Perth Wildcats’ legacy has many great NBL players

I would sneak from the highest of seats to any position closer to the court.

I remember James Crawford with a powerful slam against the North Melbourne Giants sealing a championship.

I remember Eric Watterson knocking down corner threes. I remember Rashad Tucker getting a triple-double at the Burswood Dome and I remember Scott Fisher belly sliding after Wildcat victories.

The list could go on but it shows the effect the Wildcats history has had on me and countless others.

One of the reasons I wear No. 4 is because of Eric Watterson, not regarded as the superstar on the team, he epitomised what it means to be a Perth Wildcat. The Wildcats cemented their legacy through the ’90s because of their tough-minded play, ferocious intensity on defence and excitement on offence.

Nothing gets me more pumped than seeing footage of some of the intimidation tactics used by former captain Andrew Vlahov, who will go down as one of the all-time leaders of the game.

As we celebrate this week’s heritage round, our emphasis is on creating our own legacy.

There have been a number of times I’ve listened to strangers talk about the Wildcats heydays with Ricky ‘Amazing’ Grace and the like.

It would be incredible to meet years from now and hear them say how special Casey Prather was or how Damian Martin’s quick hands could steal the hubcaps from Daniel Ricciardo’s car.

Or they might say, “how about that Greg Hire? He had horrible hair, but geez he gave it his all and was vital in that team’s success”.

Now that would be nice!

I’m extremely fortunate to have won one championship with this team, but definitely rue the missed opportunities.