Perth Wildcats coach Rob Beveridge has been delighted with Drew Williamson's performances for Australian Central East Perth Eagles in their push for the men's State Basketball League championship.

Williamson is one of several Wildcats - along with Brad Robbins, Jesse Wagstaff and Matt Knight - to have spent time playing in the local league during the NBL off-season.

The shooting guard helped the Eagles qualify for the finals by averaging 25.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.5 assists and will have to play a huge role to help his side beat minor premiers Lakeside Lightning in the quarter-finals, which begin on Friday.

Williamson's contribution has been so impressive that East Perth won 10 of the 13 games he played, compared to just five of the 13 he was unavailable for, which Beveridge said was hugely pleasing.

"We always say to our players that when you go and play with SBL clubs there's an expectation that you be a leader," Beveridge told SBL Radio on SportFM 91.3.

"Drew has gone in and done an exceptional job as a leader for East Perth.

"He's had several 30-plus point games and it's a great opportunity for players like that to work on his game.

"I think it has been great for his confidence and we're pleased with how he's going."

The coach said Robbins, Wagstaff and Knight have also benefited from playing for Wanneroo, Perth and Willetton respectively.

"Overall we're pretty pleased with how the guys are going," Beveridge said.

"With Jesse Wagstaff, I think he started off a little bit slow. But he's shown that he's a class act and he's doing a great job at the Redbacks.

"With Matty we wanted to work with a lot of stuff off the dribble, but unfortunately his injuries have reduced that.

"The goal is for our players is to set some standards for the league and improve their game and I think that has worked."

Wildcats development player Greg Hire and training squad member Tom Jervis, who are among the candidates to earn the final spot on the club's roster, have also impressed Beveridge throughout the SBL season.

"Where Greg has come from has been outstanding. The way that he's come back and become an elite player in the way he lifts his weights and his dedication and devotion has been great," he said.

"Tom has done a great job as well. In his case, he's really bought into working hard on the court but he's still got a long way to go with getting his body into shape."

Beveridge said the Wildcats had put a large focus on developing stronger ties with the SBL this season and he has been pleased with the results so far, especially from the training sessions he has opened up to local players.

"We've reached out to the SBL teams and the amount of support we've got from the coaches and the clubs has been really overwhelming," he said.

"We've had close to 40 players at practice at times and it just shows there are a lot of people out there who are really enthusiastic about their basketball and from our perspective it's good to see who wants to be there."

Article by Jacob Kagi
Photo by Mick Cronin

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