BIO: Damian Martin was born in Gloucester (NSW) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Gloucester basketball program. As a 15-year-old at the NSW Institute of Sport, Martin was influenced by future and longtime mentor Rob Beveridge to concentrate on basketball rather than rugby league, a move that set Martin on the path to his greatest personal achievement – winning a gold medal with the Australian national junior team under Beveridge and alongside the likes of Andrew Bogut at the 2003 FIBA Under-19 World Championship. Martin received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 2002. He spent one year there and played for the program’s state league team.

FAMILY: Martin is the son of Anne and Raymond Martin, and has three brothers, Daniel, John and Anthony, and one sister, Beth who is married to NBL legend Brad Newley. Martin and his wife, Brittany, have two daughters. His wife’s cousin is rugby league player Michael Morgan.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Damian Martin made his NBL debut with the West Sydney Razorbacks at 23 years of age. He scored 11 points in his first game.

After four years of college basketball for Loyola Marymount, Martin began his NBL career in 2007 with the West Sydney Razorbacks. 10 games into the 2007/08 season, Martin suffered a season-ending knee injury. As a rookie, Martin averaged 6.4 points, 6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists and helped the Razorbacks end the season with a record of 10-20 and a tenth place finish in the regular season.

SYDNEY SPIRIT
2008/09
After struggling through the 2007/08 as the Razorbacks, West Sydney changed their name to the Sydney Spirit for the 2008/09 NBL season. The change was influenced by the Sydney Kings folding in 2008 and the Razorbacks ownership hoping to rebrand to Sydney in a effort to capitalise on the Sydney market.

The Spirit struggled to be competitive during the first half of the season, partly due to Damian Martin (5.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.9 steals) playing through a broken wrist he suffered in the pre-season. To make things even worse, it became clear the club was in dire financial straits with attendances at the State Sports Centre rarely selling more than 2,000 tickets. A game against the Cairns Taipans in Round 21 made history when only a paltry 920 fans showed up, the lowest NBL attendance since the early 1980s.

As a solution to keeping the team afloat and the NBL season alive, the Spirit’s ten contracted players and three coaches, including head coach Rob Beveridge, all agreed to live off just $150,000 between them to keep the franchise going—roughly $700 per week for Rush. With half the season still remaining, team captain Liam Rush (15.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2 assists), Julian Khazzouh (15.1 points, 10.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.2 steals, and 2.1 blocks) and import Derrick Low (18.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 3.6 assists) would all leave for better deals overseas.

Throughout the adversity, the Spirit managed to finish in eighth place on the ladder (11–19), missing the playoffs before exiting and leaving Sydney without a NBL team.

PERTH WILDCATS
2009/10
Following the 2008/09 season, the Wildcats came within weeks of folding unless they raised a million dollars in sponsorship. The NBL itself was also in strife; with the competition falling on tough times, there was a real possibility at the time that there would be no league in 2009/10. Collaborating with other clubs, the Wildcats helped reform the league.

Once the season was given the green light, the Wildcats hired a new coach in Rob Beveridge, who was tasked with recruiting a new-look team where Shawn Redhage, Stephen Weigh and Brad Robbins would be complimented by newly acquired proven talent Damian Martin (via Sydney), Drew Williamson (via Townsville), Luke Schenscher (via Adelaide), Martin Cattalini (via Cairns) and rookie Jesse Wagstaff to round out the bench. Import Kevin Lisch was then recruited to lead the Wildcats on the offensive end and lead the team into a new era. Just prior to the season kicking off, Paul Rogers relinquished the captaincy heading into the 2009/10 season, handing over the reins to Redhage. In what would be his final NBL season, Rogers would play two games before a injury to his elbow and triceps in the team’s second game would see him sidelined for the rest of the season. The injuries would ultimately end Rogers’ playing career, and the Wildcats signed import Galen Young as his replacement.

Lisch started out slowly over his initial weeks in the league, averaging only 11.4 points across his first five NBL games. A victory over the Melbourne Tigers (94-90) where he dropped a season-high 21 points in 27 minutes, proved to all that he would be a force in this league. By January, the Wildcats had emerged as clear frontrunners (13 wins, 8 losses) as new point guard Damian Martin (8.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.9 assists) delivered his best season to date, numbers which would earn him a Australian Boomers call-up at the end of the season.

The team rolled through the regular season to finish in first place (17-11) before going on to the semi finals to face Gold Coast (fourth seed). Lisch (19 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists) led the Wildcats in scoring in game one (81-68). In game two, Lisch (18 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists) backed it up, by leading the team to victory once again (82-78), sending Perth through to a Grand Final matchup with Wollongong (making their first Grand Final series since 2003).

Perth started the series with a very comfortable win at home (75–64), with Lisch (15 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and 1 block) filling the box score. The series then moved to Wollongong for game two, where the Hawks rebounded to defeat Perth (75-63), with both Lisch (11 points) and Redhage (9 points) struggling to make a impact in the loss.

After Games 1 and 2 proved to be comfortable victories for each home team, the series returned to Perth for the third and deciding game, where the Wildcats found themselves down by as many as 11 points in the second quarter. Lisch (29 points and 5 rebounds) would prove to be the difference-maker in the second half, carrying the team offensively, defeating Wollongong (96–72) and guiding the team to a record fifth NBL Championship. Lisch was subsequently named Finals MVP after averaging 18 points and 4 rebounds over the three-game series.

2010/11
After winning the 2010 championship, Wildcats legends Paul Rogers and Martin Cattalini decided to retire, leaving room for Perth to bring in some younger talent. Ater Majok, Greg Hire, Cameron Tovey, Jeremiah Trueman, and big man Matthew Knight being the key addition. Perth had beaten out multiple offers from both European and NBL team’s offering contracts to Knight, who had spent the past season playing in Hungary. During the off-season, he was pursued by multiple European and NBL clubs, but Knight, who had previously played under coach Rob Beveridge and alongside Damian Martin with the Sydney Spirit before they exited the NBL, ultimately chose to sign with the Wildcats. Another major coup came with the team being able to retain star import Kevin Lisch despite him several European clubs offering him much larger contracts and re-signed Shawn Redhage (three-year deal).

Knight’s debut season for the Wildcats began positively before tearing his left calf muscle in a win over Melbourne (12 Dec). The injury ruled Knight out for two months, and a injury to Jesse Wagstaff (ankle ligaments) saw him on the sidelines as well shortly after. On Christmas Eve, the Wildcats signed Ater Majok (7.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks) to a six-week deal as an injury replacement for Jesse Wagstaff and Matthew Knight. 8 games later Majok was released due to behavioural issues. Despite his short stint in Perth, Majok became a favourite amongst the Wildcat’s fans with due to his shot blocking ability, blocking a total of 11 shots in his first three games. This forced coach Beveridge to sign former NBA big man Andre Brown (9.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 0.6 steals) in a attempt to improve the interior weaknesses since losing Knight (12.4 points and 6.7 rebounds) and Wagstaff (8.4 points and 4.3 rebounds).

Shortly after, a hip injury to leading scorer Shawn Redhage (18.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.7 assists) resulted in losing him for the second half of the season, throwing another spanner into the Wildcats’ hunt for back-to-back titles. Redhage dislocated his left hip during a loss to Adelaide (77–76) on the road. Redhage had lunged for a contested ball in a way that punched the head of his femur through his pelvis, breaking the bone and dislocating the joint. The injury was originally feared to be career-ending, with Redhage potentially requiring a hip replacement.

The Wildcats lost four consecutive games following Redhage’s injury, winning only two from the team’s remaining eight matches, as Kevin Lisch (13.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.0 steals) delivered another impressive season, scoring in double figures in all but nine games.

the Wildcats finished the season in fourth place (16-12) and would earn a semi final matchup against New Zealand.

The Undermanned Wildcats rode the brilliance of Kevin Lisch (29 points), who almost single-handedly won the opening game of the series for Perth (101-78 win). After losing in Auckland, the Breakers would travel to Perth and win games two (93-89) and three (99-83) before going on to defeat Cairns to win the 2011 NBL championship.

Kevin Lisch and Shawn Redhage were named co-MVPs for the Wildcats, and Martin (8.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 2.4 steals) claimed the league’s Best Defensive Player award for the first time. Martin also made history by becoming the first player to be named to the All-NBL First Team and average under nine points per game.

2011/12
Perth looked to get back on top in 2011 by adding 7’2 centre Luke Nevill with a aim to re-create the ‘Perth Wall’ alongside Matthew Knight, Jesse Wagstaff and Shawn Redhage, who was returning to action returned to action after a career-threatening injury suffered the prior season.

Redhage made his remarkable return in the Wildcats’ season opener against the 36ers in Adelaide on 8 October 2011. In the arena where his horrific injury occurred nine months earlier, Redhage scored a game-high 26 points (6-of-9 threes) alongside Kevin Lisch (23 points at 73 percent) and Jesse Wagstaff (22 points at 50 percent), who also delivered big games, and handed Adelaide their biggest opening night loss in team history (69-102).

Kevin Lisch, who re-signed with the Wildcats (two-year deal), was coined the ‘best import in the league’ by coach Rob Beveridge at the start of the year, and he certainly proved that during the five rounds of the season. With Damian Martin injured, Lisch ran the point for the first few weeks and averaged 22.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game during October, guiding the Wildcat’s to a 3–1 record. Lisch (17.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.2 assists) finished the season as the league’s leading scorer (the first Wildcats player to lead the NBL in scoring) and won the NBL Most Valuable Player award. Shawn Redhage (13.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.6 assists), Jesse Wagstaff (11.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.3 assists) and Matthew Knight (10.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.3 assists) were key to the Wildcat’s success, as was Damian Martin (7.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.5 assists) claimed his second consecutive Best Defensive Player award.

Perth (19-9) entered the playoffs as the second seed, and after defeating Gold Coast in the semifinals (2-1), they would face New Zealand in the Grand Final. After losing to the Breakers in game one in Auckland, the Wildcat’s looked down and out in game two in Perth also. All looked lost for Perth In game two, who trailed the Breakers for much of the game until Hire, who had averaged five minutes a game for the season, delivered a rousing half-time speech before injecting life into Perth in the third term. Backing up his words, he registered seven points and four rebounds in the following quarter. Hire (2.7 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 0.5 assists) led a Perth comeback that turned a 13 point deficit to a one-point win (87–86) and was decided only by a memorable final-second shot from Breakers guard CJ Bruton being blocked by Shawn Redhage.

It all ended with the team returning to Auckland for game three and suffering a six-point loss (79-73) in front of 9,258 New Zealand faithful, the largest NBL crowd of the season.

2012/13
2012/13
Before the season began, the state-of-the-art Perth Arena was completed, with the 13,500 seat stadium becoming the new home of the Wildcat’s in 2012. Perth began the season hoping for Matthew Knight, who had undergone off-season shoulder surgery, to become the team’s go-to guy in the paint. Knight embraced the responsibility and excelled in the Wildcats’ season-opening win over the New Zealand Breakers, earning the NBL’s Player of the Week award for a 20-point, nine-rebound effort.

a early season win against the Townsville (Oct 14) saw Kevin Lisch (15.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 3.0 assists) play in his 100th consecutive NBL game and Rob Beveridge coach 100 games for the Wildcats. Amidst the celebrations however, Knight (13.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 0.7 assists) succumbed to another injury that saw him miss four games. Import Michael Dunigan (13.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks) was brought in as a short-term replacement, becoming a fan-favourite with his thunderous dunks and athletic blocks before exiting the club once Knight returned to health.

Ten games in, Perth faced another hurdle when co-captain Brad Robbins (3.9 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.8 assists) abruptly retired, citing he had lost his motivation and passion for the game. Rhys Carter (6.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.4 steals), who had been playing in Sweden, was brought in as a replacement for Robbins and played the remaining 16 games as Damian Martin (6.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.2 assists) was elevated to co-captain alongside Shawn Redhage (14.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.7 assists) upon Robbins’ retirement. Shortly after, Cameron Tovey (1.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 0.9 assists) also announced he would retire at the season’s end.

Despite the shuffling of the roster, the Wildcat’s went on to finish in second-place (22–6).

Lisch and Knight were both selected to the All-NBL first team and together, swept Wollongong in the semifinals (2-0), setting up a Grand Final rematch against New Zealand, their third time facing the Breakers in a playoff series in as many years. Damian Martin (6.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.9 steals) won his third consecutive Best Defensive Player award before learning a injury to his Achilles would stop him from playing in the Grand Final series. a emergency call was then made to the retired Brad Robbins, who was rushed back into the lineup as a replacement, but with the team missing Martin, New Zealand defeated Perth in two straight games, winning their third consecutive championship in 2013. Redhage appeared in 32 games, averaging 14.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.7 assists.

In late May 2013, Lisch and coach Rob Beveridge parted ways with the Wildcats after four seasons. Lisch ended his four-year tenure in Perth to pursue his European aspirations, finishing with career averages of 14.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game. Also during this season, Shawn Redhage was named in the Perth Wildcats 30th Anniversary All-Star team.

In late May 2013, Lisch and coach Rob Beveridge parted ways with the Wildcats after four seasons. Lisch ended his four-year tenure in Perth to pursue his European aspirations, finishing with career averages of 14.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game.

2013/14
Having been defeated by the New Zealand Breakers in the previous two Grand Final series and then losing star import Kevin Lisch (to France), the Wildcat’s revamped their roster, looking to bring a new look squad and style that would deliver the team a sixth championship.

Team changes included the departure of Rob Beveridge, Kevin Lisch (who would follow Beveridge to Illawarra) and Cameron Tovey. The Wildcats’ then reloaded first by appointing Trevor Gleeson as head coach and signing two new imports in small forward James Ennis, who had just been selected as the 50th overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft, and shooting guard Jermaine Beal. Hard-nosed point guard Damian Martin would be named team captain, and Perth’s core group of Shawn Redhage, Jesse Wagstaff, Matthew Knight and Greg Hire all returned. Tom Jervis, as well as guards Drake U’U and Erik Burdon, were also signed to bolster the team’s bench.

A search to replace a former NBL MVP is never easy, but when Wildcats managing director Nick Marvin and head coach Trevor Gleeson witnessed his ability first hand at the NBA Summer League, they knew they had a star.

Ennis opened the season with 25 points and 4 rebounds on debut, a three-point victory over arch-rivals Adelaide, the most points scored by a Wildcat on NBL debut at the time. Ennis would earn player of the month in his first month as a Wildcat as Perth began the season with a 8-0 start.

Injuries to Knight forced the club to sign Jarrad Prue and Jeremiah Trueman as short-term injury replacements in October and January, but the Wildcats were still the clear pacesetters for the league. By the league’s mid-season break for the All-Star game, they sat in first place with a 12-1 record, and it was clear that Perth possessed the league’s best import duo that season. James Ennis (21.2 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.4 steals) and Jermaine Beal (15.6 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 3.4 assists), perfectly complemented the league’s best defender Damian Martin (7.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.1 assists 2.2 steals) and best villain Shawn Redhage (13.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.6 assists) and to no surprise, Perth finished the season on top of the ladder and reached the postseason for their 28th year in a row. Ennis and Beal were named to the All-NBL first and second team’s respectively.

Once into the postseason, the Wildcat’s eliminated the Wollongong Hawks first in straight sets, while on the other side of the bracket, their historic rivals Adelaide eliminated Melbourne in three games to see both team’s progress to the 2014 Grand Final.

The grand final would see first-placed Perth face second-ranked Adelaide with game one held in Perth. Wildcats star import James Ennis (30 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists) would lead Perth in points, rebounds, and assists, resulting in Perth claiming the win (92-85) and taking a 1-0 series lead.

Game two saw the 36ers force a deciding third game in front of 8,127 fans (their largest crowd of the season) rally their team to a 89-84 win behind high scoring from Gary Ervin (23 points) and a all-round game from Adam Gibson (18 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists) to even the series (1-1).

In response, 13,498 of Perth’s ‘red army’ would show up to see Perth defeat Adelaide and win their sixth NBL title. With James Ennis subdued by foul trouble, the Wildcat’s most experienced duo, Shawn Redhage and Damian Martin, were relied upon to pick up the slack. Redhage, scored 10 of his 16 points in the first term to help his team settle into the contest, while Martin produced a superb defensive effort on 36ers star Gary Ervin, limiting Adelaide’s game two hero to just four points while adding 14 points and six rebounds to the stat sheet. Greg Hire (9 rebounds, 5 assists) and Jermaine Beal (15 points) provided key contributions to help Perth bury the demons of successive grand final defeats in the past two seasons.

While Anthony Petrie (20 points) gave up for the 36ers, he lacked the support from fellow starters Adam Gibson (8 points) and Daniel Johnson (9 points), both of whom had been influential in the first two games of the series.

After his huge opening game, Ennis struggled to make a impact in Games two and three, and Beal would go on to win Finals MVP after averaging 17.6 points per game, shooting 48% from beyond the three-point line.

2014/15
In 2014, the reigning NBL champions would see close to their entire roster run it back for a chance to repeat as NBL champions. Perth were able to re-sign both Shawn Redhage and Damian Martin (both 3 year deals) and have Jermaine Beal, Damian Martin, Matthew Knight, Greg Hire and Tom Jervis return. Although the team would lose star import James Ennis to the NBA they were able to replace him with another star in Deandre Daniels (14.8 points and 7.7 rebounds) as their second import.

This season, Shawn Redhage (11.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.4 assists) would relinquish captaincy to Damian Martin (6.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 2.7 steals), who recorded a nine rebound, eight assist, and nine steals effort (second-most single game steals by a Wildcat ever, behind Ricky Grace’s 10) in a early season win over Sydney (84–63) before playing his 200th game on New Years Eve, a win over Wollongong (86–77).

While Martin’s brilliance anchored the backcourt, multiple injuries impacted the team’s frontcourt, with Knight (6 games) and Hire (19 games) both several games and Redhage going down to a stress fracture in his right foot that resulted in him missing Perth’s entire finals campaign.

With the departure of Ennis, Beal (16.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.6 assists) became Perth’s main offensive weapon despite another slow start to the season. In the season opener against the New Zealand Breakers, he went 2-of-17 from the field, and against Melbourne United (Nov 23), he went 0-of-10 from the field. Despite this, coach Trevor Gleeson was confident Beal would deliver and then recorded some of his biggest games. These included a game-high 25 points to go with four assists and four steals in a 83–64 win over the Wollongong Hawks as well as his best two performances of the season in back to back games, scoring 29 points against the Townsville Crocodiles (Nov 14), then notching up 27 points against the Sydney Kings (Nov 16). In February, Beal (24 points) was crucial in helping a game against New Zealand into two overtime periods. He put the Wildcat’s ahead 87–86 with two clutch free-throws in the dying moments of the second overtime, but ultimately, the Breakers won the game behind a buzzer-beating half-court shot from Cedric Jackson (87–89).

Beal finished amongst the league’s top five scorers through the regular season finishing with 450 points, leading the league with 69 made three-pointers, 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 first-placed Cairns in the semifinals (0-2). Beal delivered 20 points in game one and 21 points in game two but the Wildcats had no answer for the Taipans star guard Scottie Wilbekin. Wilbekin tallied 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
On the heels of a injury-riddled season that ended in a semi-final defeat, similar to the 2010/11 season, coach Trevor Gleeson was confident heading into the 2015 season that he had a team capable of winning Perth’s seventh championship. After conceding his side struggled with chemistry issues the past season, Perth 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 while Shawn Redhage was moved to a bench role.

This first month of the season began by losing Damian Martin (5.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.8 steals) after he suffered a broken jaw and missing teeth after a errant elbow from Townsville Crocodiles forward Brian Conklin. He returned to action by the end of the month, despite originally being ruled out for three weeks and in February, played his 200th game for the Wildcats.

Further injuries saw Wildcats leading scorer Casey Prather (16.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists 1.2 steals) also miss several games but with Jermaine Beal (15.7 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 3.6 assists) and a healthy combo of Knight (11.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 1.4 assists) and Jawai (10.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.8 assists), the Wildcats were able to remain ranked in the top two spots on the ladder all season.

The battle for the top spot saw Perth and Melbourne go back and forth, with the Wildcats on top for four rounds and United owning it for 14 rounds. Both teams faced off in some gruelling battles during the season, including a career-high 40-point night from Jermaine Beal, sinking ten three-pointers after not scoring at all in the first quarter as Perth dismantled Melbourne (113-83). A few weeks later, Melbourne took their revamp and defeated Perth (92–87) in a game that pushed the Wildcat’s into third position on the ladder for the only time that season.

A key storyline this season was the decline of veteran forward Shawn Redhage (6.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.4 assists), who averaged under 10 points per game for the first time in his career. Despite clear signs of slowing down, he still provided a valuable spark off the bench and managed to play in his 350th NBL game in January.

Martin would return and, in February, play his 200th game for the Wildcats, while Perth finished the regular season in second place (18-10) and reached the playoffs for the 30th straight season, a streak not matched in any other Australian or American professional sport code. The Wildcats then went on to make light work of the Rob Beveridge led Illawarra Hawks, coming out with a game one win in the semifinals (80-68), with Prather (19 points) healthy and leading the Wildcats in scoring. In game two, the Hawks would even the series, thanks to Oscar Forman delivering the best playoff game of his career. Forman (21 points) barely missed, with Illawarra convincingly defeating Perth (104–87). Once the team to Perth, the Wildcats would close out the series (2-1) with a conclusive game three victory (89-74). In the final game, Beal (17 points) led the team in scoring, while Prather (15 points) made highlight reels with a thunderous one-handed slam over AJ Ogilvy early in the fourth quarter.

On the opposite side of the bracket, a surprise upset saw reigning champions New Zealand (16-12), who had narrowly made the playoffs as the third seed, eliminated top seed Melbourne in two straight games to face Perth in the championship series. In game one, the Wildcat’s played some of their best basketball thanks to Jawai’s presence inside, Prather’s athleticism, Kenny’s ability to provide a spark while Damian Martin went to the bench… all of the critical factors they were lacking last season. The result being a six-point win (82–76) to open the series.

After struggling in game one, Beal (20 points) finished as the high scorer of game two but would also make a crucial late-game turnover in the dying seconds of the match that would cost Perth the game. Riding the hot form of Breakers guard Cedric Jackson (13 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists) who recorded a near triple-double, New Zealand were able to even the series with a win back in Auckland (72–68).

With the deciding game in Perth and 13,090 of the ‘Red Army’ in attendance, the Wildcats’ core of Redhage, Wagstaff, Knight, Hire, Beal and Jervis made sure history didn’t repeat itself. Casey Prather (19 points) and Jermaine Beal (14 points) did most of the damage on the scoreboard for the Wildcats, but it was Martin’s inspirational display in defence that shone the brightest. Martin would be named Grand Final MVP after keeping star Breakers guard Cedric Jackson scoreless in the deciding game as the Wildcat’s claimed their seventh championship in a blowout win (75–52).

On 16 August 2016, Redhage re-signed with the Wildcats for the 2016/17 NBL season after revealing he never seriously contemplated retirement following his injury in 2015.

2016/17
In April 2016, the team re-signed both Damian Martin (three-year deal) and Matthew Knight (two-year deal), who had just undergone shoulder stabilisation surgery on his left arm. Just before the Wildcat’s opening game, Knight was ruled out for two months after suffering a subluxation of his right shoulder during training, and Lucas Walker, a current free agent who had been training with Melbourne after not being re-signed by Adelaide, was added as an injury replacement player.

After adding Walker, the Wildcats started the season off strong with a 4–1 record, and Knight was given the all-clear, which removed Walker from the active roster but remained with the team as a training player.

Knight (12 points and 8 rebounds) made his season debut the following game, a win over Illawarra (80–73), but further injuries to Damian Martin and Jarrod Kenny depleted the team’s backcourt. During a win over Melbourne (72–69) Martin, who had collected a career-high 13 rebounds in that game, received a heavy knock to the head, with x-rays revealing a fracture to the left side of his jaw. Consequently, he was ruled out for two weeks of action. He returned after missing just one game, but sustained another injury, this time a grade three MCL tear in his left knee against Adelaide (5 Nov 16) and was subsequently ruled out for 10 to 12 weeks.

By December, the Wildcats had slumped to last place (7–9) and a import roller-coaster which saw import Jaron Johnson (13.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists) replaced with three-point specialist Andre Ingram, but in a bizarre twist, Ingram (8.5 points, 2 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 steals) left the team citing mental health issues after just two games resulting in Johnson returning to the squad. Johnson’s return would be a temporary solution, however, he was shown the door again in December with the Wildcats seizing the opportunity to sign former NBA guard Bryce Cotton. It was around this time also that veteran Shawn Redhage (2.7 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 0.5 assists) announced that he would retire at the end of the season.

Throughout the roller-coaster of roster changes, Prather (19.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.6 steals) had continued to carry the offensive load for the Wildcats, this included a career-high 39 points in a 92–89 win over Melbourne United (Dec 9). In February, Prather also put up 29 points in a win over the Sydney Kings (101–74), then two days later, recorded 26 points and a career-high 11 assists in a win over United (96–94). Martin (4.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.7 steals) also returned to form after his injury, and in his 250th NBL game (Jan 28), he scored a season-high 11 points to go with six rebounds and four assists in another win over Melbourne (73–71). But it was the addition of Cotton that saw the Wildcats become a completely different team, winning eight of their remaining twelve regular-season games, the last two being must win games in order to reach the playoffs. Cotton (23.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.3 steals) finished as the league’s leading scorer, while Prather finished second in NBL MVP voting (107 votes) behind Jerome Randle (147) of the Adelaide 36ers and was selected to the All-NBL First Team.

in the semifinals, Perth (15-13) would face Cairns (15-13) at home, where Cotton (34 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists) and Prather (22 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals) led the way offensively for a easy win in game one (91-69). In game two, Perth closed out the series (74-66) with Prather (24 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists) leading the team in scoring and Jesse Wagstaff (20 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals) having a huge game off the bench.

In the NBL Grand Final series, Prather (22 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists), Cotton (18 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists), and Knight (18 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 steals) delivered a balanced offensive attack, winning the opening game by twelve points (89-77). The series moved to Wollongong for game two, but the Wildcat’s continued their playoff winning streak (89-77), with Cotton (20 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 steals) and Prather (18 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists) being the team’s primary scorers on a night the Wildcats had five different players deliver double figure scoring efforts. Perth won game three comfortably (95-86), finishing undefeated in the postseason, claiming their eighth championship and winning back-to-back for the first time since 1991.

A number of record-breaking moments occurred in the game three win. Most prominently, Bryce Cotton was named Grand Final MVP after putting up 45 points, the most ever scored in a NBL Grand Final game. Cotton’s 27.7 points per game over the Grand Final series marked the most from any player in 20 years.

Trevor Gleeson became the first coach to win back-to-back championships in Perth while Prather delivered a historical season. Prather was voted Wildcats MVP for the second year in a row, becoming the only player to be a club MVP in more than one championship season, as well as becoming the first Perth player to win two championships in his first two seasons.

Martin was superb on defence in game one (limiting the dynamic Rotnei Clarke to just eight shots), hit some crucial buckets in game two (scoring 12 points on four three-pointers), and did a bit of everything in game three (three points, five rebounds, three assists, two steals).

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 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.

Matt Knight made it public 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 with a 10–3 record, before dropping to 13–9 in mid-January. They finished the regular season in third place with a 16–12 record, with Martin averaging 4.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists for the season.

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. Tokoto (15.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 2.8 assists 1.7 steals) earned a spot on the All-NBL Second Team, and Cotton (19.8 points, 3 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.3 steals) was selected to the All-NBL first team, as well as being named league MVP, becoming just the third Wildcat to win the award after Paul Rogers (2000) and Kevin Lisch (2012).

In game one of their semi finals series against the second-seeded Adelaide 36ers, the Wildcats were defeated 109–74, thus recording 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. The Wildcats went on to lose 89–88 to the 36ers in game two, stopping Perth from winning a third championship in a row.

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 (8.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.2 assists) missed 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 organisation 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.

Damian Martin (5.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.6 steals) continued to anchor Perth’s defense, leading the league in steals per game and being named to the NBL All-Defensive Team for the ninth consecutive time. One of Martin’s standout performances was against Melbourne United on 16 February 2019, where he recorded 10 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals, leading his team to a crucial victory. Another notable game was his 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists effort against the Adelaide 36ers on 14 December 2018.

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), and Damian Martin (8 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals) provided his usual stellar defense. Cameron Gliddon (18 points and 4 rebounds) finished as Brisbane’s top scorer. In Game 2 (84–79), Terrico White (24 points and 3 rebounds) led Perth in scoring, Bryce Cotton (19 points and 10 assists) recorded his first career double-double, and Martin (7 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals) also made a solid contribution. Despite strong efforts from Lamar Patterson (19 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals) and Matthew Hodgson (15 points and 2 blocks), Brisbane couldn’t stop Perth from advancing to the Grand Final to face Melbourne.

Once into the Grand Final series, Perth faced reigning champions Melbourne United. In Game 1 of the Grand Final series (81-71), Perth secured a hard-fought victory despite Bryce Cotton (10 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists) being shut down offensively by Melbourne’s defense. The Wildcats’ win was powered by performances from Terrico White (19 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists) and Damian Martin (8 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists), who contributed key plays on both ends of the court. Melbourne’s offense was led by Casper Ware (19 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists) and Chris Goulding (15 points and 2 assists).

Game 2 of the Grand Final series (92-74) saw Melbourne bounce back with a balanced offensive effort led by Casper Ware (14 points, 2 assists), Chris Goulding (14 points, 2 rebounds), DJ Kennedy (12 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists), and David Barlow (11 points, 4 rebounds), allowing United to even the series. Despite Martin’s (7 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds) best efforts, and strong performances from Bryce Cotton (19 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists) and Terrico White (17 points, 4 rebounds), Perth couldn’t keep pace as United proved too strong on the night.

The loss prompted coach Trevor Gleeson to make several adjustments, which led to Perth dominating Game 3 (95-67). Terrico White (31 points, 7 rebounds) and Bryce Cotton (27 points, 4 rebounds, 10 assists) were unstoppable, combining for 58 points and nearly outscoring Melbourne by themselves, while Martin (6 points, 5 assists, 2 steals) played a crucial role in shutting down Melbourne’s key offensive threats. For Melbourne, DJ Kennedy (13 points, 10 rebounds) and David Barlow (13 points, 5 rebounds) were the only bright spots.

In the deciding Game 4 (97-84), Perth clinched the title with another strong showing from Bryce Cotton (28 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals) and Terrico White (20 points, 8 rebounds), with Martin (8 points, 6 assists, 4 steals) leading the defensive charge. Despite the best efforts from Casper Ware (18 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists) and Chris Goulding (15 points, 4 assists), Melbourne fell well short. Terrico White, who had faced criticism earlier in the season, was named Grand Final MVP after averaging 21.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists over the four-game series.

The championship win saw Wagstaff and Damian Martin become the first players in NBL history to win five championships with the same club, cementing their status as legends of the league.

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)..

The team started the season with a 5–1 record before slipping to 8–5 by the end of round 10 following back-to-back losses. The team responded with four straight wins and closed out December with a 13–6 record. In December 2019, Damian Martin played his 300th game for the Wildcats and 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 Perth’s 80–79 win over New Zealand on Jan 25 2020 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). Martin would finish the season averaging 3.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 3 assists.

in the semifinals, the Wildcat’s defeated the Cairns Taipans 2–1 to advance through to their 15th NBL Grand Final. In the grand final series, the Wildcat’s took game one behind Bryce Cotton, who led the way for the Wildcats, scoring 32 points and delivering a nail-biting 88–86 in front of 11,647 rabid Kings fans. Nick Kay also impressed with 14 points and 6 rebounds.

As the team’s prepared for game two in Perth, it was decided that the remaining games of the series would take place behind closed doors (no fans in the building). In unusual circumstances, the Kings evened the series 1/1 with Andrew Bogut having one of his best games of the season, a 24 point, 14 rebound effort and Jae’Sean Tate adding 21 points nailing seven of his nine shots.

In game three of the grand final series against the Sydney Kings, Kay delivered a career-best game with 30 points and seven 3-pointers to go with 12 rebounds, and four assists alongside Bryce Cotton, who delivered 31 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists to take game three with a 111–96 victory.

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.

Following the season, it was revealed Martin had played through the year with a Achilles injury that required a postseason reconstruction.

On 21 July 2020, Martin announced his retirement from basketball after 13 seasons in the NBL and 342 games. Upon retiring, the league named its Best Defensive Player trophy in honour of Martin, with the award now known as the Damian Martin Trophy for the Best Defensive Player of the regular season.Damian Martin played thirteen seasons in the NBL, playing for both the West Sydney Razorbacks and the Perth Wildcats. He averaged 6.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.3 assists in 341 NBL games.

CAREER RANKINGS:
– 40th in total assists
– 14th in total steals

HIGHLIGHTS:

The Red Army will be hoping the @PerthWildcats play with the grit and determination of Damian Martin on Sunday against New Zealand. pic.twitter.com/NoWuPLDkLP

— 10 News First Perth (@10NewsFirstPER) February 2, 2024

Dan Boyce (817 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.