2023–24 Perth Wildcats season

The 2023–24 Perth Wildcats season was the 43rd season of the franchise in the National Basketball League (NBL).

2023–24 Perth Wildcats season
Head coach	John Rillie
Captain	Jesse Wagstaff
Arena	Perth Arena
NBL results
Record	17–11 (60.7%)
Ladder	2nd
Finals finish	Semifinalist (lost to JackJumpers 1–2)
Stats at NBL.com.au
Player records
Points	Cotton 23.1
Rebounds	Doolittle 6.8
Assists	Cotton 4.3
All statistics correct as of 13 March 2024.
← 2022–23 2024–25 →

On 16 May 2023, the Wildcats have picked up John Rillie’s third year team option.^[1]

Roster

Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed.

2023–24 Perth Wildcats roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Nat. Name Ht. Wt. Age G 0 Webster, Tai 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) 89 kg (196 lb) 29 – (1995-05-29)29 May 1995 G 1 Russo-Nance, Dontae (DP) 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) 90 kg (198 lb) 19 – (2005-01-20)20 January 2005 F 5 Doolittle, Kristian (I) 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) 105 kg (231 lb) 27 – (1997-10-19)19 October 1997 F 8 Usher, Jordan (I) 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) 100 kg (220 lb) 26 – (1998-02-21)21 February 1998 G 9 Webster, Corey 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) 89 kg (196 lb) 35 – (1988-11-29)29 November 1988 G 10 Henshall, Ben 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) 90 kg (198 lb) 20 – (2004-06-22)22 June 2004 G 11 Cotton, Bryce  (I) 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) 76 kg (168 lb) 32 – (1992-08-11)11 August 1992 C 12 Andrew, Jack (DP) 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) 115 kg (254 lb) 23 – (2001-08-10)10 August 2001 F 13 Harris, Hyrum 2.04 m (6 ft 8 in) 110 kg (243 lb) 28 – (1996-03-06)6 March 1996 G 17 Harris, Michael (DP) 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) 85 kg (187 lb) 25 – (1999-10-05)5 October 1999 C 20 Sarr, Alex (NS) 2.16 m (7 ft 1 in) 98 kg (216 lb) 19 – (2005-04-26)26 April 2005 G 22 Zunic, Kyle 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) 90 kg (198 lb) 25 – (1999-05-04)4 May 1999 F 24 Wagstaff, Jesse (C) 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) 103 kg (227 lb) 38 – (1986-04-30)30 April 1986 F 25 Pinder, Keanu 2.10 m (6 ft 11 in) 103 kg (227 lb) 29 – (1995-05-28)28 May 1995 F 35 Okwera, David 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) 90 kg (198 lb) 22 – (2002-07-31)31 July 2002	Head coach John Rillie Assistant coach(es) Keegan Crawford Gerard Martin Aaron Young Strength & conditioning coach(es) Josh Cavanagh Legend (C) Team captain (DP) Development player (IN) Inactive (I) Import player (TP) Training player (SRP) Special restricted player (NS) Next Star player Injured Roster Updated: 17 February 2024

Depth chart

Pos.	Starting 5	Bench 1	Bench 2
PG	Tai Webster	Kyle Zunic	Dontae Russo-Nance
SG	Bryce Cotton	Corey Webster	Ben Henshall
SF	Jordan Usher	Michael Harris	David Okwera
PF	Kristian Doolittle	Hyrum Harris	Jesse Wagstaff
C	Keanu Pinder	Alex Sarr	Jack Andrew

Standings

Ladder

Pos	2023–24 NBL season v t e
	Team	Pld	W	L	PCT	Last 5	Streak	Home	Away	PF	PA	PP
1	Melbourne United	28	20	8	71.43%	3–2	W1	11–3	9–5	2615	2454	106.56%
2	Perth Wildcats	28	17	11	60.71%	2–3	L2	10–4	7–7	2630	2563	102.61%
3	Tasmania JackJumpers	28	16	12	57.14%	4–1	W4	8–6	8–6	2564	2378	107.82%
4	Illawarra Hawks	28	14	14	50.00%	3–2	L1	8–6	6–8	2547	2518	101.15%
5	Sydney Kings	28	13	15	46.43%	2–3	W1	7–7	6–8	2672	2602	102.69%
6	New Zealand Breakers	28	13	15	46.43%	3–2	L1	8–6	5–9	2498	2480	100.73%
7	Brisbane Bullets	28	13	15	46.43%	2–3	L1	8–6	5–9	2458	2534	97.00%
8	Cairns Taipans	28	12	16	42.86%	1–4	W1	7–7	5–9	2506	2589	96.79%
9	Adelaide 36ers	28	12	16	42.86%	3–2	W1	9–5	3–11	2457	2563	95.86%
10	S.E. Melbourne Phoenix	28	10	18	35.71%	1–4	L4	7–7	3–11	2425	2691	90.12%

Updated to match(es) played on 18 February 2024. Source: NBL.com.au

The NBL tie-breaker system as outlined in the NBL Rules and Regulations states that in the case of an identical win–loss record, the overall points percentage will determine order of seeding.

Ladder progression

	Leader and qualification to semifinals
	Qualification to semifinals
	Qualification to play-in games
	Last place

2023–24 NBL season

Team ╲ Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20
Adelaide 36ers	9	10	10	9	7	8	8	8	9	10	10	10	10	10	10	9	9	9	9	9
Brisbane Bullets	1	2	6	7	6	5	7	6	6	6	7	9	9	6	5	4	5	6	5	7
Cairns Taipans	8	6	3	4	3	7	6	7	7	7	6	6	7	9	7	6	7	8	8	8
Illawarra Hawks	10	8	9	10	9	10	10	10	10	8	8	8	8	5	6	8	6	4	4	4
Melbourne United	3	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
New Zealand Breakers	4	7	5	6	10	9	9	9	8	9	9	7	6	8	9	7	8	7	6	6
Perth Wildcats	6	5	8	8	8	6	5	4	3	5	3	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2
S.E. Melbourne Phoenix	5	9	7	5	2	3	4	5	5	3	5	5	5	7	8	10	10	10	10	10
Sydney Kings	2	3	2	3	4	2	2	2	4	4	2	4	3	4	4	5	4	5	7	5
Tasmania JackJumpers	7	4	4	2	5	4	3	3	2	2	4	3	4	3	3	3	3	3	3	3

Updated to match(es) played on 18 February 2024. Source: NBL.com.au

Game log

Pre-season

Main article: 2023 NBL pre-season

2023 NBL Blitz game log Total: 3–0 (Home: 2–0; Road: 1–0)
September: 3–0 (Home: 2–0; Road: 1–0) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 1 17 September @ Cairns W 95–102 Bryce Cotton (31) Pinder, Sarr (8) three players (4) Gold Coast Convention Centre n/a 1–0 2 19 September Adelaide W 112–80 Michael Harris (18) Alexandre Sarr (8) five players (3) Gold Coast Convention n/a 2–0 3 21 September New Zealand W 93–89 Jordan Usher (26) Keanu Pinder (13) Ben Henshall (4) Gold Coast Convention Centre n/a 3–0

Regular season

Main article: 2023–24 NBL regular season

2023–24 game log Total: 17–11 (Home: 10–4; Road: 7–7)
September: 1–0 (Home: 1–0; Road: 0–0) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 1 29 September Tasmania W 101–95 Jordan Usher (35) Pinder, Sarr (5) Bryce Cotton (6) Perth Arena 12,361 1–0
October: 1–5 (Home: 1–2; Road: 0–3) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 2 1 October @ S.E. Melbourne L 110–99 Ben Henshall (24) three players (5) Bryce Cotton (10) John Cain Arena 6,641 1–1 3 6 October Adelaide W 82–75 Bryce Cotton (19) Keanu Pinder (7) Bryce Cotton (5) Perth Arena 11,306 2–1 4 13 October Melbourne L 81–88 Keanu Pinder (25) Alexandre Sarr (9) Corey Webster (5) Perth Arena 10,982 2–2 5 15 October @ Sydney L 99–86 Bryce Cotton (22) Keanu Pinder (7) Tai Webster (5) Sydney SuperDome 10,546 2–3 6 21 October @ Adelaide L 89–78 Keanu Pinder (17) Keanu Pinder (13) Keanu Pinder (5) Adelaide Entertainment Centre 8,140 2–4 7 27 October Brisbane L 79–84 Keanu Pinder (22) Kristian Doolittle (11) Bryce Cotton (5) Perth Arena 10,481 2–5
November: 5–0 (Home: 3–0; Road: 2–0) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 8 4 November Adelaide W 99–88 Bryce Cotton (29) Kristian Doolittle (8) Bryce Cotton (5) Perth Arena 11,326 3–5 9 6 November @ Melbourne W 95–102 (OT) Bryce Cotton (24) Jesse Wagstaff (8) Kristian Doolittle (5) John Cain Arena 10,175 4–5 10 10 November New Zealand W 94–76 Bryce Cotton (37) Kristian Doolittle (11) Doolittle, H.Harris (4) Perth Arena 10,685 5–5 11 16 November Cairns W 88–80 Bryce Cotton (25) Kristian Doolittle (8) Bryce Cotton (4) Perth Arena 9,976 6–5 12 18 November @ Brisbane W 76–79 Bryce Cotton (25) Keanu Pinder (10) three players (3) Nissan Arena 4,869 7–5
December: 4–2 (Home: 2–0; Road: 2–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 13 1 December Sydney W 114–105 Bryce Cotton (41) Keanu Pinder (9) Bryce Cotton (7) Perth Arena 11,897 8–5 14 8 December @ Illawarra L 100–82 Jordan Usher (17) Keanu Pinder (10) Bryce Cotton (7) Wollongong Entertainment Centre 2,921 8–6 15 15 December Tasmania W 89–88 Bryce Cotton (28) Bryce Cotton (8) Cotton, Pinder (4) Perth Arena 12,600 9–6 16 23 December @ Melbourne L 109–103 (OT) Bryce Cotton (36) Keanu Pinder (9) Doolittle, Pinder (4) John Cain Arena 10,175 9–7 17 26 December @ Cairns W 102–105 Bryce Cotton (33) Kristian Doolittle (16) Pinder, T.Webster (4) Cairns Convention Centre 4,050 10–7 19 28 December @ Adelaide W 82–100 Bryce Cotton (24) Doolittle, Pinder (5) Bryce Cotton (6) Adelaide Entertainment Centre 9,468 11–7
January: 5–1 (Home: 2–1; Road: 3–0) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 19 7 January @ New Zealand W 102–108 Bryce Cotton (31) Hyrum Harris (8) Tai Webster (6) Spark Arena 6,280 12–7 20 13 January S.E. Melbourne W 100–79 Bryce Cotton (34) four players (6) Tai Webster (4) Perth Arena 12,859 13–7 21 19 January Brisbane W 118–86 Bryce Cotton (28) Hyrum Harris (11) Bryce Cotton (7) Perth Arena 12,836 14–7 22 21 January @ Sydney W 98–104 Bryce Cotton (29) Kristian Doolittle (7) Usher, T.Webster (5) Sydney SuperDome 13,138 15–7 23 25 January Illawarra L 77–95 Tai Webster (16) Kristian Doolittle (10) Bryce Cotton (3) Perth Arena 12,771 15–8 24 27 January @ S.E. Melbourne W 91–103 Tai Webster (23) Keanu Pinder (11) Bryce Cotton (8) State Basketball Centre 3,422 16–8
February: 1–3 (Home: 1–1; Road: 0–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 25 4 February New Zealand L 78–89 Keanu Pinder (21) Keanu Pinder (15) Bryce Cotton (6) Perth Arena 12,975 16–9 26 10 February Cairns W 117–88 Bryce Cotton (26) Alexandre Sarr (12) Bryce Cotton (4) Perth Arena 12,895 17–9 27 15 February @ Illawarra L 108–92 Bryce Cotton (20) Hyrum Harris (7) Tai Webster (5) Wollongong Entertainment Centre 4,486 17–10 28 17 February @ Tasmania L 86–72 Alexandre Sarr (17) Kristian Doolittle (5) Henshall, Usher (3) Derwent Entertainment Centre 4,340 17–11
2023–24 season schedule

Postseason

Main article: 2024 NBL Finals

2024 finals game log Total: 1–2 (Home: 1–1; Road: 0–1)
Semifinals: 1–2 (Home: 1–1; Road: 0–1) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 8 March Tasmania W 89–81 Keanu Pinder (25) Cotton, Pinder (7) Bryce Cotton (5) Perth Arena 10,624 1–0 2 11 March @ Tasmania L 102–94 Bryce Cotton (26) Kristian Doolittle (9) H.Harris, Usher (4) Derwent Entertainment Centre 4,340 1–1 3 13 March Tasmania L 84–100 Bryce Cotton (21) Keanu Pinder (7) H.Harris, T.Webster (3) Perth Arena 7,467 1–2
2024 finals schedule

Transactions

Re-signed

Player	Date Signed	Contract	Ref.
Michael Harris	7 April 2023	2-year deal	[2]
Tai Webster	21 April 2023	2-year deal (club option)	[3]
Corey Webster	3 May 2023	2-year deal (club option)	[4]
Jesse Wagstaff	2 June 2023	1-year deal	[5]

Additions

Player	Date Signed	Contract	Former team	Ref.
Keanu Pinder	1 April 2023	2-year deal	Cairns Taipans	[6]
David Okwera	5 April 2023	3-year deal	Melbourne United	[7]
Ben Henshall	17 April 2023	2-year deal	Centre of Excellence	[8]
Hyrum Harris	26 April 2023	2-year deal	Adelaide 36ers	[9]
Alex Sarr	9 May 2023	1-year deal (next star)	YNG Dreamerz (Overtime Elite)	[10]
Dontae Russo-Nance	27 May 2023	3-year deal	Auckland Tuatara	[11]
Jordan Usher	9 August 2023	1-year deal	Beşiktaş	[12]
Kristian Doolittle	26 September 2023	1-year deal	Limoges CSP	[13]

Subtractions

Player	Reason left	Date Left	New Team	Ref.
Luke Travers	Declined player option	30 March 2023	Melbourne United	[14]
Mitch Norton	Mutual release	19 April 2023	Brisbane Bullets	[15]
Todd Blanchfield	Mutual release	28 June 2023	Illawarra Hawks	[16]
Majok Majok	Free agent	7 August 2023	Tasmania JackJumpers	[17]
Oliver Hayes-Brown	Released	6 September 2023	Richmond (AFL)	[18]

Awards

Club awards

• Club MVP: Bryce Cotton^[19]
• Coaches’ Award: Kyle Zunic
• Most Improved Player: Hyrum Harris
• Best Defensive Player: Kristian Doolittle
• Players’ Player: Bryce Cotton

See also

• 2023–24 NBL season
• Perth Wildcats

References

1. "John Rillie is Staying Put in Perth". Wildcats.com.au. 16 May 2023. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
2. "Perth Wildcats sign shooter Michael Harris for another two years after impressive first season in the NBL". TheWest.com.au. 7 April 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
3. "Webster brothers Tai and Corey both re-sign with Wildcats". ESPN.com.au. 21 April 2023. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
4. "Perth Wildcats announce re-signing of guard Corey Webster for two more years". TheWest.com.au. 3 May 2023. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
5. "Wagstaff Re-Signs with the Wildcats for 15th Season". Wildcats.com.au. 2 June 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
6. "Wildcats welcome Keanu Pinder home to Perth". Wildcats.com.au. 1 April 2023. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
7. "David Okwera Returns to Perth to Join the Cats". Wildcats.com.au. 5 April 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
8. O'Donoghue, Craig (17 April 2023). "Perth Wildcats sign exciting West Australian talent Ben Henshall to join locals Keanu Pinder and David Okwera". TheWest.com.au. Archived from the original on 17 April 2023.
9. O'Donoghue, Craig (26 April 2023). "Perth Wildcats sign New Zealand's Hyrum Harris and he is promising to be a physical force". TheWest.com.au. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
10. Wells, Jed (9 May 2023). "Perth Wildcats sign OTE prospect Alex Sarr as first ever Next Star". SportingNews.com. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
11. "Perth Wildcats Welcome Dontae Russo-Nance". Wildcats.com.au. 27 May 2023. Archived from the original on 27 May 2023.
12. O'Donoghue, Craig (9 August 2023). "Perth Wildcats sign American forward Jordan Usher as import for NBL season". The West Australian. Archived from the original on 9 August 2023.
13. O'Donoghue, Craig (26 September 2023). "Perth Wildcats sign Kristian Doolittle for NBL season after being released by French club for clash with coach". TheWest.com.au. Archived from the original on 26 September 2023. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
14. "Josh Giddey breaks major NBL move". SportingNews.com. 17 April 2023. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
15. "Bullets add experienced guard Mitch Norton". BrisbaneBullets.com.au. 19 April 2023. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
16. "Todd Blanchfield Returns to the Illawarra Hawks". Hawks.com.au. 28 June 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
17. "JackJumpers roster puzzle complete with NRP signing". JackJumpers.com.au. 7 August 2023. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
18. Sutton, Ben (31 August 2023). "Richmond sign 208cm, 114kg basketballer Oliver Hayes-Brown as a Category B rookie". 7news.com.au. Archived from the original on 31 August 2023.
19. "Cotton joins Wildcats greats with sixth Gordon Ellis Medal". Wildcats.com.au. 24 February 2024. Retrieved 25 February 2024.

External links

• Official Website