Beal to stay in Wildcats' lair
American import Jermaine Beal will return to the Perth Wildcats next season after agreeing a contract extension with the club.
The deal is for one year with an option for a second, which would see Beal remain at the Wildcats until 2016.
“I can’t wait to get back to Perth to re-join my teammates and begin working towards defending our NBL championship,” Beal said.
“I love being a part of the Wildcats organisation. It’s a great club with great fans and I’m looking forward to playing in front of them again this season.”
Beal averaged 18 points a game during the 2014 grand final win over Adelaide and was named MVP of the series.
He ranked eighth in the league with an average of 15.6 points per game throughout the season and drained a league-leading total of 101 three-pointers at 43.3 per cent.
Beal also averaged 3.4 assists and 2.4 rebounds a game.
Wildcats coach Trevor Gleeson was thrilled to have the Texan back for next season.
“He had an outstanding second half to last season and it’s great to have a quality player back who knows our teammates and knows our systems,” Gleeson said.
“It’s great to be able to keep the nucleus of the team together.
“Jermaine is versatile. He can play the point, he can play the shooting guard, he can play a number of different positions, he has a big three-point range and can get to the bucket as well.
“He suits our style and suits our team which is a good combination.”
The Wildcats will open their championship defence at home to rivals New Zealand on October 10.
The Breakers have bolstered their roster with the return of 2013 NBL MVP Cedric Jackson, who spent last season in Slovenia.
In his previous two-year stint with New Zealand, Jackson was twice named in the All-NBL starting five.
