NICKNAME/S: Vanilla Gorilla

BIO: Rhys Anthony Vague was born in the Perth suburb of Kardinya (WA). He played his first game of basketball at the age of seven, starting at the Spearwood Hawks Junior Basketball Club before joining the Cockburn Cougars junior program. He is also a product of the rich basketball program at Willetton Senior High School.

As a teenager he barracked for the Perth Wildcats, idolising the players and dreamt of playing for the club.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Rhys Vague made his NBL debut with the Perth Wildcats at 17 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game.

In 2014, Vague joined the Wildcat’s as a development player with the team having retained almost their entire roster and looking to win back-to-back championships. Perth had re-signed Shawn Redhage (3 year deal) and saw Jermaine Beal, Damian Martin, Matthew Knight, Greg Hire and Tom Jervis all return. The team’s biggest loss came from losing star import James Ennis to the NBA, they were able to replace him with talented forward Deandre Daniels (14.8 points and 7.7 rebounds).

This season Redhage would relinquish the captaincy to Damian Martin and see Perth struggle through injuries all season. Most impacted was the team’s’ frontcourt as Knight (6 games), Hire (19 games) both missing games during the season and Redhage suffering from a stress fracture in his right foot which saw him miss the Wildcats’ entire finals campaign. Vague would see limited playing opportunities with the Wildcats, appearing in only one game for the season.

With the departure of Ennis, Beal (16.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.6 assists) became Perth’s main offensive weapon and won the club’s MVP award at the end of the season. The Wildcats’ banged up roster still managed to finish in fourth place (16–12) with Matthew Knight earning a spot on the All-NBL Second Team, and Damian Martin named the NBL’s Best Defensive Player for the fifth consecutive year at the end of season awards.

Perth were then swiftly eliminated by the Cairns in the semifinals. The Wildcats’ had no answer for Taipans’ guard Scottie Wilbekin, who racked up 28 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists in game one (71-64) and then backed it up with 16 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists in game two (80-68).

2015/16
Heading into the 2015/16 season coach Trevor Gleeson conceding his side struggled with chemistry issues in 2014-15 and added high-profile recruits Casey Prather and Nathan Jawai as well as backup guard Jarrod Kenny to correct team balance.

With the team’s acquisition of Nathan Jawai a injury-free Matthew Knight was able to move to his natural position of power forward for the first time and together with Tom Jervis the Wildcats would feature a formidable frontcourt. The Wildcats battled with Melbourne United for top spot on the ladder all season before finishing the regular season in second place with a 18–10 record.

Vague continued to see limited playing opportunities with the Wildcats, appearing in only six games, averaging 2.2 points, 0.7 rebounds, and 0.3 assists. Vague failed to appear in any playoff games for the Wildcats but was a part of the 2016 championship team who defeated the Breakers 2-1 to clinch the three game series.

2017/18
The Wildcats were able to re-sign Grand Final MVP Bryce Cotton for the 2017/18 season but lost two-time Club MVP, Casey Prather who was unable to commit to the Wildcats season due to pursuing NBA opportunities. Perth would replace him with Devondrick Walker in the meantime, leaving Prather with no place on the roster after he had exhausted his NBA options. Unable to play with the Wildcats, he signed a contract to play with Melbourne.

In a bizarre twist Devondrick Walker then suffered a foot injury during the pre-season and was replaced by JP Tokoto without having ever played a regular season game. Other changes to the roster included Derek Cooke Jr. coming in to replace the outgoing Jameel McKay, and Lucas Walker stepping up from a training player role to a full-time squad member in place of the retired Shawn Redhage.

Around this time, Matthew Knight made it public that he would retire at the end of the 2017/18 season, but as a result of three early-season head knocks, Knight brought forth his retirement in early November.

The Wildcats started the season 10–3, as they sat atop the ladder following Round 9, but in December, Damian Martin was ruled out for a number of games with an ankle injury. Injuries saw the team drop to 13–9 in mid-January, then finish the regular season in third place with a 16–12 record. Vague appeared in 13 games this season, the most he’d played in one season and averaged 1.5 points and 0.6 rebounds.

On the eve of their finals campaign, Martin was named the league’s Best Defensive Player, earning the honour for a record-breaking sixth time and Cotton was named league MVP, becoming just the third Wildcat to win the award after Paul Rogers (2000) and Kevin Lisch (2012). Cotton also earned All-NBL First Team honours while Tokoto earned a spot on the All-NBL Second Team.

In game one of the semi finals series against second-seeded Adelaide 36ers, the Wildcats were soundly defeated (109–74) in what was their second biggest finals loss in club history. The only time the Wildcat’s have lost by a larger margin in their 32-year finals streak was in 1989, when they lost to North Melbourne by 55 points. Game two saw a much closer contents but Perth fell short by one point (88–89), ending this season prematurely.

2018/19
During the off-season, Perth re-signed star Bryce Cotton (three-year deal), while also adding Nick Kay and Mitch Norton (both via Illawarra), former Wildcats big man Tom Jervis (via Brisbane), and new import Terrico White (via Korea). This led to the departures of Lucas Walker, Jarrod Kenny, and Dexter Kernich-Drew, who all signed with Cairns. Perth also elevated four-year development player Rhys Vague to the full-time roster.

The team traveled to the United States for two pre-season games against NBA teams Utah Jazz and Denver Nuggets. They suffered a heavy (130–72) loss to the Jazz in their first match, which coach Trevor Gleeson cited as the catalyst for the season’s success. In their second game, they narrowly lost (96–88) to the Denver Nuggets, gaining valuable experience that set the tone for the season.

Perth started the season strongly, boasting a (10–1) record. However, the team’s momentum was disrupted when captain Damian Martin suffered a right calf tear, sidelining him for six games. Compounding the issue, Angus Brandt also faced setbacks, missing three games in November due to an ankle injury sustained while playing for the Australian Boomers. These setbacks led to a downturn in form, and by mid-January, the Wildcats had lost eight of their next ten games, bringing their record to (12–9).

Despite external pressure to make roster changes and add a third import, the organization and coaching staff chose to back the existing playing group. As the roster regained its health, Perth bounced back with three consecutive wins over Melbourne, Adelaide, and Sydney, ultimately reclaiming the top spot on the ladder and finishing the regular season in first place with an (18–10) record.

Rhys Vague (2.0 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 0.6 assists) played a key role off the bench, providing depth at forward. Vague’s elevation into the team’s full roster saw him appear in all but one game this season. One of Vague’s standout performances was his 9 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists game against Brisbane (25 Oct 2018), where he showed his ability to contribute on both ends of the floor. Another notable game was his 4 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 assist effort against Illawarra (14 Oct 2018). He also recorded a career-high 10 points, which came against Adelaide in January 2019, in what was his first start in an NBL game.

Perth went on to face Brisbane in the semi-finals, where Bryce Cotton (19 points, 2 rebounds, and 10 assists) and Terrico White (24 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 assist) led the team to a Game 1 win (89–59). In Game 2 (84–79), Terrico White (24 points and 3 rebounds) led Perth in scoring while Bryce Cotton (19 points and 10 assists) recorded his first career double-double. Vague saw minutes in both games but failed to score a point.

Once in the Grand Final series, Perth faced reigning champions Melbourne, defeating them in four games to secure the championship. While Vague appeared in two games with limited impact, his contributions throughout the season helped solidify his role as a valuable member of the Wildcats’ 2018-19 title-winning team.

2019/20
“The Wildcats’ first move of the 2019 off-season was re-signing four-time championship-winning coach Trevor Gleeson (three-year deal) as well as five-time championship-winning duo Damian Martin and Jesse Wagstaff and import Terrico White. In total, six members of the championship-winning squad would return, with Wani Swaka Lo Buluk being elevated from development player to the full roster and replace the retiring Greg Hire. The team also added Dario Hunt and Majok Majok to replace exiting big men Tom Jervis and Angus Brandt (to Europe).

Perth started the season in dominant fashion (5–1), but by round 10, had taken a step backwards (8-5) following back-to-back losses. The Wildcats regrouped behind four straight wins and closed out December with a 13–6 record. In December, Damian Martin played his 300th game for the Wildcats, then suffered a left heel injury, which saw him miss the entire month of January. After losing back-to-back games to start 2020, Gleeson and the Wildcat’s decided to release Dario Hunt (8.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.8 assists) and replace him with seven-year NBA veteran Miles Plumlee (9.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.0 steals, and 1.0 blocks).

The addition of Plumlee gave Perth the inside presence they needed, showcased in a Perth win over New Zealand (80–79), when he recorded 23 points and 18 rebounds, becoming the first Wildcat to record 20+ points and 15+ rebounds in a game since 2007.

With seven games remaining and Plumlee required to play all seven to qualify for the postseason, the Wildcat’s won six of seven games to secure a 34th consecutive finals appearance with a second-place finish (19–9). Fresh off his World Cup experience playing for the Australian Boomers, Nick Kay (15 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.1 steals) delivered a breakout season alongside Bryce Cotton (22.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 3.7 assists) who etched himself into the history books, becoming the first import to lead the league in scoring three years in a row.

in the semifinals, Perth defeated Cairns (2–1) to advance to their 15th NBL Grand Final where thanks to a big games from Cotton (32 points) and Kay (14 points and 6 rebounds) they claimed game one (88–86) in front of 11,647 rabid Kings fans.

As the team’s prepared for game two in Perth, it was decided that the remaining games would all take place with no fans in the building. Without a single fan in the building, the Kings evened the series (1-1) thanks to Jae’Sean Tate (21 points) nailing seven of his nine shots and Andrew Bogut (24 points and 14 rebounds) having one of his best games of the season.

In game three of the grand final series against the Sydney Kings, Kay (30 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists) delivered a career high scoring effort, including seven three-pointers alongside Cotton (31 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists) to propel Perth to a game three victory (111–96).

Prior to game four, the Sydney Kings chose to withdraw from the series due to uncertainties of the coronavirus and travel restrictions. With multiple Kings players based overseas, many were concerned the restrictions would prevent any return home. After a week spent deliberating, it was decided Perth would be awarded the championship due to holding a 2-1 lead at the time, securing their tenth title. After averaging 30.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.7 assists over the three games, Cotton was named Grand Final MVP for the second time in four years, becoming the first player in Wildcats history to be named league MVP, Grand Final MVP and win a championship all in the same season.

Vague would continue to see limited playing opportunities with the Wildcats, appearing in only 25 games, averaging 2.2 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 0.2 assists. Vague would leave the club to play professional basketball in Japan the following season.

SOUTH EAST MELBOURNE PHOENIX
2023/24
After spending the last three years in Japan, Vague for signed a two-year deal to play for South East Melborne. In doing so Vague was able to re-unite with coach Mike Kelly, who had coached Vague as a member of the Australian Boomers.

“Rhys brings a lot of qualities that we are looking for. He’s 6 foot 9 and super long, shoots the ball very well, really good person, will get along with his teammates well, but also has this kind of quiet determination or quiet toughness about him, and he’s not afraid to get physical,” Kelly said on signing Vague.

“I think he is going to be great in that four spot, backing up Mitch (Creek) and occasionally being able to play a little bit of that five,” he added.

Rhys Vague played six seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Perth Wildcats and the South East Melbourne Phoenix. He averaged 2.1 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 0.2 assists in 106 NBL games.

Dan Boyce (811 Posts)

Dan Boyce is a die-hard Sydney Kings fan who grew up in Melbourne during the roaring 90's of Australian Basketball and spent far too much time collecting Futera NBL Basketball cards.