Spice up your life: The moment that changed Pepper's season

Heading into the 2026 HoopsFest, all the talk was about if the Perth Wildcats were going to replace injured star David Duke Jr.

But unlike Sydney, who brought in Torrey Craig for the injured Bul Kuol, the Wildcats decided to not replace their American guard, who is still sidelined with an elbow issue.

Not only was this a vote of confidence that Duke Jr. will return in the near future, but also one in the club’s current crop of backcourt talent.

Headlining that are sharpshooter Elijah Pepper and dynamic guard Ben Henshall, who have both been starting in recent weeks.

In particular, the former, who is averaging 17 points across his past four games, believes it was a pivotal moment in his season.

“JR (John Rillie) brought the team together the day before the game [at HoopsFest against Illawarra] and said ‘this is our group of guys. This is who we believe in and we are sticking with you guys'. Those words speak to the confidence he has in us and helps myself and a lot of the other guards who are getting increased minutes,” Pepper told The West Australian.

“There’s myself, Henny (Ben Henshall), Sunday [Dech] and Dontae [Russo-Nance] have been playing bigger minutes. I think it speaks to their confidence and their belief they have in us.

“That by itself increases your own confidence and when you are playing better it’s a lot easier to have confidence in yourself. It always helps when, if you make a mistake, you know you are not going to get pulled out for it straight away or you will go right back in.”

Pepper’s strong play, which has also seen him hit 13 triples across his past four games, is a big part of why Perth has won seven of its past eight fixtures.

The Wildcats will look to make that eight from their past nine on Friday night when they host Cairns at RAC Arena from 9.30pm AEDT, live on ESPN.

Read the full story here >> Perth Wildcats star Elijah Pepper says club gave youngsters confidence by not replacing import David Duke