Wildcats in world-class hands
Paul Woolpert will guide the Perth Wildcats through the bulk of their preparation for the 2014-15 NBL season after being appointed interim coach while Trevor Gleeson is on duty with the national team.
Gleeson and new lead assistant coach Jamie O’Loughlin are tied up with Boomers commitments through to the end of the FIBA Basketball World Cup in September.
The move to appoint Woolpert on a short-term basis comes as the Wildcats edge closer to securing a second American import.
Managing director Nick Marvin said he hoped to sign a player of a similar calibre to NBA-bound former Wildcat James Ennis within a week.
Woolpert has previously worked alongside Gleeson on coaching staff in Australia and overseas.
He took over from Gleeson as head coach of the Townsville Crocodiles in 2011 and spent two seasons in charge.
Woolpert has since worked in Korea and the US and is understood to be a chance to land a role in the NBA system after completing his stint with the Wildcats.
Woolpert will arrive in Perth next week to prepare for the start of pre-season training.
Marvin said Woolpert’s appointment would minimise the disruption to the Wildcats’ pre-season program while Gleeson was away.
“We have a period where we do not have our head coach or our lead assistant coach here in Perth because they are both performing national duties,” Marvin said.
“In that interim, rather than have a vacuum, we decided to bring in someone who has worked with Trevor for many years as an assistant.
“Paul Woolpert already knows our offense and defence and Trevor’s structures, so he will provide much-needed leadership at the club.”
Gleeson recently led a Wildcats scouting mission in the US, which appears likely to bear fruit in the near future.
The Wildcats had a shortlist of eight possible recruits, but saw two of them accept rival offers from overseas this month.
Marvin said the club had targeted a direct replacement for Ennis in the small forward role after signing American guard Jermaine Beal on a new two-year deal.
“We expect to nail something down in the next seven days,” Marvin said.
The Wildcats will have the majority of players back at the WA Basketball Centre next week to start plotting their title defence.
Captain Damian Martin is in camp with the Boomers in Sydney and remains a chance to be selected in the World Cup squad.
The Wildcats are planning several pre-season hit-outs, including one against an SBL All-Star team.
They will play three games against an NBL rival in WA before the league’s official Pre-Season Blitz tournament in September.
O’Loughlin, a member of the Boomers scouting team, joins the Wildcats’ coaching staff this year after five seasons in charge of successful SEABL club Geelong Supercats.
He replaces outgoing assistant Andy Stewart, who stepped down last season.
O’Loughlin will be Gleeson’s right-hand man, with fellow assistants Adam Tatalovich and Adam Forde rounding out the coaching staff for the upcoming season.
