which we saw at different times this season.

“That, and the work that he’s put into his three-point shot which we expect to continue to develop, made him someone we really wanted to bring back.”

Bowen joins Chris Goulding, Tanner Krebs and Dash Daniels as rostered players for the NBL26 season.

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