Perth Wildcats Are One of the World’s Winningest Teams, So Why Are They Always the Underdog?

 Sports 
We asked coach Trevor Gleeson and 2020 MVP Bryce Cotton.
By Simon Miraudo  •

Nice guys finish last, unless you’re talking about the Perth Wildcats, for whom that hasn’t been the case in decades.

They recently secured their 34th consecutive visit to the NBL Finals, smashing their own record for most playoff appearances by a team in professional sports.

Even if you want to get technical—which sports statisticians love to do—the Wildcats needed 34 invites to the big dance to match "the longest streak of post-season play in a closed/non-relegation professional sporting league". (Phew.)

But any way you slice it, Western Australia’s beloved basketball team belongs in the history books.

They’re not just historically great either; they’re currently great too, coming off a 2019 Championship—their fourth in six seasons, from nine overall—with American import Bryce Cotton collecting his second MVP trophy in three years.

And yet...

... when the 2019/20 series began, key prognosticators declined to put them as title favourites.

You can’t blame the commentators for trying—and failing—to read the pre-season tea leaves, especially after the formidable Sydney Kings added Casper Ware, making them a bona fide contender. (Sydney ended up sitting atop the table for the entire season; an NBL first.) However, as Cotton tells Student Edge, the reigning Cats deserved the benefit of the doubt.

"There was so much talk about Sydney and Melbourne, obviously because they are powerhouse teams, especially when you looked at it on paper at the start of the year," he says.

"But I do feel like we were completely disregarded as the defending champions, whereas I feel in the past, any team that wins a championship, they’re given the respect of at least being champions.

"We try not to get too caught up in whether we’re given the credit we deserve or not, because it doesn’t really matter, the credit people give you. It comes down to wins and losses."

Coach Trevor Gleeson, who joined the team in 2013, attributes their success, and their winning method—"don’t give an inch"—to a team culture that goes back generations, and was strengthened when owner Jack Bendat bought the struggling club in 2007, building them into the most-watched team in NBL history.

"We often talk about the bloodline that’s come before us," Gleeson tells Student Edge.

"On court, we would be the hardest working, most unselfish, the toughest [players], no excuses whatsoever. We play for each other."

Despite being tough on the court, they’re known as nice guys off it.

"[That means] giving back to our community consistently, being approachable with signing autographs, taking a selfie when someone asks," he says.

"We say we don’t want to wear headphones at the airport, we want to be approachable, because we know we have that name in Perth, and in Australian basketball, and we want to be accessible for younger kids.

"That kid meeting Bryce Cotton or [captain] Damian Martin, they’ll remember that for the rest of their life. That’s why we get 14,000 to the [Perth] Arena."

It’s a culture Cotton has been happy to embrace.

"These fans, they don’t have to show us the support that they do for us, year in year out, regardless of the success that we bring," he says.

"So much of the support leads to our success. I believe us showing our gratitude and just being kind, and reaching out and being so accessible to the community is the least that we can do."

Remaining humble and focusing on the club first means not buying into the race for MVP.

"If I start playing to win over the opinions of people, it’s just not a good look," he says.

"I really don’t care how my play is appreciated, or lack of, outside of my club. If I am recognised as well for my work, it’s appreciated, but it’s not something I’m seeking out."

The Cats head into the Finals second on the ladder, with their semi-final clash against the surging Cairns Taipans beginning 28 February. The Kings, meanwhile, will meet fourth-placed Melbourne United.

Though the Wildcats refuse to look past the semis, fans of the code are drooling over a Perth-Sydney series, especially after Kings owner Paul Smith criticised the team’s Indigenous jerseys. It sets up a clear heroes vs. villains showdown, with the Wildcats in the inexplicable-yet-familiar position of underdogs. (Those in Sydney may not feel the same way.)

Plus, there’s the tantalising prospect of seeing Sydney’s big man, Andrew Bogut, face off against Perth’s recent addition from the NBA, Miles Plumlee, who replaced Dario Hunt late in the season. The change at center was just one hurdle the Cats had to clear, with injuries affecting the roster too.

"If you’re negative about it, it can drag you down like quicksand," Gleeson says of the obstacles.

"We look forward and go, 'This is what’s happened. No use crying about it.'"

Still, Cotton cautions against looking too far forward, beyond the immediate opponent.

"That’s how you get beat, and get beat pretty badly."

Header Image: Paul Kane via Getty Images