Redhage leads Perth Redbacks to SBL championship
September 3, 2017
Joel Wagner
- Nationality: AUS
- Date of Birth: 19/12/87
- Place of Birth: Perth (WA)
- Position: GRD
- Height (CM): 181
- Weight (KG): #N/A
- Junior Assoc: WA - Perth
- College: None
- NBL DEBUT: 9/10/09
- AGE AT DEBUT: 21
- LAST NBL GAME: 1/04/11
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 23
- NBL History: Perth 2010-11 | Sydney 2011
- Championships: 1
- Perth (2010)
BIO: Joel Wagner was born in Perth (WA) and started playing basketball with the Perth Redbacks under 12’s team as a 10-year-old. At 16 he began playing with the Redbacks state league team.
NBL EXPERIENCE
Joel Wagner made his NBL debut with the Perth Wildcats at 21 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game.
Wagner signed with Perth as a development player in 2009 training and playing alongside Martin Cattalini, Shawn Redhage and Damian Martin. In his rookie season, Wagner averaged 1.3 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 1.4 assists and helped guide the Wildcat’s to a first place regular finish (17-11).
Wagner did not play in the team’s playoff games but was able to watch the Wildcat’s defeated the fourth placed Gold Coast Blaze in two straight games before the team eliminated the Wollongong Hawks in three games.
2010/11
The following year, a injury saw a point guard spot open up at the Kings and a Friday night phone call from Sydney’s coach Conner Henry saw Joel on a plane to Sydney the next day. His increased opportunity at Sydney saw his minutes jump from less than one per game to 11 as he saw minutes in 15 games that season, averaging 1.3 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game. Wagner was not re-signed at the end of the season.
While Joel’s NBL career ended up being short, he says he has no regrets and feels that getting to that level with where his talent was at was a pretty big achievement.
Joel Wagner played two seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Perth Wildcats and the Sydney Kings. He averaged 1.1 points, 1 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 20 NBL games.
NBL TOTAL STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-11 | 23 | Sydney | 8-20 (9) | 15 | 170.0 | 20 | 19 | 21 | 3 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 13 | 9 | 9 | 25 | 36% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 40% | 36% | 7 |
| 2009-10 | 22 | Perth | 17-11 (1) | 5 | 4.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 100% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 100% | 0% | 2 | Totals | 20 | 174 | 22 | 20 | 22 | 3 | 17 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 9 | 10 | 26 | 38.5% | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 42% | 38% | 7 |
NBL PER GAME STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-11 | 23 | Sydney | 8-20 (9) | 15 | 11.3 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 0.2 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 1.7 | 36% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 40% | 36% | 7 |
| 2009-10 | 22 | Perth | 17-11 (1) | 5 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 100% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 100% | 0% | 2 | Total | 20 | 8.7 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.3 | 38.5% | 0.0 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 42% | 38% | 7 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 7 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
|---|
STATE LEAGUE EXPERIENCE
- Perth (2004-2022)
Wagner started playing in the state leagues with Perth during the 2004 SBL season, making his debut against Willetton and later earning his first senior start at 16. He played limited minutes in 2004 and 2005 behind AJ Johnson and Wade Horwood before taking on a larger role in 2006.
In 2007, Wagner was named the SBL’s Most Improved Player, led the league in assists and earned All-Star Third Team selection. Perth finished 5–19 in the regular season, but Wagner’s individual campaign marked the first major award of his state-league career.
Wagner continued with Perth through the next phase of his SBL career and later returned to a full Redbacks role after two seasons with limited state-league continuity. By the early 2012 SBL season, Perth had opened 4–1 and sat second in the 14-team competition, with Wagner leading the league in assists at 8.4 per game while also averaging 14.4 points.
Wagner became a long-term one-club player with Perth and was later recognised as a two-time SBL All-Star Starting Five selection. Across different stages of his Redbacks career, he built long-running on-court connections with Jamie Baker, Matthew Earp, Jarrad Prior, Michael Vigor, Ben Smith and Shawn Redhage.
Wagner captained Perth during the 2017 SBL season as the Redbacks reached their first men’s grand final since 1999. Perth defeated Joondalup 103–70 at Bendat Basketball Centre to win the club’s first men’s championship since 1997, with Wagner recording six points and five assists in his 306th game while helping limit Trian Iliadis to five points.
In 2018, Wagner continued with Perth as the defending champions, with the Redbacks raising the 2017 championship banner before pushing into another season under coach Nik Lackovic. Perth’s backcourt group included Wagner, Ben Smith and Jackson Hussey, while the roster also featured Shawn Redhage, Lee Roberts, Michael Vigor, Mo Barrow and Zac Gattorna during that period.
Wagner reached 350 SBL games with Perth during the 2019 season, becoming the second Redbacks player to reach the mark. At the time, he had played 349 games, recorded 2,723 assists and sat 51 assists short of Troy Clarke’s league record before overtaking Clarke later in 2019 as the SBL assists leader.
Wagner was awarded Perth Redbacks Life Membership in 2019 after passing 350 senior games with the club. The honour came during the same season he became the all-time assists leader in SBL history, adding to his championship, All-Star and Most Improved Player recognition.
Wagner remained with Perth through the 2020 West Coast Classic period and the move into NBL1 West in 2021. In 2021, he passed Matthew Earp to become the most-capped Redbacks player, lifted his club games record to 379, was named Perth’s NBL1 Men’s Most Consistent Player and averaged 6.4 assists while helping Perth reach the preliminary final.
Wagner announced his retirement before the final regular-season weekend of the 2022 NBL1 West season. His career finished at 395 SBL and NBL1 West games for Perth, the most by any Redbacks player, with 2,988 assists, 4,235 points, 1,512 rebounds, 490 steals, 47.4 percent shooting from the field, 33.3 percent from three-point range and 64.3 percent at the free-throw line.
Wagner’s No. 10 jersey was retired by Perth in 2023, the season after his playing career ended. The club marked the honour at Belmont Oasis on a night where Perth defeated Cockburn 82–78, recognising him as the championship captain, club games record holder and SBL/NBL1 West assists record holder.
AWARDS
- SBL Most Improved Player (2007)
Related
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