BIO: Corey Shervill was born in Perth (WA) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Willetton Tigers basketball program. He later attended Aquinas College Menai where he earned a bronze medal at the Australian National School Championships.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Corey Shervill made his NBL debut with the Perth Wildcats at 28 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game.

On 24 November 2020, Corey Shervill signed with the Perth Wildcats as a development player.

The 2020/21 NBL season presented numerous challenges for Perth, with the league navigating COVID-19-related obstacles. The Wildcats faced an uphill battle after losing key players Terrico White and Nick Kay to overseas contracts, forcing them to sign John Mooney to address the significant gap left in the frontcourt. Compounding the issue, the league’s decision to reduce the number of import roster spots from three to two prevented Perth from re-signing import Miles Plumlee. The delayed start to the season and the lack of a permanent schedule created uncertainty, with teams discovering their fixtures weekly based on COVID-19 travel restrictions.

The Wildcats struggled to find early-season consistency and after five rounds, they found themselves in seventh place. In response, the league relocated all teams to Melbourne to participate in the NBL Cup, an eight-game tournament designed to continue the season while avoiding travel disruptions. This shift proved beneficial for Perth, as Bryce Cotton (23.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 1.5 steals) increased his production, which in turn allowed new recruit Todd Blanchfield (via Illawarra) to capitalize on the space created by Cotton’s brilliance. Blanchfield (15.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.6 assists) enjoyed a career-best season, setting a Wildcats record for most three-pointers made in a season, while Mooney (16.9 points, 11.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.3 steals) solidified his role as a key contributor.

As the season approached its final rounds, the Wildcats appeared poised for a third consecutive championship. However, fate intervened when Cotton suffered a season-ending injury in a loss to Melbourne (64-78). Despite Cotton’s absence, he was named the league’s Most Valuable Player.

After falling to second place on the ladder behind Melbourne United in round 13, the Wildcats ended the regular season with a 25-11 record, securing the second seed. In the semi-finals against Illawarra, Perth lost the opening game 72-74. The Wildcats rebounded in game two with Luke Travers (13 points and 10 rebounds) and John Mooney (18 points and 10 rebounds) leading the way to a 79-71 victory. In game three, Blanchfield (24 points and 5 rebounds) and Mitchell Norton (15 points and 4 rebounds) stepped up in Cotton’s absence, lifting the Wildcats to a 79-71 win and advancing to the Grand Final.

In the Grand Final, Perth faced first-placed Melbourne United, who had dominated the season. Due to travel restrictions, the first two games were played in Perth. In game one, Blanchfield’s standout performance of 27 points and 7 rebounds wasn’t enough, as United escaped with a narrow 73-70 win. Game two saw Melbourne take control behind Chris Goulding’s 21 points and Jock Landale’s 12 points and 17 rebounds, defeating Perth 83-74.

With Norton (8.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.6 assists) battling injuries, Perth’s backcourt depth was stretched thin. Despite Kevin White’s best efforts, delivering his best three-game stretch of the season with 10, 12, and 14 points across the series, the Wildcats were ultimately outmatched. Restrictions were lifted for game three, allowing a sold-out crowd of 5,000 at John Cain Arena. Melbourne clinched the title with an 81-76 victory behind Landale’s dominant performance (15 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 assists, and 2 blocks), earning him the Finals MVP award.

Shervill made his Wildcats debut in February, averaging 2.6 points and 1.4 rebounds across 30 games while shooting 40 percent from the field. His season-high of nine points came in a win over Melbourne United in his fourth game.

2021/22
On 7 July 2021, Corey Shervill re-signed with the Perth Wildcats on a two-year deal, remaining a development player for the NBL22 season, with an option to move into the full roster the following year. However, before the season began, he suffered a Jones fracture in his foot that required immediate surgery, sidelining him for the majority of the season.

During Shervill’s recovery, the Wildcats experienced significant changes, with long-time head coach Trevor Gleeson departing to take up an assistant coaching role with the Toronto Raptors in the NBA. The Wildcats also lost mid-season signing Will Magnay and key bench players Clint Steindl, Jarrad Weeks, and Jarred Bairstow, all of whom signed multi-year deals with the Tasmania JackJumpers under former Perth assistant Scott Roth.

To fill the void left by these departures, the Wildcats appointed US coach Scott Morrison to lead the team and brought in imports Vic Law (via Brisbane) and Michael Frazier III, while also signing Matthew Hodgson (via Brisbane) to complete their roster.

Perth began the season playing their first five games at home before embarking on a challenging stretch of 14 consecutive road games due to border closures caused by COVID-19 restrictions. Despite spending a prolonged period away from family and friends, the Wildcats remained a top-four team for most of the year and were considered strong contenders for the Grand Final.

As the team returned to Western Australia with a 13-6 record and nine home games remaining, they faced further adversity when they decided to replace import Michael Frazier III with big man John Brown III. However, Brown was unable to obtain a clearance from his former team in time to join the Wildcats for the playoffs.

With injuries mounting, the Wildcats suffered another setback when star forward Vic Law (20.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 1.7 assists) sustained a season-ending knee injury late in the campaign. Bryce Cotton (22.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.4 steals) also missed several games during the run home. As a result, Perth won only three of their final nine home games, which left their playoff hopes hanging in the balance heading into the final round.

Perth entered their last game of the regular season against South East Melbourne sitting in fourth place, needing a win to extend their historic playoff streak to 37 consecutive seasons. Despite building an eight-point lead in the second half, the Phoenix mounted a comeback, forcing the game into overtime. In a heart-stopping finish, South East Melbourne secured a two-point win, ending Perth’s record-breaking finals streak that had stood since 1986.

Shervill managed to return for two games late in the season, scoring a total of nine points. His limited appearances prevented him from making a significant impact, but he remained a promising prospect for the team’s future.

2022/23
After missing the playoffs for the first time in 35 years, Perth Wildcats head coach Scott Morrison announced his departure after just one season, citing family reasons for his return to Canada.

To replace him, Perth appointed former Townsville Crocodiles star John Rillie as the club’s new head coach on a three-year deal.

Shortly after Rillie’s appointment, the Wildcats made key roster moves by re-signing Bryce Cotton on a three-year deal, Jesse Wagstaff for another season, and Todd Blanchfield for three years.

With most of the core roster retained, only Kevin White (who joined Illawarra) and Matt Hodgson (who moved to Taiwan) did not return. To fill their spots, Perth brought in Corey Webster from Europe and promoted development player Kyle Zunic to the full roster.

To round out the squad, imports TaShawn Thomas (France) and Brady Manek (North Carolina) were signed to add additional scoring power.

The Wildcats started the season in strong form, winning their first three games and reclaiming their spot at the top of the NBL ladder. However, their momentum stalled as they endured a five-game losing streak, dropping to seventh place, where they hovered for much of the season.

With six games remaining in the regular season, Perth added Tai Webster to their roster after he was released from his Turkish team, reuniting him with his brother Corey Webster. Following this addition, Shervill was released from the Wildcats’ 11-man roster.

Perth’s final three games were crucial in determining their playoff fate. They suffered a defeat to Tasmania (102–94), after the JackJumpers outscored them 27-15 in the final 10 minutes.

A subsequent loss to the Cairns Taipans (84-71) put their playoff hopes in jeopardy, setting up a high-stakes final round in which a loss would eliminate the Wildcats and allow Melbourne United to finish sixth, while a win would see Perth advance to the postseason.

Facing the league-leading Sydney Kings in their last regular-season game, Perth secured a crucial upset victory (96-84). Despite Bryce Cotton being held to just 7 points, the Wildcats were powered by standout performances from Corey Webster (26 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists), Luke Travers (22 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists), and Brady Manek (21 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 steals).

The victory secured Perth a 15-13 record and a sixth-place finish, earning them a spot in the league’s inaugural play-in tournament.

In the play-in tournament’s first round, Perth faced South East Melbourne and trailed for most of the game. However, a dominant fourth-quarter performance saw the Wildcats outscore the Phoenix 41-23, ultimately securing a 106-99 victory to advance to the second round.

In the next game, Perth took on Cairns with a semifinal berth on the line. Despite the Taipans missing their leading scorer and rebounder, Keanu Pinder, a historic performance from DJ Hogg (32 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists) ended the Wildcats’ postseason run.

Following his departure from the Wildcats’ roster, Shervill trained with the Brisbane Bullets during the 2023–24 NBL season.

Corey Shervill played three seasons the Perth Wildcats. He averaged 2.2 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 0.2 assists in 38 NBL games.

Dan Boyce (833 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.