Wildcats resurgence catches club off guard

One year on from the Perth Wildcats’ move to Perth Arena, managing director Nick Marvin says the magnitude of club’s remarkable transformation into an Australian basketball powerhouse has come as a surprise.

A lot of people have contributed to the dramatic turnaround.

Owner Jack Bendat, the coaches and players, front office, sponsors and fans have all played their roles in delivering huge attendances and financial stability to a club that was knocking on death’s door less than a decade ago.

But none of it would have been possible without the much-hyped move to the Arena.

Today marks the one-year anniversary of the Wildcats’ return to the city centre and first home game at the world-class venue.

Old rivals Adelaide poured cold water on the opening-night celebrations with an upset win, but nothing could douse the burning flame of optimism as the Wildcats quickly settled into their new surrounds.

Average crowds of about 11,000 – more than double NBL average – flocked to the Arena as the Wildcats won 14 straight home games before being toppled by New Zealand in game two of the grand final series.

Those crowds helped drive the Wildcats back to a position of prominence on the WA sporting landscape they had not seen since Ricky Grace and James Crawford strutted around like rock-stars in the 1990s.

The crowds and increased corporate support led to a financial boom that has allowed the Wildcats to spend up big on the basketball department and build a team capable of winning a record sixth NBL title.

Reflecting on the past year at the Arena, Marvin said the club’s extraordinary success had caught him off-guard.

“We didn’t plan for it to go so well. We were working for it, but we didn’t expect it,” Marvin said.

“We honestly thought that if we averaged crowds of about 7000-8000 last year we would’ve been happy, but we obviously did a lot more.

“Momentum is gaining; I just hope it’s sustainable.”

Despite achieving heights other NBL clubs could only dream of, the Wildcats continue to strive for something even better.

“As an organisation we’re still a long way off where we should be,” Marvin said.

“I still don’t believe we’ve really maximised our use of the Arena and all its features and benefits.

“I don’t believe we’ve really told our story as well as we could have.”

While Marvin leads the off-court charge, coach Trevor Gleeson and his players couldn’t have played their role any better this season.

The Wildcats racked up a seventh straight win against Cairns on Thursday night and meet struggling Wollongong at the WIN Entertainment Centre tomorrow.

In their last meeting, the Wildcats smashed the Hawks by a record 40-point margin in the most one-sided contest between the two sides in history.

But Wildcats captain Damian Martin expected a vastly different experience tomorrow.

“Wollongong’s one of those teams that you might beat by 40 one game, then they beat you by 40,” Martin said.

“They’re possibly the best shooting team in the league and we’ve had some really bad losses on their home court.

“What we saw of them here isn’t the Wollongong we’re going to see on Sunday.

“I’ve got a lot of respect for Gordie McLeod and the way he coaches, and it’s going to be a tough hit-out for us.”