THE enormity of Perth’s successful history was not lost on Trevor Gleeson when he signed on to coach the NBL powerhouse four years ago.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Gleeson knew the Wildcats were in the business of winning championships.
The Warrnambool export embraced the pressure, guiding Perth to two titles in his first three seasons.
Now he has the chance to add a third to his growing resume with the defending champions to face Illawarra in a best-of-five grand final series, starting in Western Australia on Sunday.
Perth called on its experience to win a final-round double-header to scrap into the playoffs for a 31st consecutive season.
The Wildcats then swept Cairns aside in a semi-final masterclass to reiterate their championship credentials.
“We’re lucky our team is used to playing under pressure and with pressure and it actually makes us better – as we’ve seen the last month,” Gleeson said.
“Sometimes it breaks teams but it actually makes us better.”
Gleeson said the Wildcats’ winning mentality meant they backed themselves in tough situations.
“We didn’t get caught on just trying to make the playoffs, we know we’re a championship-calibre team,” he said.
“With how strong this league is, you’ve got to be playing your best basketball at the right time of the year and that’s certainly us at the moment.”
Perth, with star imports Casey Prather and Bryce Cotton working in tandem, wants to use its renowned defensive pressure to rattle Illawarra.
“That is our strength – that’s our DNA and our backbone,” Gleeson said.
“They’re a scoring machine with Rotnei Clarke and (Oscar) Forman off the bench and AJ (Ogilvy) was in the (2017 NBL) first team.
“We know they’re capable of putting up big scores but recently we’ve been able to do the same, so hopefully we can run with them.”
Gleeson was full of praise for fellow Warrnambool export Nathan Sobey, who became a major threat for Adelaide 36ers this season.
Sobey scored 22 points in the 36ers’ shock game three semi-final loss to the Hawks on Thursday night.
“It’s been great to watch his growth and I am very proud of what he’s been able to achieve and he totally deserves the NBL second team,” Gleeson said.
“You have got to have that little bit of Country Victoria grunt in you if you want to make it to the national level and he certainly has that.”
The Australian Boomers assistant coach said Sobey piqued his interest as an athletic guard.
“He’s been on my radar for a while. A few years back he was at Ballarat and I went down to see him,” Gleeson said.
“I probably should have got him into the fold them but thought he was still raw.
“Two years ago we talked briefly and couldn’t really offer him a longer-term contract and he’s certainly got every club and even the Australian Boomers’ level looking up now.”