NICKNAME/S: Nerd

BIO: Born and raised in Canberra (ACT), Jesse Kendall James Wagstaff attended Radford College before accepting a scholarship to attend the ACT Academy of Sport.

Wagstaff is one of only 7 players who played 15 seasons with one NBL team. Tom Abercrombie, Mat Campbell, Brett Maher, Andrew Gaze, Ricky Grace and Mark Davis being the only other players to achieve the feat.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Jesse Wagstaff made his NBL debut with the Perth Wildcats at 23 years of age. He scored 10 points in his first game.

Coming out of college, Wagstaff was set to sign with the South Dragons, the reigning NBL champions. After the team folded in May 2009, he had a one-game stint in the SEABL with the Canberra Gunners before signing a two-year deal with the Perth Wildcats in June 2009.

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 import Kevin Lisch was then recruited to lead the Wildcats on the offensive end of the floor.

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. Wagstaff benefitted from the increased opportunities afforded to him in Rogers’ absence, finishing the season with averages of 9.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 0.6 assists and claiming the NBL Rookie of the Year Award.

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). Wagstaff adding 3 points in game one (81-68) and 7 points in game two (82-78) while Lisch led the Wildcat’s with 19 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists in game one and backed it up with 18 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists in game two, propelling the team to a Grand Final matchup with the Wollongong Hawks.

Perth claimed game one comfortably with a 75–64 win at home, with Lisch filling the box score with 15 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and 1 block in the opening game, and Wagstaff contributing 8 points. The series then moved to Wollongong for game two, where the Hawks returned the favour, defeating Perth 75–63, with Lisch struggling to make a impact in the game and being held to only 11 points. Wagstaff added 6 points and 5 rebounds 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. Wagstaff delivered his best postseason performance, scoring 10 points and hauling in 7 rebounds and Lisch would prove to be the difference-maker in the second half, exploding offensively to finish with 29 points and 5 rebounds. Perth would record a record fifth NBL Championship, comfortably defeating Wollongong 96–72 with Lisch subsequently named Finals MVP after averaging 18 points and 4 rebounds over the three-game series.

2010/11
During free agency, the Wildcats were able to retain star import Kevin Lisch despite several European clubs offering him much larger contracts, re-sign Shawn Redhage to a three-year deal and added Matthew Knight. Knight, who had previously played with Damian Martin and Rob Beveridge with the Sydney Spirit before they folded, leaving him to pursue a career overseas.

Knight’s debut season for the Wildcats began positively before a left calf injury suffered on 12 December 2010 against the Melbourne Tigers ruled him out for two months. Further injuries to both Jesse Wagstaff (11.4 points per game) and Shawn Redhage (18 points and 5.8 rebounds per game) threw the Wildcats’ season into even further disarray. Redhage’s injury in particular, which was originally feared to be career-ending after he dislocated his left hip during the Wildcats’ 77–76 loss to the Adelaide 36ers in Adelaide and he potentially required a hip replacement. The injury occurred after Redhage 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 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 per game) delivered another impressive season, scoring in double figures in all but nine games, to see the Wildcat’s finish in fourth place (16 wins, 12 losses).

Perth would face the first-placed New Zealand Breakers in the semifinals and behind a 29-point effort from Lisch won game one of the series in Auckland in a blowout 101-78 win. The Breakers would rebound and win Games 2 (93-89) and game three (99-83), then go on to defeat Cairns to win the 2011 NBL championship. Wagstaff averaged 8.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game as Kevin Lisch and Shawn Redhage were named co-MVPs for the Wildcats and Damian Martin claimed the league’s Best Defensive Player award for the first time.

2011/12
In May 2011, Wagstaff re-signed with the Wildcats on a three-year deal. 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, Shawn Redhage and Wagstaff, 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).

After just narrowly missing out on the opening round’s Player of the Week award, Redhage went on to earn Player of the Week honours for Round 2 after recording 21 points, seven rebounds, and four assists in a win over Melbourne (92–76) on 14 October 2011. Redhage concluded the season by earning Player of the Week honours for Round 25 after scoring 19 points and adding seven rebounds, two steals, one assist and one blocked shot to help the Wildcat’s finish the regular season with a road win over Melbourne (72–71).

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 and Wagstaff would average 11.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.3 assists for the season.

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, but the Wildcat’s snatched a thrilling one-point lead with less than a minute to play and held on to defeat the Breakers 87–86. Redhage forced a third and deciding game with a memorable final-second block on Breakers guard C. J. Bruton. 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
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.

After undergoing off-season shoulder surgery, Matthew Knight entered the season with the expectation that he was going to be 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.

Against the Townsville Crocodiles on October 14, Kevin Lisch played in his 100th consecutive NBL game, which, not coincidentally, was Rob Beveridge’s 100th game for the Wildcats as coach Shortly after, import Michael Dunigan was brought in as a short-term replacement for Knight while he missed four games to injury and became a fan-favourite with his thunderous dunks and athletic blocks.

The team then faced another hurdle when co-captain Brad Robbins abruptly retired just eight games into the season, citing he had lost his motivation and passion for the game. Not long after, Cameron Tovey also announced he would retire after the 2012/13 season.

Despite the turmoil, Wagstaff averaged 10.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.2 assists, helping the Wildcat’s finish second on the ladder with a 19–9 record. Lisch and Knight were named to the All-NBL first team, and the Wildcats finished second on the ladder with a 22–6 record. Perth swept the Wollongong Hawks in the semifinals to move on to the 2013 NBL Grand Final series, a re-match from last season against the New Zealand Breakers, which would be their third time facing the Breakers in a playoff series in as many years.

Another injury hurdle struck the Wildcat’s when Damian Martin, who joined Redhage as co-captain upon Robbins retirement, won his third consecutive Best Defensive Player award before being ruled out of the grand final with a Achilles injury. To cover his loss, Brad Robbins was subsequently rushed back into the team to take Martin’s place, but with the team missing Martin, the Breakers defeated Perth in two straight games, winning their third consecutive championship in 2013.

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. Wagstaff would finish the season by playing in 33 games and averaging 10.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1 assists.

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 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.

Wagstaff would appear in 30 games and averaged 8.5 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 assists per game, and make international headline when he was the victim of a vicious clothesline from Sydney import Josh Childress.

a NBL tribunal cleared Childress of striking with his elbow but banned him for one game and fined him $3750 for another charge of unduly rough play. He was fined a additional $3750 for bringing the game into disrepute.

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
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 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 begun by losing Damian Martin who suffered a broken jaw and missing teeth following 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. In February, he played his 200th game for the Wildcats.

Perth battled with Melbourne for top spot on the ladder all season, including a head-to-head matchup in December where Jermaine Beal notched up a career high 40 points (sinking 10 three-pointers) as Perth dismantled Melbourne 113-83.

In January we saw Redhage play his 350th NBL game despite averaging under 10 points per game for the first time in his career (6.6 points) as Wagstaff added 9.3 points, 4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game.

Then the Wildcat’s wrapped up the season with a 18–10 record finishing in second place and reaching the playoffs for the 30th straight season, a streak not matched in any other Australian or American professional sport code.

The Wildcats went on to make light work of the Rob Beveridge-led Illawarra Hawks in game one of the semi finals. Casey Prather leading the Wildcats in scoring with 19 points in their 80-68 victory. In game two, the Hawks would even the score behind perhaps Oscar Forman best playoff game, one where he barely missed and finished with 21 points to defeat the Wildcat’s in convincing fashion, 104–87.

Once the team returned home, Perth would win the series, 2-1 with a concisive 89-74 victory. Jermaine Beal led the team in scoring with 17 points and Prather added another 15 points, including a thunderous one-handed slam over AJ Ogilvy early in the fourth quarter to set up a NBL Finals series against reigning champs, the New Zealand Breakers.

In game one, the Wildcats would rely on Jawai’s presence inside, Prather’s athleticism, tough defence and ability to finish at the rim and Kenny being able to support captain Damian Martin admirably, all the critical areas they were missing the season prior, to take a 1-0 lead behind a six point win (82–76). With game two back in New Zealand, the Breakers evened the score, winning 72–68 on the back of a near triple-double from import Cedric Jackson who finished with 13 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists.

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).

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.

Wagstaff continued to play a key role within the Wildcats bench unit, playing all 33 games and averaging 9.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists.

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 Wildcat’s 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 asa 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. Wagstaff averaged 9.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.3 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 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
The 2018 off-season saw the Wildcat’s secure Bryce Cotton to a three-year deal, while acquiring the services of Nick Kay and Mitch Norton from the Illawarra Hawks. While losing championship trio Lucas Walker, Jarrod Kenny and Dexter Kernich-Drew to the Cairns Taipans, former two-time championship Wildcat Tom Jervis returned to Perth after spending the previous two seasons with the Brisbane Bullets. They also signed import Terrico White and elevated four-year development player Rhys Vague to the full-time roster.

The team travelled to the United States for two pre-season games against NBA teams Utah Jazz and Denver Nuggets, where they were handed a 130–72 loss to the Jazz in their first match. Coach Trevor Gleeson cited this loss as the catalyst to the season’s success.

After helping the Wildcat’s start the season with a 4–1 record, Martin subsequently missed six games with a low grade tear to his right calf muscle. Brandt, Cotton missed games with injuries, as did Terrico White, who, despite enduring knee and hamstring injuries throughout the season he missed only a handful of games. Additionally, he also persevered through a wrist injury that required a cast on his left arm at the end of the regular season and during the finals.

The Wildcats, who had been able to start with a 10–1 record, had fallen to 12–9 after losing eight out of 10 games.

Their poor mid-season form led to increasing external pressure urging them to make changes to their roster and bring in a third import. Instead, the organisation and coaches backed the playing group to return to form and enjoy success in the latter part of the season. The team bounced back with three straight wins over Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney, seeing them move to 15–9 and atop the ladder by late January. They won the next three as well, and despite losing Mitch Norton the Wildcats finished as minor premiers with an 18–10 record with Cotton (21.8 points, 4 rebounds, and 3.8 assists) leading the league in scoring for the second time and Wagstaff putting up 5.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 0.6 assists per game.

Perth went on to defeat the Bullets 2–0 in the semi-finals to advance through to their 14th NBL Grand Final series, where they would face reigning NBL champs Melbourne United.

Game one of the Grand Final series saw the Wildcat’s take out a 81–71 win at home only to see United even up the series In game two, delivering a 92–74 whooping to Perth. In game three it was the home team that ran away with the win again with the Wildcats riding the scorching hot Terrico White, who seemingly couldn’t miss, hitting seven three-pointers and finishing with 31 points. DJ Kennedy led the way for United with 23 points, nine rebounds, and six assists but Perth’s 96-67 defeat of Melbourne saw United heading home to Melbourne to play for their postseason lives. In game four, the Wildcat’s continued their devastating form, Cotton leading the way with 28 points to lead Perth to an 84–97 win over United to seal the series 3-1 and claim their ninth NBL championship.

Nick Kay (12 points and 10 rebounds) stepped up and played a key role in the deciding game, as did Terrico White (20 points), who, after previously being criticised for not seizing control of games, walked away with the Grand Final MVP award after averaging 21.8 points over the four game series.

Wagstaff and long-time teammate Damian Martin became the first players in NBL history to win five championships with just one club.

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 teams 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) behind 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.

Wagstaff finished the season with averages of 5.6 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game.

2020/21
The 2020/21 season saw Wagstaff average 6.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists during a difficult year where twice the league was delayed due to Covid and teams were forced to play eight games in Melbourne in an attempt to escape Covid related travel restrictions.

The Wildcats struggled to begin the season, sitting in 7th position after the first 5 rounds but a strong showing in the mid-season tournament (The NBL Cup) allowed Perth to right their ship.

With league MVP Bryce Cotton firing alongside new recruit John Mooney, the Perth juggernaut returned to the top of the ladder and appeared to be heading towards a third straight championship. Fate would intervene however, first with star import Bryce Cotton suffering a season ending injury in the last round of the regular season. Despite this they still managed to finish in second place and then magically pull through a wild semi-finals series against the Illawarra Hawks.

The Wildcats would then face off against a red-hot Melbourne United, who finished the regular season in first place and had been equally impressive all year.

Although game one and 2 of the Grand Final series had to be played in Perth as a result of COVID-19 travel restrictions, Dean Vickerman’s side survived a late scare to win game one by three points before blowing the Wildcat’s out of the water in game two thanks to a 21-point performance from Chris Goulding.

With the Wildcats already missing Cotton injuries to Mitch Norton saw Kevin relied on as their point guard. White would step up admirably, averaging 7.5 points per game in the postseason – significantly above his career-average. His three-point shooting keeping the Wildcat’s alive on multiple occasions as he went 12 from 28 over the six games.

With restrictions lifted, game three was held on Melbourne’s home court and in front of a sold-out 5,000-strong crowd at John Cain Arena (the maximum allowed within Covid restrictions) United defeated Perth 81-76. Melbourne’s Jock Landale (15 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 assists and 2 blocks) delivered a truly dominating performance to finish the series, taking home the Finals MVP award as Melbourne collected their sixth NBL championship, their second under the United branding.

2021/22
This season, Perth would see Trevor Gleeson, who coached the team to five championships in seven seasons, leave to coach in the NBA with the Toronto Raptors. The Wildcats would then suffer another blow, losing mid-season signing Will Magnay and half of the team’s bench (Clint Steindl, Jarrad Weeks, and Jarred Bairstow), all signing multi-year deals to play for Tasmania under former Wildcats assistant Scott Roth.

Perth then looked to rebuild its squad, bringing in US coach Scott Morrison to replace Gleeson, adding imports Vic Law (via Brisbane) Michael Frazier III and signing Matthew Hodgson (via Brisbane) with their last free roster spot.

With the Wildcats missing key players Mitch Norton, Matt Hodgson and Michael Frazier in the early stages of the 2021/22 season Wagstaff, the 35-year-old team captain, stepped up to cover the gaps, which included notching up a season high 19 points against the Bullets which was his highest tally since February 2018.

Despite all of the changes, the Wildcat’s made a hot start to the season under Morrison and spent the entire regular season among the league’s top four teams. As the four-month road trip came to a close, Perth were second on the ladder (13-6) and looked to finish the season strong with their remaining nine games to be played at home.

Perth, who were second on the ladder (13-6), returned to Western Australia to play their last nine games, all at home. During that time, the team decided to replace Frazier with big man John Brown III, who flew into the country and began training only to receive the news that his former team would not provide a clearance in time for him to make the playoffs. Perth was then faced with the uncomfortable situation of asking Frazier, who had been training alongside Brown, to return to the line-up while Brown III headed back to the USA.

Injuries saw Law go down to a season ending injury (knee) and Cotton miss several games during the run home, resulting in Perth winning only three of their nine home games before facing the South East Melbourne Phoenix in the last game of the season. Perth entered the game sitting in fourth place, with their playoff chances on the line, but when the team built an eight-point lead in the second half, it seemed a lock that the Wildcats would return to the playoffs for the 37th season in a row. The Phoenix, however, fought back and ended the Wildcats’ extraordinary run of finals campaigns with a thrilling two-point overtime win, ending the team’s run of consecutive playoff appearances, a streak which had begun in 1986.

2022/23
After missing the playoffs for the first time in 35 years under Canadian coach, Scott Morrison announced he was leaving after just one season so he could return home for family reasons. In his place, the Wildcat’s appointed former Townsville Crocodiles star John Rilllie as the club’s new head coach on a three-year deal.

Perth retained the majority of its roster, with only Kevin White (to Illawarra) and Matt Hodgson (to Taiwan) not returning.

Perth then re-signed Bryce Cotton (3 Year Deal), Todd Blanchfield (3 Year Deal), Jesse Wagstaff (1 Year Deal) and elevated backup guard Kyle Zunic from development player to the full roster. Corey Webster, who the Wildcats had signed to a deal in 2017 only to see him leave before the season started, signed as a free agent. To round out the roster, imports TaShawn Thomas (France) and Brady Manek (North Carolina) were added for some additional scoring punch.

Rillie’s squad began the season nicely, notching up three wins in a row and looking like the Wildcat’s of old as they sat on top of the NBL ladder. This was then met with a five game losing streak and drop to seventh place, where they hung around until the final month of the season.

With six games remaining in the regular season, Perth added Tai Webster to their roster after he was released from his team in Turkey, reuniting him with his brother Corey. Following the signing of Webster, Corey Shervill was released from the Wildcat’s 11-man roster.

The team’s final three games saw them lose to Tasmania (102–94) after allowing the JackJumpers to outscore them 27-15 across the final 10 minutes. A crucial loss to Cairns Taipans (84-71) set up a nail-biting last round where another Perth loss would see United finish sixth and the Wildcat’s eliminated from Finals or a Perth win allowing them to advance to the postseason.

While the Kings were able to lock down Cotton (7 points), Perth got big games out of 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) to deliver an upset victory (96-84) against the league leading Kings.

The win saw Perth (15-13) claim sixth place on the ladder and advance into the league’s inaugural play-in tournament. There, they would face South East Melbourne in a game where they trailed the entire game until the fourth quarter. During the final term, the Wildcat’s outscored the Phoenix (41-23) and moved on the second round of the play-in tournament, on the back of a seven-point win (106-99). Perth then met Cairns in a game where the winner would advance to the semifinals as the fourth seed.

Although Cairns entered the game without their leading scorer and rebounder Keanu Pinder, a history making effort from DJ Hogg (32 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists) delivered the end to the Wildcats’ season. Hogg would record the most points ever by a Taipan in the playoffs, defeating the Wildcats (78-91) in the process.

Wagstaff appeared in 30 games for the Wildcats, averaging 5 points and 2.4 rebounds, and 1.2 assists.

2023/24
Wagstaff signed a one year deal in 2023, setting up his 15th season as a Wildcat, which is the second-longest tenure in the club’s history – behind legend Ricky Grace.

He sits equal first for most individual championships in league history (six) alongside CJ Bruton, Damian Martin and David Stiff, all won while playing with the Perth Wildcats.

Here are some of our favourite moments from Wagstaff's illustrious 15-year career ???? pic.twitter.com/xuQ10q68Le

— NBL (@NBL) October 21, 2023

After missing the NBL playoffs in 2023, Perth decided to re-tool the roster after losing NBA talent Luke Travers (to Melbourne) aquiring highly coveted free agent Keanu Pinder (via Cairns) and promising rookie Ben Henshall.

Henshall’s signing would culminate with the Wildcats decision to buy out Todd Blanchfield (to Illawarra) and Mitchell Norton (to Brisbane) from their contracts, allowing Perth to bring in some younger talent to boost the squad after two consecutive years of missing the playoffs. 18 year old French tyro Alexandre Sarr was acquired via the Next Star Program, import players Jordan Usher and Kristian Doolittle were added to the roster and David Okwera (via Melbourne), a Perth junior talent, signed to a multi-year deal.

Perth’s season began with a season-opening victory over Tasmania, where Usher (35 points) set RAC Arena alight in his Wildcats debut, scoring the most points ever in a Wildcat debut.

The new look roster struggled after that, however, losing five of their next six games, which culminated in a loss to Brisbane where fans and media began calling for a new head coach.

Perenial league MVP Cotton was also a key factor in the slow start, with a new offence run through guards Tai and Corey Webster, seeing him left routinely in the corners. Cotton’s lack of contact with the ball even resulted in his wife taking to social media and calling for change, something which made national headlines.

The Bullets loss prompted new addition Pinder (13.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.7 steals) to publicly promote that the team would win their next five games. His deep fortune-telling proceeded in the Wildcats, turning their season around.

After a poor showing across the team’s first seven games, Bryce Cotton (22.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.5 steals) broke out of his early-season offensive slump, scoring 29 points in a dominant win over Adelaide on November 4 and from this game onwards, he was the point guard of old.

In December, he dropped a season-high 41 points in a December 1 triumph over Sydney and across an eight-game span from December 15 to January 21, Cotton averaged 30.4 points, including four 30-point games and, in the process, sealed the MVP conversation.

The Wildcats’ success also came from a number of key moves from Rillie, moving Usher (12.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.4 assists) into a sixth-man role and bringing Hyrum Harris (5.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists) into the starting line-up. Harris instantly brought a level of competitiveness and defensive intensity to the squad, diving on the hardwood for a loose ball or flying in from the baseline to pluck an offensive rebound.

Despite being only 18, Alexandre Sarr (9.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks) showed great poise for his age, showcasing his potential to be an NBA star. In only his third NBL game, Sarr came through in the final two minutes, nailing two triples against the Adelaide 36ers after Keanu Pinder fouled out and by the end of the season, he had skyrocketed by pre-draft scouting reports and was tipped to be the number two pick in the NBA draft.

Perth’s hot form saw them finish in second place (17-11) and return to the postseason. Cotton claimed his fourth MVP award at the end of the season, surpassing Brisbane Bullets legend Leroy Loggins (three), moving into outright second only behind leader Andrew Gaze (seven).

Perth’s run during the second half of the season ended abruptly however, with a semifinal series loss to eventual champions Tasmania. Wagstaff finished the season averaging 6.5 points, 3 rebounds, and 1.1 assists, appearing in 28 games.Jesse Wagstaff currently plays for the Perth Wildcats and has played 468 games in his NBL career. He has averaged 8.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.1 assists since entering the league in 2009.

CURRENT CONTRACT:

Perth Wildcats – 1 Year Deal (2024-25)

CAREER RANKINGS:
– 23rd in total games played.

HIGHLIGHTS:

Dan Boyce (798 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.