Foxy on the run: The rising guard leading Heartland revival

Saturday's Throwdown at John Cain Arena is set to be one of the biggest in the rivalry's history.

Melbourne United sit in first place, despite back-to-back losses, while the South East Melbourne Phoenix have surged into second after their franchise's maiden five-game win streak.

One player that knows the rivalry as well as anyone is Phoenix's rising star Owen Foxwell, who has played in 10 Throwdowns since debuting during the Hungry Jack's NBL22 season.

"[Saturday] will definitely be the biggest Throwdown I've been involved in, given how talented their (United's) team is and how good we're playing basketball right now," Foxwell said.

"There always a good spectacle and a fun game to be a part of, so I'm expecting nothing less than another great game come Saturday."

While United have the upper hand on the matchup, with a 20-9 head-to-head record, including eight of the 10 that Foxwell has played in, the Australian Boomer and his squad are keen to prove themselves against the club Josh King labelled "the benchmark".

"We see it as another game on the schedule and we approach it the same way we would any other game, but know there's a little bit extra in these clashes," Foxwell said.

"We know we've been probably on the wrong side of the result in recent history, more than we would want it to be.

"They got the better of us earlier in the year too, which gives us a little more edge and motivation to prove ourselves, to a team that has been playing really good basketball all season."

The NBL26 campaign has been a breakout one for Foxwell.

The 22-year-old guard, in his fifth season with the Heartland club, is producing career-high numbers in points (12), assists (4) and rebounds (2.9), while taking over the starting point-guard role.

"A lot of that [strong play] comes down to the belief the club has in me and has always had in me," Foxwell said.

"Ever since I kind of stepped in the doors, whoever the coaching staff has been or the fan base, teammates, they've always had a strong belief in me, so it's been really easy to believe in myself.

"Their belief is incredible and provides me the confidence that I can play at the highest level."

Foxwell, who says teammate Nathan Sobey has been massive for his development, isn't content though, knowing he has plenty of growing to do as a player still.

"I look at every part of my game and think that this isn't the finished product of what I will be," Foxwell said.

"[In particular], my leadership has gotten better as I've progressed in the club and taken a bigger role in the group and in the team.

"Sobes has been awesome to learn from [in that regard], and I believe the best leader I've ever played with.

"I'm trying to mould myself into a leader like him, and take over control of games late but figuring out what the team needs in certain moments.

"That's one of my main next steps, along with improving my strength on the court and my finishing around the rim.

"If I refine those parts of my game, I think it'll go a long way to taking me to the next level."

Another element to Foxwell producing at this high level is the continuity at the club, which has powered them to one of the franchise's best-ever starts to a season.

"[One the keys to our strong start] is bringing back our Australian core of myself, Sobes, Glover (Angus Glover) and Jordi [Hunter] back and building off what we achieved last season," he said.

"We came into this season knowing what we expected from ourselves and each other.

"Then the club did a great job bringing in parts that fit around that culture and defensive mindset that Josh [King] brings to the table.

"That continuity, and our willingness to train hard any time we step on the practice floor, has been really important to our early season success.

"[Honestly], it's the most connected group I've been a part of at the Phoenix.

"When you have everyone on the same page and with the same mindset of winning a championship, it goes a long way to being successful."

That confidence and belief among the Phoenix group will only grow if they defeat their cross-town rivals on Saturday night.

"[Melbourne] obviously have a great system with a lot of players that can make plays, but it's up to us to not play their style of basketball and establish our game early [on Saturday]," Foxwell said.

"Our group has the belief that we can win against anyone in this league but we need to prove that, as we haven't beaten either Melbourne or Adelaide this season.

"We know we're not playing our best basketball yet, as there's so many areas we can improve on, but a win in the Throwdown would prove to a lot of people what this group can achieve."

The 30th edition of the Throwdown tips off at 8pm AEDT on Saturday, live on ESPN.