The 16-year-old year 12 Kings High School pupil found out the good news online.
"They [Basketball New Zealand] put it on the website and then send you a big letter," he said.
Ben is one of eight promising players from Otago who have been selected for national development sides.
Damon Cleverly, Oliver Smith and Chris Hood have been included in the 20-strong squad with Ben and will contest the annual tournament in Albury, New South Wales, in January.
Otago's Zoe Cadzow has made the girls under-17 Koru team, Tyler Lapham the under-16 boys, Georgia Buist-Young under-14 girls, Isaac Mullin under-14 boys.
Central Otago's Liam Mulvihill has also been selected in the under-14 boys side.
Ben has been training hard on Sundays with the Otago Miners - an Otago development team - and made the Otago under-17 side this year.
It was the first time he had made a representative squad, so to make a New Zealand team in the same year was a special achievement.
Like many teenagers, Ben suddenly shot up, but at 1.88m tall he will be one of the shortest players in the squad.
When he plays for Otago he often finds himself on the post banging bodies.
But he will likely play as a small forward/big guard for the national team and spends a couple of hours, three days a week honing his shooting skills.
Michael Jordan is the first name off his lips when asked who he admires in the sport.
But Tall Black Pero Cameron rates a mention and, locally, Ben looks up to Junior Tall Black Nathan Morgan.
In the future, Ben would like to play basketball overseas but is realistic about how hard it would be to get a scholarship in the United States.
He would like to play in the National Basketball League for the Otago Nuggets but would be content to perform well for his country at the upcoming tournament in Australia.
Basketball Otago director of development and under-17 coach Rachel Gwerder said Ben was an intelligent player who worked hard.
