Beveridge happy to hunt a few Wildcats
Perth Wildcats championship coach Rob Beveridge is targeting a reunion with his grand final MVP Kevin Lisch after yesterday being unveiled as the new coach of the Illawarra Hawks.
And he’s not ruling out a bid to poach some of the Cats’ stars.
Beveridge, who led the Wildcats to the 2009-10 championship and three grand finals in his four-year stint at the club, will link up with the Hawks in September on a one-year deal.
His appointment was the second significant decision made by the club in as many days, after announcing it would ditch Wollongong from its title and return to the Illawarra name it entered the league with in 1979.
Beveridge said he was “hungry, ready and refreshed” after working internationally since splitting with the Wildcats at the end of the 2012-13 season and was keen to have Lisch alongside him for his return to the NBL.
“I’ve got a very close relationship with him so there’s absolutely no doubt whatsoever I’ll be speaking with Kev,” he toldThe West Australian .
“He’s got options back in Europe as well, so it’s not a given that he’s going to come to Illawarra.
“But there’s no doubt I will be speaking with him.”
Beveridge said players such as Damian Martin and Matthew Knight, who followed him from the Sydney Spirit to the Wildcats, would also come under consideration in future seasons, should he extend his tenure beyond the initial one-season arrangement.
“At the end of the day I’m a professional coach and my job is to put the best team on the floor and that’s exactly what I’ll do,” he said.
“Right now the majority of the players that I’ve had a long affiliation with, Damo, Matty, those types of players, they’re all under contract.
“But if they come off contract and they’re looking to move on, of course I would.”
Meanwhile, the Perth Lynx unveiled their latest star recruit, Tessa Lavey, at the Bendat Basketball Centre yesterday.
The Opals point-guard said having made the decision to move west, she was anxious for the season to start in October.
“Red is my favourite colour, so I feel like I’m at home already,” she said. “It’s from one coast to the other, so it’s a big trek.
“Hopefully it’s got big results and hopefully we have a really good team year.”
