Perth Wildcats
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| Perth Wildcats | |
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| Established | 1982 |
| Team Colours | Red, Black and White |
| Home Venue | Challenge Stadium, Perth |
| Major Sponsor | Saville Australia |
| Championships | 1990, 1991, 1995, 1999/00 |
| Team History | Westate Wildcats (1982-1984) Perth Wildcats (1985-Present) |
| Chairman | Jack Bendat |
| Director | Andrew Vlahov |
| Chief Executive | Nick Marvin |
| Coach | Conner Henry |
| Assistant Coach | TBA |
| Captain | Paul Rogers |
| Website | www.wildcats.com.au |
The Perth Wildcats are an Australian basketball team competing in the National Basketball League. The Wildcats are the only team in the league representing the state of Western Australia and are based in the state capital, Perth. They are one of the most successful teams in the league, having achieved four championships during their 24 seasons (equalled by only the Adelaide 36ers), and have currently appeared in the finals for 21 straight seasons [1] (an accomplishment matched by no other NBL club).
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[edit] History
[edit] The 1980s
Formed in 1982 as the Westate Wildcats, the Wildcats became the first, and so far only, Western Australian club to compete in the NBL. The club was initially captained by Mike Ellis and comprised members of the Western Australian state team and several import players. In these early years the Wildcats played at Perry Lakes Stadium and struggled to make an impact on the league. In 1984 the Wildcats changed their name to the Perth Wildcats and in 1987 moved from Perry Lakes to the 5,000 seat Superdrome (now known as Challenge Stadium).
After signing a number of star players (including Cal Bruton, Tiny Pinder and James Crawford), the Wildcats not only made their first playoff appearance in 1987, but attained a Grand Final berth. Unfortunately for the Wildcats they lost this Grand Final series to the Brisbane Bullets. Despite this loss the 1987 season marked the beginning of 20 straight years of playoff appearances that still runs to this day.
The following years were not as successful on or off the court for the Wildcats. Significantly, the club was forced to deal with the shocking death of player Scott Fenton and his fiancée in a car accident during the 1989 season. In his memory, Scott Fenton’s jersey (number 14) became the first to be retired by the club.
[edit] The 1990s
A new decade saw the Wildcats move once again, now to the 8,200 seat Perth Entertainment Centre. The 1990 season also began with turmoil as coach Alan Black was controversially fired after only two games. Despite this shaky start to the season the Wildcats charged into the Grand Final and achieved their first NBL championship by defeating the Brisbane Bullets in Brisbane. The Wildcats backed up this effort in 1991 by becoming the third team in NBL history to win back-to-back championships, defeating the Eastside Spectres in front of a home crowd.
The Wildcats were destined for more turmoil in 1992: they were unable to secure a hat-trick of championships, they lost player Kendall (Tiny) Pinder in very controversial circumstances, and captain Mike Ellis retired at the end of the season. Andrew Vlahov became captain of the club in 1993 and the Wildcats competed in another Grand Final campaign. This time however the Wildcats were defeated in a tough battle with the Melbourne Tigers, who claimed their first NBL championship. The Wildcats lost by two points. The television broadcast of the game incorrectly displayed the final score as a one-point loss.
The 1994 season was lacklustre, with sixteen wins and ten losses in the regular season and elimination 2-0 in the quarter-finals by the South-East Melbourne Magic. By contrast 1995 saw the Wildcats sitting on top of the table and eventually blitzing the North Melbourne Giants in game three of the series. The Wildcats' third championship also allowed the club to travel to the McDonald's Championship in London to play against the best clubs in the world. The Wildcats lost against the Houston Rockets from the NBA 116 - 72 in their first game of the tournament, but defeated Real Madrid 93 - 86 in their second game.
The 1997 season became the testimonial season for James Crawford who was expected to retire at the end of that season. The Wildcats hosted an exhibition match against James Crawford’s all-star team, which featured many NBL stars both current and retired. Although 1997 had been touted as Crawford’s retirement year, he continued to play until injury forced him out during the 1998/99 season.
[edit] 2000 to Present
Andrew Vlahov and Luc Longley purchased the Wildcats from businessman Kerry Stokes for the 1999/2000 season. The season itself was very successful for the Wildcats as they claimed their fourth championship against the Victoria Titans, becoming the first team in NBL history to do so. To top off the stellar season, centre Paul Rogers became the first Wildcat to win the Most Valuable Player award.
The end of the 2001/02 season saw the Wildcats leave the Perth Entertainment Centre for a return to their old home the Superdrome (now Challenge Stadium). Till then, Perth had avoided the league's fall in attendance, thanks to the team's performances and the popular central CBD location of the arena, but the Perth Entertainment Centre was no longer viable for its owner Kerry Stokes as basketball was not the primary tenant, and he was forced to close the venue and relocate the team back to their former and unpopular suburban-based arena.
Ricky Grace became captain of the club in 2002/03 when Andrew Vlahov retired from the league. The season saw the Wildcats head to their seventh Grand Final, where unfortunately for the Wildcats they were defeated by the Sydney Kings in their first championship. More controversy followed as coach Alan Black was fired for the second time by the club.
Mike Ellis became coach for the following season,[2] but his tenure was short, being replaced the following season by Scott Fisher.[3] The 2004/05 season saw the end of an era as captain Ricky Grace played his last game of his career with the club.[4] Grace was the only remaining member of all the Wildcats' championships and had been an integral part of the club for 15 years. In order to celebrate his career with the Wildcats a legends match was held featuring many retired Wildcats stars (including Bruton, Crawford, Ellis, Vlahov and Fisher), current and retired NBL stars (including Leroy Loggins, Andrew Gaze, Mark Davis and Phil Smyth).[5]
With Grace retired, veteran player Tony Ronaldson became captain of the Wildcats in 2005/06, but was relieved of his captaincy after only one season.
The Wildcats have also been instrumental in the NBL's push towards promoting the league in the lucrative Asian market over the last few years.[6] Not only have Wildcats games been telecast to millions of potential viewers in Southeast Asia,[7] the Wildcats have hosted several regular season games in Singapore in an event known as the "Singapore Spectacular."[8] [9] Now that the Singapore Slingers have joined the NBL, the "Singapore Spectacular" is no longer held.
In February 2006, West Australian Jack Bendat became the Chairman and majority shareholder of the club. Although no longer the majority shareholder, Andrew Vlahov remains in control of the club as the Managing Director.[10].
In August 2006, Paul Rogers became the fifth player to captain the Wildcats.[11] Rogers replaced Tony Ronaldson as captain for 2006/07, despite Ronaldson's continuing to play for the club. The Wildcats celebrated their 25th anniversary during the 2006/07 NBL season and recorded their highest number of wins in a single season (23 wins), although historically they have recorded better win-loss ratios.[12] The 2007 season came to an end when the Wildcats were defeated by the Cairns Taipans 82-78 in the quarter finals.[13] Currently the Wildcats have played exactly 800 NBL games. [14]
As of late 2006, a new Perth Arena with a capacity of over 12,000 spectators is being built on the former Perth Entertainment Centre (PEC) car park. Managing director Andrew Vlahov has expressed interest at moving the club to the new arena once it is completed in 2009,[15] and owner Jack Bendat has been named as a future stadium user.[16] Despite a desire to move to this larger capacity venue, the Wildcats would need to overcome what would likely be significant costs involved in hiring the arena, an issue that cost the Wildcats dearly during the later years of their tenure at the PEC.[17]
[edit] Retired Jerseys
- #6 Mike Ellis
- #7 James Crawford
- #14 Scott Fenton (deceased)
- #15 Ricky Grace
- #21 Andrew Vlahov
- #30 Scott Fisher
[edit] Honour Roll
| NBL Championships: | 4 (1990, 1991, 1995, 2000) |
| NBL Finals Appearances: | 1987 - current |
| NBL Grand Final appearances: | 7 (1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 2000, 2003) |
| NBL Most Valuable Players: | Paul Rogers (2000) |
| NBL Grand Final MVPs: | Ricky Grace (1990), Pete Hanson (1991), Ricky Grace (1993), Andrew Vlahov (1995), Marcus Timmons (2000) |
| All-NBL First Team: | James Crawford (1987), Ricky Grace (1991, 2001-03), Andrew Vlahov (1992, 1995), Paul Rogers (2000, 2002), Shawn Redhage (2008) |
| NBL Coach of the Year: | Murray Arnold (1991) |
| NBL Rookie of the Year: | Andrew Vlahov (1991) |
| NBL Most Improved Player: | James Harvey (2001), Matt Burston (2003), Peter Crawford (2005) |
| NBL Best Sixth Man: | Stephen Black (2003) |
Source: www.nbl.com.au
[edit] Season-by-Season
| Season | Results | Finals | Coach | Captain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | 10th (10-16) | - | Henry Daigle | Mike Ellis |
| 1983 | 12th (6-16) | - | Gordon Ellis | Mike Ellis |
| 1984 | 16th (3-20) | - | Lynn Massey | Mike Ellis |
| 1985 | 8th (13-13) | - | Jay Brehmer | Mike Ellis |
| 1986 | 12th (8-18) | - | Jay Brehmer | Mike Ellis |
| 1987 | 4th (19-7) | Grand-Finalists | Cal Bruton | Mike Ellis |
| 1988 | 6th (13-11) | Semi-Finalists | Cal Bruton | Mike Ellis |
| 1989 | 3rd (16-8) | Semi-Finalists | Alan Black | Mike Ellis |
| 1990 | 5th (17-9) | CHAMPIONS | Alan Black/Cal Bruton | Mike Ellis |
| 1991 | 1st (22-4) | CHAMPIONS | Murray Arnold | Mike Ellis |
| 1992 | 6th (12-12) | Quarter-Finalists | Murray Arnold | Mike Ellis |
| 1993 | 1st (21-5) | Grand-Finalists | Adrian Hurley | Andrew Vlahov |
| 1994 | 6th (16-10) | Quarter-Finalists | Adrian Hurley | Andrew Vlahov |
| 1995 | 1st (19-7) | CHAMPIONS | Adrian Hurley | Andrew Vlahov |
| 1996 | 3rd (16-10) | Quarter-Finalists | Adrian Hurley | Andrew Vlahov |
| 1997 | 4th (17-13) | Semi-Finalists | Adrian Hurley | Andrew Vlahov |
| 1998 | 3rd (17-13) | Semi-Finalists | Alan Black | Andrew Vlahov |
| 1998/99 | 6th (13-13) | Elimination-Finalists | Alan Black | Andrew Vlahov |
| 1999/00 | 3rd (22-6) | CHAMPIONS | Alan Black | Andrew Vlahov |
| 2000/01 | 3rd (21-7) | Elimination-Finalists | Alan Black | Andrew Vlahov |
| 2001/02 | 2nd (17-13) | Elimination-Finalists | Alan Black | Andrew Vlahov |
| 2002/03 | 2nd (22-8) | Grand-Finalists | Alan Black | Ricky Grace |
| 2003/04 | 7th (15-18) | Quarter-Finalists | Mike Ellis | Ricky Grace |
| 2004/05 | 7th (15-17) | Quarter-Finalists | Scott Fisher | Ricky Grace |
| 2005/06 | 7th (16-16) | Semi-Finalists | Scott Fisher | Tony Ronaldson |
| 2006/07 | 3rd (23-10) | Quarter-Finalists | Scott Fisher | Paul Rogers |
| 2007/08 | 4th (18-12) | Semi-Finalists | Scott Fisher | Paul Rogers |
[edit] Current roster
| Perth Wildcats 2007/08 Roster |
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| Head Coach: Conner Henry Assistant Coach: CJ Jackson, John Le Bon |
Edit | |||
| G | 5 |  |
Adam Caporn | (WA; Saint Mary's College of California) |
| G/F | 8 | |
Peter Crawford | (QLD) |
| F | 10 | |
Jeff Dowdell | (NSW) |
| F | 10 | |
Tom Garlepp | (WA; University of California, Santa Barbara) |
| G | TBA |  |
Darnell Hinson | (Oklahoma; Northeastern State University) |
| G | 55 | |
Ben Hunt | (VIC; Texas Wesleyan University) |
| F | 40 | |
Alex Loughton | (WA; Old Dominion University) |
| F | 42 | |
Shawn Redhage | (Nebraska; Arizona State University) |
| G | 22 | |
Brad Robbins | (VIC) |
| C | 9 | |
Paul Rogers - Captain | (SA; Gonzaga University) |
| * = Import, # = Development Player | Perth Wildcats | |||
[edit] References
- Sgroi, D. (Producer). (2004). Perth Wildcats: Behind the Ball. [Motion Picture]. (Available from the Promote Media Group, Morley Commercial Centre, Cnr Boag Road & Russell Street, Morley, Western Australia)
- ^ 21st final key to championship. Perth Wildcats (2007). Retrieved on 2007-02-27.
- ^ Wildcats tab Ellis as new coach. NBL Media (2003). Retrieved on 2007-02-27.
- ^ 'Cats like Fish. Perth Wildcats (2004). Retrieved on 2007-02-27.
- ^ Levinson, Barry (2005). Tigers end an Amazing career. Sportal. Retrieved on 2007-02-27.
- ^ Stars honour Grace. Perth Wildcats (2005). Retrieved on 2007-02-27.
- ^ Jury, Kelly (2005). NBL's Asian Success. NBL. Retrieved on 2007-02-27.
- ^ Wildcats Jam into Asia. NBL (2003). Retrieved on 2007-02-27.
- ^ Kings of the world. NBL (2005). Retrieved on 2007-02-27.
- ^ Bousfield, Andrew (2005). Wildcats whip Bullets. NBL. Retrieved on 2007-02-27.
- ^ Chadwick, Justin (2006). New chairman for Wildcats. Sportal. Retrieved on 2006-02-22.
- ^ Rogers the new skipper. Perth Wildcats (2006). Retrieved on 2006-08-29.
- ^ History starts here. Perth Wildcats (2007). Retrieved on 2007-02-27.
- ^ Chadwick, Justin (2006). Taipans upset Wildcats. Sportal. Retrieved on 2007-02-27.
- ^ History starts here. Perth Wildcats (2007). Retrieved on 2007-02-27.
- ^ Egan, Craig (2007). Perth Wildcats aim for 10,000 by 2012. Austadiums. Retrieved on 2007-02-27.
- ^ Mason, G., Taylor, R., & Emerson, D. Indoor arena cost hits $320m. The West Australian (2007). Retrieved on 2007-02-27.
- ^ Egan, Craig (2007). Perth Wildcats aim for 10,000 by 2012. Austadiums. Retrieved on 2007-02-27.
[edit] External links
- Official Perth Wildcats Webpage
- Official NBL - Perth Wildcats Webpage
- Official National Basketball League Website
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Clubs in the National Basketball League
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