There is always a great sense of excitement in the air within the first few weeks of the SBL season. It’s that time of the year when coaches, players and fans alike scout the teams from around the league, with a focus on the newest additions to their lineup. When the imports suit up for the first time with their new club it can potentially be make or break for most teams. Sometimes you can get MVP contender like a Ryan Zamroz, Luke Payne or Anthony Lee. These guys can piggyback your team into the top four and guide you successfully through the finals.

Other times unfortunately, and maybe more often than not, teams can pick a bad egg or poor choice with a player who has come out unfit, under prepared and even a casualty to pacific shrinkage. They can often come out thinking they are bigger than the league, then quickly realise how tough some teams are and the league can chew them up and spit them out. No need to name any, as I’m sure as you read this your already have your own examples in mind.

This is the gamble coaches have to take when deciding where to spend their player budgets. When all they have to view and judge a player on is a few highlight reels, a youtube video and some scouting reports.

One thing you can be sure of is your available Wildcat players once the NBL is over. Two things can be guaranteed:

1 – They are fit! Just finishing a season with Bevo & Co. playing full court pressure defence will assure you of this.
2 – What you see is what you get. Anyone can put together snippets of their best playing moments, make a highlight reel and put it on youtube, but if you want to truly get to know what you’re investing in, then go and watch a training session or game.

Plus with these boys already being established in WA, you don’t need to worry about the hassle of arranging accommodation, visa’s, a car and all the extra costs associated with importing a player from overseas.

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So getting back to the pre-season, where the focus has shifted towards the NBL finals and coaches in the SBL are eyeing off their potential recruits. As a coach you are looking for a particular player type; do we need a scoring off guard? Do we want a lock down defender or a work horse that makes a living inside the paint?

As there are only a few NBL players available in the off season to play SBL, you need to get in early, make contact and try and seal the deal to get the pick of the bunch.

This season we have seen a number of Wildcats venture into the league and make an impact. After a much needed holiday break, they have entered a team 6 – 8 weeks into the season. It often gives teams a new lease on life, adding much needed depth and taking teams that were previously struggling, into the 8 and onto the winners list.

Let’s have a look at this season’s Wildcat players and the impact they have made in the league

Jesse Wagstaff – 21.3ppg & 9.3rpg (Perth Redbacks)
After only four games it’s hard to judge on whether Jesse has been a valued Redback so far. I mean the guy is recovering from surgery and had a Boomers call up last week so you can’t blame him for having personal priorities. But now as they season comes to the business end, Jesse will have to maintain these numbers if he wishes to help his Redbacks finish in the top 8 and play finals basketball. Without Jesse it will make life a lot tougher for Perth with the likes of Stirling, East Perth, Goldfields and Kalamunda all jockeying for those last few finals positions.

Matthew Knight – 21ppg & 8.6rpg (Willetton Tigers)
With Matt in the lineup it makes it hard for any team to match up with the tigers inside the paint. A lot of adjustments have to be made to cater for his post and mid-range game. Plus he complements any team you put him in, meaning he doesn’t take away from anyone else as he’s a great team player. It’s a shame that Willetton’s ‘Knight in shining armor’ went down with an injury, as when he suits up the Tigers have a lot of additional size and strength. With Knight, the Tigers are 5 wins and 2 losses (3 if you include the game Matt went down in the first 7 minutes). Without Matt, the tigers have suffered two massive 60 points losses to Lakeside and Wanneroo in successive weeks.

Bradley Robbins – 20 mins, 11ppg & 4rpg (Wanneroo Wolves)
Talk about complementing the team. Brad is one of the toughest defenders in the NBL, add him to an already talented Wolves outfit and boy do they look dangerous. What Brad brings is a leadership that you can’t teach or expect most players (including imports) to bring. All reports I have heard out of the Wolfpack camp is that the intensity of training and half time locker room talk has stepped up to another level. This truly is a player that you would sell a kidney for. With Brad in the lineup, the Wolves are 5 wins and 0 losses.

Greg Hire – 21ppg, 16.2rpg & 4.4apg (Wanneroo Wolves)
Yeah I know what you are thinking, he was a Wolf long before a Wildcat, and he will always be a member of the wolfpack. But the question is would you buy him for your team if you had the chance? Being a loyal club man he will probably say no, but it’s worth a 10 cent phone call. Why take a gamble of a post player that may never want to play inside and get smashed around once he gets here? Greg is a great team player that can get it done, his 24 pts, 22 rebounds and 12 assist triple double on the weekend can attest to this. With time on his side Greg will only continue to get better, especially if he is banging around with the big boys in the NBL. I’ll be calling him every September once finals are over just to see if he would consider a move. With Greg the Wolves are 15 and 3.

Drew Williamson – 24ppg, 5.5rpg, 5.4apg and 2.5spg (East Perth Eagles)
The Eagles were 4 wins and 7 losses before Drew came on board. The Eagles released their shooting guard import to make room for Drew and has since helped lead the Eagles to a 7 and 2 win loss record. That’s how you want to spend your money – to get results. From being equal second last, the Eagles now look to be tough finals contenders with a possible top 5 finish by the end of the year. His numbers are fantastic across the board, and with a sharp shooter on the wing it helps open up the middle for Jervis and Easley.

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On the flip side there are a lot of talented Imports in the league this year. The upside is they are available all season and are solely committed to playing for their professional careers and current contract. They also bring a ‘hype’ with them that brings fans through the turnstiles to watch them showcase their talent. If you happen to catch a keeper, they often play at a higher level and can win you games off their own back, such as Payne’s 50 point shooting display v Rockingham on the weekend. Certain clubs and coaches have a knack of scouting out studs from the US or Athletes in Action programs, whilst others have been hit and miss with their import selections over the years.

So if you were given X amount of dollars, would you invest in an established Wildcat, or try your luck with an overseas player? You can definitely make a strong case for both, but I think if these Wildcat players (and other NBL players) remain available to play SBL, I think you may start to see a shift in recruiting focus from most SBL clubs. Article Written by Adam Forde

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The opinions, views and comments in this article are those of the individual and are not the opinions or views of the State Basketball League or Basketball WA.