Wildcats import search admission

Saturday, September 23, 2023

The countdown is on for John Rillie to find Perth's third and final import, with less than a week until tip-off.

The Perth Wildcats enjoyed a 3-0 week at the NBL Blitz on the Gold Coast, with a new star in town, Jordan Usher, dominating alongside long-running Red Army favourite, Bryce Cotton.

And in a scary proposition for the rest of the league, the Wildcats have more reinforcements coming - they just might not make it in time for Friday night's season opener.

Coach John Rillie remains on the hunt for Perth's third import but is unsure if the search will be complete by 9:30pm AEST on Friday, when the ball is tipped off between the Wildcats and JackJumpers.

“The clock is winding down on that. It would be a Hail Mary or a miracle,” Rillie told The West Australian.

“But we are in a good groove of playing well so we need to find out who the right person is to add to this group. This time of the year, everyone is starting around the world so the quality of player isn’t right there, right now.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Ush caught fire tonight finishing with 26 points, including a 16 point fourth quarter to help inspire the fight back! ?‍? <a href="https://t.co/gOeuAqKnze">https://t.co/gOeuAqKnze</a> <a href="https://t.co/p0MKXlWjEP">pic.twitter.com/p0MKXlWjEP</a></p>— Perth Wildcats (@PerthWildcats) <a href="https://twitter.com/PerthWildcats/status/1704823968824533151?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 21, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The ‘Cats have recruited a skill-heavy team this season, with the likes of former Taipans’ dominator Keanu Pinder alongside young talents Alex Sarr, Ben Henshall, David Okwera, Hyrum Harris, and others.

Rillie utilised his youngsters at the Blitz, which yielded the best possible results.

“Guys like Ben Henshall, David Okwera and Hyrum Harris, it allows me to see how they’re going to be in a game before we move forward,” Rillie said.

Perth's first game of the season is on Friday night against Tasmania at 9:30pm AEST at RAC Arena, live on ESPN and Kayo Sports.