Wildcats intent impresses 500-game skipper

Jesse Wagstaff has become a 500-game NBL player on the back of always putting his team first. That's why he will cherish his milestone game on Sunday because of what the strong performance meant for the Perth Wildcats.

Wagstaff became just the 14th man in NBL history and just the fourth at a single club to play 500 games when the Wildcats beat the Kings 104-97 at Qudos Bank Arena.

It has been a remarkable career for the current captain who arrived in Perth as a rookie ahead of the 2009/10 season, winning his first of six championships that season and has continued to be the ultimate role player, leader and standard bearer for the Wildcats ever since.

He has never wanted the spotlight and always put the team first, been willing to do whatever the team needs of him, and only worried about how the team is performing.

The result was his focus after the game on Sunday and what he liked is how the Wildcats went about beating the Kings with 24 offensive rebounds for 23 second chance points, scoring 24 points from Sydney's turnovers and just outworking their opponents.

It backs up Perth's win at home to the South East Melbourne Phoenix on Friday night to now see them sit in third place with one game of the regular season to go at home to Adelaide this coming Friday.

What Wagstaff liked was the intent his team played with in his milestone game. He has no doubt if they can maintain that level, there's no limit on how far they can go the rest of NBL25.

"If you take the scoreline out of this game and you just look at our performance, what I really liked was the intent that we played with," Wagstaff said.

"I thought we were in a good head space and I think if we play like that, and that's the style we have to play at, I think we're really great.

"It's when we're just a bit off the pace and perhaps take things a bit easier, and aren’t willing to do that hard work, we're not at that level, but in this game we had that solid intensity for I would say 40 minutes.

"That's what it takes in this league and you have to play with a certain intent or passion and intensity. We did a pretty solid job in this game in this one."

Given Wagstaff first arrived in Perth back in 2009 along with then girlfriend Stephanie after their time together at Denver's Metro State University, he can't help but be grateful to look back 16 years later.

He is now a husband, a father of three, and a 500-game NBL player with six championship rings to his collection.

"It does mean a lot and I reflect on when me and my (now) wife arrived Perth with not much more than a couple of bags to start life out," Wagstaff said.

"To now be still there 16 years later with three kids and being married, I feel like I've grown up with the club and a lot of my life has revolved around basketball and the club, and with the relationships you form and experiences you have.

"It's been a huge part of our life and I consider myself really privileged to have been there that long."

To then have some family there in Sydney on Sunday made it that extra special.

"It was great to have some family here and obviously Perth's a long way away, but growing up in Canberra it's relatively close to Sydney," Wagstaff said.

"So my sister and her husband were here along with their daughter. My aunty and my mum were able to make it too so it was nice to have a little bit of support so that was great."