The FIBA World Cup in 2019 is set to change how international basketball is played over the next 12 months. That much everybody knows.

And it may be just a “game changer” for the Perth Wildcats as well.

32 teams will be playing in the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup, but in order to qualify for that, countries must go through a qualifying phase that will begin in the middle of 2018.

More than 140 teams will attempt to qualify for the 2019 World Cup by playing in qualifying tournaments in Africa, Americas, Europe and Asia (which will include Oceania).

This will be run over 6 windows of 9 days each, which start on a Monday and finishing on Tuesday of the following week.

This will last from approx. November 2018 to February 2019, landing smack bank in the middle of the NBL season.

How does this effect the Perth Wildcats you might ask?

Don’t you think it’s strand that Wildcats managing director Nick Marvin says Trevor Gleeson “will have a job at the Perth Wildcats for as long as he wants” two months ago and he still hasn’t been resigned?

What would delay Perth coming to an agreement with the first coach to guide the Perth multiple championships? What would keep Gleeson from job security and signing a multi-year coaching deal?

Gleeson joined the Australian Boomers coaching staff to support Lemanis in March 2014 and will be supporting him as the Boomers try to capture their first Olympic medal in Rio. It’s no secret that people who know Gleeson has had a life long dream to coach the national program.

In past seasons Gleeson even had a “Boomers Out Clause” written into his NBL contracts just in case such an opportunity came up and as Gleeson said at the time of his Boomers appointment “With the young talent coming through the program now it’s an exciting time to be a part of the Boomers and we need to make sure we get the most of the group in Spain”.

Could the national program potentially offering Gleeson a chance to mentor the program during the most exciting period in men’s basketball history be what’s delaying Gleeson putting pen to paper at the Wildcats?

2019 will see the the Australian’s who played in the NBA this season all reach approx. 29-33 years of age, all likely to be in the prime of their careers. Our talent of the future Thon Maker, Ben Simmons and Dante Exum will all be out of their teens and in their early and much more likely to contribute than at Rio, were neither Maker or Simmons will be.

It’s rumored that there have been discussions between Nick Marvin and last seasons coach of the year, and now recently unemployed Shawn Dennis have met to discuss coaching opportunities in Western Australia.

Wildcats – Gleeson = Dennis?

 
The Rio Olympics will be Andrej’s last campaign at the helm of the Australian team.

Shawn Dennis should be a head coach of an NBL team in 2016/17, where he belongs.

Trevor Gleeson will do what he can to achieve his dream of coaching the Australian Boomers.

Of course none of this is official yet, but it could be only a matter of time until it is…..