What the Perth Wildcats champions had to say

The West Australian
Camera IconThe team celebrates championship No.8. Credit: Paul Kane/Getty Images

Bryce Cotton

“This is the top of the list. I couldn’t imagine anything better. I’m on cloud nine right now. Tonight was a night where my teammates did a good job finding me. I’ve had such a blast. When I decided to stay here, I couldn’t have written this any better. I had to weigh up my options and work out what was best for me given the circumstances. Once I made my decision I never looked back and here we are celebrating a championship. We are so close. They did such a great job of getting me transitioned to their defensive strategies and how they play. It’s one hell of an organisation with great fans. I’m never going to forget these guys. It’s a hell of a team.”

Casey Prather

“It feels amazing. This one feels so much better just because of all the things we had to go through, all the guys counting us out. You can’t even dream about something like this. Two in two years, I can’t complain.”

VideoThe Perth Wildcats have eight championships under their belt. Here are the highlights from their first three.
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Damian Martin

“There’s been a few games in particular where I find myself actually out on the court, but watching the game. Tonight was one of them. There was times that you’d give Bryce the ball and almost be a spectator. Some of the possessions he came up with, the shots he made, were just out of this league. It was just spectacular to watch and a privilege to be a part of. It goes down as the most special performance I’ve been a part of with an individual.”

Matt Knight

“I’m used to sitting out games but this was the toughest one to sit out. Knowing there was nothing I could do to help was tough – especially when it got back to three points. But I’m excited. It was fantastic to close it out at home. It’s obviously disappointing that I wasn’t out there but I’m so proud of the boys.”

Trevor Gleeson

“I was very close to walking away from the game four years ago and then I got a call to come over and interview. I was very fortunate to come in and coach these guys that play the right way. They share the ball, there’s no egos in there. This is why you coach basketball, to coach a bunch of guys like this.”

Camera IconGreg Hire and Matt Knight of the Wildcats embrace. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images) Credit: Getty Images

Greg Hire

“Before New Year’s Eve, we were joking that we might be out of a job in the off-season by not making the play-offs. But we always had that belief in each other and knew if we started playing our best basketball at the right time, we could win a championship. That’s what’s happened. The last two times we’ve won have been blow outs but nothing came easy for us this year. That’s what makes it sweet. We had to fight tooth and nail to the bitter end. That’s why it means so much.​”

Jesse Wagstaff

“It’s a phenomenal day. Much credit to Illawarra. They’re a team that never gives up. They’re well coached by Bevo. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy. You can’t compare championships because they will all stand out in my memory but this is special.”

Jameel McKay

“It means a lot. This means the most to me of everything I’ve ever won. The people here were just amazing and I couldn’t let them down. There’s a culture of winning around this organisation. Whenever people got down about us, we knew on the inside we could still do it.”

Shawn Redhage

“You can’t write those scripts. It’s a dream come through. To finish your career on a win, with a championship, with these guys that we’ve gone to battle with so many times... to be out on the court and able to help the team, it feels great. It’s something that I’ll cherish for the rest of my life.”

Angus Brandt

“After two years at Sydney where we finished seventh and eighth, they let me go in free agency. I wanted to come to a team that had a winning culture, played for each other and played together. Perth has ticked every box, and to get my first NBL championship is amazing. It feels good that I was able to put a couple of strong games together and help us get wins, but the whole team just bonded together amazingly.”

Jarrod Kenny

“This one feels better than the last one. All that we went through this year, it feels amazing. We’ve been fighting most of the season so it put us in good stead. We knew they weren’t going to roll out and let us have it. I’m super happy.”

Dexter Kernich-Drew

“It’s unbelievable to be part of something like this. I’ve learnt a lot about myself and a lot about basketball. To see us come together like this is amazing.”

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