The Perth Wildcats 1982-2011
'Inspiring and entertaining West Australians for three decades'

The Perth Wildcats are the most successful team in the National Basketball League, with 25 consecutive finals’ appearances and five national championships.

Click here for a year by year summary of the Perth Wildcats or Download full summaries of each season here

Click here for the complete player list from 1982-2011 or Download it here

THE EARLY YEARS
After three years of strong lobbying to the NBL, the creation of a national basketball team in Perth finally occurred in 1982.

Then Premier Sir Charles Court applauded the Weststate Wildcats for their entry into the league; launching one of WA’s most iconic brands and the state’s longest running national sporting club.

The Wildcats club was created around local basketball legend Gordon Ellis, who along with his son Mike, were coach and captain following Henry Daigle being the inaugural head coach.

Their passion and commitment to basketball laid the foundation for a brand that would inspire the hearts and minds of the people of Perth for years to come.

While contesting hard on the court in the 800 seat Perry Lakes Stadium for the first five seasons, interest in basketball steadily grew throughout the community and in 1984 the Weststate Wildcats became the Perth Wildcats.

THE GROWING YEARS
The year that many great changes were made by owner and chairman Bob Williams was 1987.

Most significantly, the club moved from the small confines of Perry Lakes Stadium to what was known in those days as the Perth Superdrome (now Challenge Stadium). The Superdrome housed 5000 loud and proud Perth Wildcats fans.

Also in 1987, still captained by Mike Ellis, the Perth Wildcats introduced players that were to become household names onto the playing roster such as James Crawford, Cal Bruton, Alan Black, Eric Watterson and Trevor Torrance.

The new talent paid off immediately for the Wildcats as the team made the playoffs for the first time.

In the first two stages of the finals the Wildcats defeated the Canberra Cannons and minor premier Adelaide 36ers to suddenly find themselves in the Grand Final series against the Brisbane Bullets.

The Perth Wildcats were repeatedly referred to as the ‘Cinderella’ story as they entered the season in third-last position only to go on to make the Grand Final.

The 'run, stun and have some fun' style of play that had been implemented that season had worked wonders until the Grand Final series.

The Brisbane Bullets defeated the Wildcats by just one-point in front of a sell-out Perth crowd in Game 1 of the three-match series, before claiming the Championship in Brisbane in Game 2 a few days later.
 
Although disappointed by their defeat at the hands of Brisbane, the Wildcats were yet to realise that their first trip to the playoffs was the start of an incredible 25 consecutive finals appearances, an unbeaten record that continues to this day.

The Perth Wildcats had well and truly captured the attention and emotion of the city Perth and the Wildcats dynasty had begun.

THE CHAMPIONSHIPS BEGIN
Over the next three seasons a ticket to a Wildcats home game became the hottest property in town. At the end of 1989 the Superdrome was bursting with fans every game and the people of Perth demanded a bigger venue to support their local team.

The most exciting chapter in Wildcats history came in 1990 as prominent West Australian businessman Kerry Stokes purchased the club and decided to raise the team’s profile to incredible heights; by moving the home court to the iconic Perth Entertainment Centre.

The new 8000 seat venue was an instant masterstroke as Perth continued its affection for the club and flocked to every game.

That also saw the introduction of a player that is regularly referred to as the Wildcats’ greatest, Ricky ‘Amazing’ Grace.

In 1990, Wildcats head coach Cal Bruton famously described Grace’s talents by stating 'he could steal hubcaps off a moving car'.

The Perth Entertainment Centre was the stage for countless memories created by the Perth Wildcats, beginning in 1990 when the team entered the NBL finals’ series as underdogs in fifth position.

The team swept past the Melbourne Tigers and North Melbourne Giants to again face the Brisbane Bullets in their second Grand Final appearance.

With the memory of defeat still fresh for many players that were a part of the 1987 Grand Final loss to the Bullets, the Perth Wildcats stood poised to ready to fight to the end.

Tens of thousands of people across Western Australia tuned into the live coverage to watch the Wildcats triumph 112-106 in Game 1 in front of a sold out Perth Entertainment Centre.

However the challenge of winning the series became more difficult after losing Game 2 in Brisbane 106-90 and having to return as underdogs to the Brisbane Entertainment Centre a few days later for the deciding game.

It took an inspired effort from the Perth Wildcats to be victorious 109-86 and bring home the first ever Championship to Perth.

There were breathtaking scenes of jubilation from West Australians at the airport upon the team’s arrival, and during the parade through the city. It was a proud moment for the club and for the people of Perth.

Head coach Cal Bruton lost his voice over the 1990 Finals series from a combination of passionate coaching and media engagements, but was able to give an emotional tribute to three people.

They were his mother Anne, Scott Fenton (a Wildcats player tragically killed in a car accident during the previous season) and Gordon Ellis (inaugural Wildcats coach and father of current captain Mike Ellis who passed away in 1987).

Mike Ellis described the 1990 squad as the benchmark in the NBL whereby other coaches tried to put together teams capable of beating the Wildcats.

"We won’t give up easily because we want to create a dynasty in Perth," he said after the Grand Final win.

Few people would have imagined that 1991 could surpass the expectations made in 1990.

James Crawford said after the 1990 win that, "The pressure to bring a title to Perth is now off and I think we will benefit from that. We’re looking forward to defending the title, it’s going to be hard, but I see it as an honour, not a burden."

The Perth Wildcats would begin the defence of their title in 1991 under new American head coach Murray Arnold.

Arnold’s style of game was focused on defence which was a significant change from the high scoring and entertaining style previously implemented under Bruton.

At the start of the season, the Wildcats added another significant player to the roster who would go on to be a true basketball legend in Western Australia.

Andrew Vlahov’s massive impact in the league was immediate in his first season and was rewarded with him being named the NBL's Rookie of the Year.

After another successful regular season, the Wildcats entered the playoffs brimming with confidence.

The 'Cats easily accounted for long-term rivals the Adelaide 36ers in the semi-final to then find themselves against the highly-rated Eastside Melbourne Spectres in the Grand Final.

The Perth Wildcats had a unique opportunity to win back-to-back titles, a feat only achieved by two other teams in the history of the NBL, and they were keen to create another sensational moment in history.

Everything looked on track when the Wildcats were able to defeat the Spectres in Game 1 in Melbourne by 26 points (109-83).

Perth had hit fever pitch and another sold-out crowd awaited the Wildcats for Game 2 back at home.

However, with their backs against the wall, the Spectres performed with a never-say-die attitude upsetting the favourites at home by five points (86-81).

Game 2 was played on a Friday night and Game 3 was scheduled for Sunday leaving the Wildcats little time to formulate a new strategy.

However in front of an electric Perth crowd, the Wildcats were victorious in the deciding third game by 10 points (90-80) and became the third team in history to win back-to-back NBL championships.

Just as Mike Ellis had hoped, he and Crawford, Fisher, Grace, Vlahov and others found themselves in the midst of a Perth Wildcats dynasty.

THE MID-90s GOLDEN DAYS
Then the 1993 season saw three major personnel changes.

Club legend and captain Mike Ellis retired after 12 magnificent seasons. Dr Adrian Hurley was appointed as the new head coach replacing Murray Arnold, and finally the Wildcats enticed two-time league MVP Scott Fisher to the team.

With new captain Andrew Vlahov at the helm, the Wildcats continued their on-court success to make it through to a Grand Final series, this time against the Melbourne Tigers.

At that time the Tigers had their own basketball legends such as Andrew Gaze, Lanard Copeland and Mark Bradtke to match Perth’s Ricky Grace, Scott Fisher and Andrew Vlahov.

This epic series is often described as the best Grand Final series in the history of the NBL.

After splitting the first two games of the series, the championship came down to the final few seconds of Game 3 when captain Andrew Vlahov made a three-point attempt to win the game and the title.

However after doing two full revolutions around the basket in front of a breathless crowd, the ball agonisingly rolled out denying the Perth Wildcats a chance of the historic third championship.

The most successful season for the Wildcats came in 1995 when Dr Hurley, in his third year as coach, led the team to what was referred to as the 'Triple Crown' – wining the pre-season competition, finishing minor premiers and then winning the NBL championship.

In a rollercoaster Grand Final series against the North Melbourne Giants, both teams won away contests to be level coming into the deciding Game 3.

The Wildcats overpowered the North Melbourne Giants early in Game 3 and went on to record a comfortable 108-88 victory. Captain Andrew Vlahov was named MVP of the Grand Final series as the 'Cats celebrated.

As a result of winning the championship for a third time, the Wildcats were invited to the United States to take part in an invitational tournament featuring NBA powerhouse the Houston Rockets, who had just come off winning the championship on the back of Hakeem Olajuwon, and Spanish Champions Real Madrid.

For a decade the Perth Wildcats were virtually unstoppable at home, to a point where Brisbane Bullets coach Brian Kerle described losing to the Wildcats because they "were completely out-played. The Wildcats were just too good."

In 1995, North Melbourne Giants and soon-to-be Australian Boomers head coach Brett Brown said the Perth Wildcats just "overpower any team."

THE NEW MILLENIUM
In 2000, Perth Wildcats owner Kerry Stokes decided to pass on the reins of the club to basketball great Luc Longley, fresh off being a three-time NBA championship winner with the Chicago Bulls, and Andrew Vlahov.

The new ownership duo proved to be an instant success with the Wildcats securing an unprecedented fourth championship, defeating the Victoria Titans in front of yet another loud, capacity crowd of 8000 at the Perth Entertainment Centre.

In 2002, the Perth Wildcats returned to their old home Challenge Stadium following the closure of the Perth Entertainment Centre. Andrew Vlahov retired as player and Ricky Grace took over as captain.

In 2003, former captain Mike Ellis took over from Alan Black as head coach, and then was replaced the following season by another former player, Scott Fisher.

Ricky Grace’s retirement saw the end of an era for the Perth Wildcats in 2005 as the only remaining member of the championship teams from the 1990s hung up his boots following a legendary career that has since seen him inducted into the Basketball Australia Hall of Fame.

RECORD-MAKING TEAM OF TODAY
In the years since, new faces became Wildcats greats such as Tony Ronaldson, Paul Rogers, Martin Cattalini and current co-captain and six-time MVP Shawn Redhage.

In that time under Fisher and then Conner Henry, the Wildcats continued to be a playoff force in the NBL, but just fell short up against the likes of the Cairns Taipans, Sydney Kings and Townsville Crocs.

While the Wildcats were still a strong club and team on the court, a new-look team on and off the floor was put in place for the 2009/10 NBL season.

Highly-regarded new coach Rob Beveridge compiled a new-look team where Shawn Redhage, Stephen Weigh and Brad Robbins were surrounded by proven NBL players Damian Martin, Drew Williamson and Luke Schenscher, veterans Martin Cattalini and Galen Young, and rising stars Kevin Lisch and Jesse Wagstaff.

The mix turned out to work remarkably well with the late-season addition of Galen Young to replace Paul Rogers proved the masterstroke that brought about a championship in the first year the group was together.

After claiming the minor premiership and beating the Gold Coast Blaze in the semi-final series, the 'Cats came up against the Wollongong Hawks in what proved to be an enthralling Grand Final series.

After Game 1 and 2 proved to be comfortable victories for each home team, the Wildcats found themselves back inside The Jungle at Challenge Stadium for the deciding Game 3 in front of a capacity crowd.

The 'Cats found themselves down by as many as 11 points in the second quarter, before an inspired Kevin Lisch exploded offensively to finish with 29 points to take the team to a record fifth NBL championship with a 96-72 triumph.

After a championship came to the new-look group earlier than anyone expected, there was pressure there to make it back-to-back titles in the 2010/11 NBL season.

While the 'Cats did well to make the NBL Finals for an incredible 25th straight season, eventual champions the New Zealand Breakers won in the deciding Game 3 of the semi-final series in Auckland.

However, with the season crippled by serious injuries to Jesse Wagstaff, Matt Knight and Shawn Redhage, it was a terrific effort by the 'Cats to still be a title contender and now the focus is on getting back to trying to win a sixth NBL championship.

THE VISION
Since 2007, the Perth Wildcats have been owned by local philanthropist Dr Jack Bendat who took over from Andrew Vlahov.

Dr Bendat directed the club to extend its community initiatives across schools, hospitals and regional areas with the club visiting over 250 schools each year.

That serves to educate children not only on the basketball court, but also in areas such as healthy lifestyle and anti-bullying. Dr Bendat’s personal goal is to have a greater number of kids bouncing basketballs and enjoying the sport.

The next chapter for the Perth Wildcats is the imminent return to the city, moving the home court to the new Perth Arena for the 2012/13 NBL season.

The Perth Arena is set to become the greatest indoor stadium in the southern hemisphere and will accommodate 12,500 Wildcats fans; which when full will feature the largest crowd ever for a Wildcats’ home game.

The Perth Wildcats continue to inspire and entertain West Australians both off the court and on it, and still do so in front of sell-out crowds.

The passion of the fans, the spirit of Western Australia and the performances of Wildcats heroes throughout history continue to drive the excellence of the club.

This spirit and heritage has firmly placed the Perth Wildcats as the most successful team in NBL history and in the hearts of all West Australians.