Knight was part of the 2003 under-20 world championship team that was coached by Beveridge with Wildcats' championship guards Damian Martin and Brad Robbins in that side.

He also played with Martin and Drew Williamson at the Sydney Spirit and West Sydney Razorbacks in his last stint in the NBL before heading to Hungary where he played last season with Soproni Sordogok.

Being familiar with the coach and several of the teammates will help Knight settle in smoothly to the defending NBL champions and having Beveridge as coach is behind the decision to go to Perth.

After the 2008/09 season where Knight was named the NBL's most improved player, he declared to Beveridge that he would come back and play with whatever team he was coaching on return to Australia after the Spirit folded, and he's followed through on that promise.

He can't rate Beveridge more highly as a coach, and is glad that former Sydney assistant Shawn Dennis is also joining the 'Cats.

"I've got huge respect for Bevo as a coach and what he's done for me through the juniors and up until now. I hold him in high regard. I told him before I left for Hungary that no matter where he went and was still coaching in the league that I would go and play wherever he was," he said.

"That's how it has worked out now. He tells you straight up how it is, he demands a lot of you and won't lie to you about anything. He tells you upfront what he expects from you and he will push you to get to that level. I had two years with him (Dennis) in Sydney when he was assistant coach and I used to do individual development with him, so I hold him in high regards too."

Knight arrived in Perth just last week after his time playing in Hungary and spending time travelling in the United States and the east coast of Australia.

The 24-year-old has now moved into his new house where Kevin Lisch will live with him when he arrives back in town, and Knight couldn’t be happier to be in Perth, playing with the Wildcats or any more excited about what lies ahead.

"It's good to be actually finally over here and slowly starting to settle into the place," Knight said.

"It's the first house I've owned and I'm very excited about it. I love the look of it and everyone that checked it out for me was definitely right about the evaluation of it so it's good.

"Kev is going to live with me too so that will be really good. He might have to show me around early on after he's been here for a year already. I haven’t met him personally yet, but we've talked online a couple of times and I'm looking forward to meeting him."

Rather than looking at joining the reigning champions as a challenge, Knight is excited to be coming on board at the Wildcats, especially to play with Robbins and Martin again as his point guard.

He will have a big job to do as well as he's likely to be the starting centre in the team and forced to go up against bigger men, but he's ready for that challenge.

"I'm really looking forward to it. They just won the championship last season and it will be fun to come in and be part of it, and hopefully to win it again. I played with Damo and Drew in Sydney, and have played against most of the others, so it shouldn’t take long to fit in with them all," he said.

"They are two of the best point guards I have played with and the way they go about their basketball makes it a lot of fun to play with them.

"It will be tough, but I'm looking forward to it. I've always had to go against taller players and it will be tough doing it again, but I'm looking forward to the challenge."

Looking back on his time in Hungary, Knight probably didn’t enjoy the lifestyle or basketball as much as he thought he would, but he is glad he got the European bug out of his system and now is ready to settle in Perth for the long haul after signing a three-year contract.

"It was different just with the weather and language barrier. Living in minus 20 degree temperatures for three months is not something I've had before," Knight said.

"It was a good standard, but not up to NBL standard. It was tough, the players were tough, but just not up to the NBL standard.

"I'm glad I experienced it, but I don’t think Europe is for me with the weather and that. It's always good to be home. I never experienced a sunny day like this at all, but having said that it's almost a summer's day for Tassie too. I'm looking forward to the weather here."

Following  a thrilling 2009/10 National Basketball League season that marked a renaissance for the NBL and just days after announcing the rebirth of the Sydney Kings, Basketball Australia have unveiled a new broadcast deal with Network Ten and its digital sports channel ONE.

In a move that is set to offer a wide array of commercial opportunities for the NBL, BA has signed a five-year deal to show games live on both ONE and TEN nationally through to the end of the 2014/15 NBL season. 

Basketball Australia Chief Executive Officer Larry Sengstock said the new deal was a great opportunity for future growth of the NBL.

“As a league the NBL has undertaken to reshape itself over the past two years in order to allow us to reform the sport commercially,” said Sengstock.  “This commitment from ONE and TEN is a massive vote of confidence in the advances we have made recently. 

“Coming on top of the success of the 2009/10 season with its 5% increase in attendance and sold-out Grand Final series as well as the recent announcement of the return of the Sydney Kings to the competition for 2010/11, this deal is fantastic news for the NBL and basketball in general.”

“Partnering with ONE and TEN will provide the NBL with significant and valuable cross-promotional opportunities and will be very attractive to sponsors and other prospective commercial partners,” Sengstock added. 

Network Ten General Manager - Sport David White added: “We are very pleased to be partnering with basketball in Australia and we recognise all the hard work that has been going into the reformation of the NBL.  Of course the NBL provides ONE and TEN with great sports content we can showcase throughout the summer months.”

Live coverage of the NBL will grow over the term of the agreement, starting with a minimum of two live games a week on either ONE or TEN in 2010/11 and increasing to five games per round in the final year of the contract.

As per standard Basketball Australia practice the financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

David Agnew from Churchlands in Western Australia took out the NBL’s official Tipping Competition run by Sporting Pulse, after correctly picking the winner in 80 out of the 112 regular season matches. 

As a result of a consistently good season Agnew won the grand prize of two tickets to Game Two of the 2010 NBL Grand Final series between the Perth Wildcats and the Wollongong Hawks, which will be played at ‘The Sandpit’ in Wollongong on Tuesday 9 March. Agnew will also receive two return airfares to Sydney and a night’s accommodation in Wollongong for his troubles.

The NBL Competition went down to the wire in the end, and Agnew says he felt the pressure in the closing round after holding just a one-game lead over his nearest opponent. 

“I will admit that there were a few nervous moments in the last round with the lead only being one point, but fortunately I still made it to the end in one piece,” Agnew said.

Agnew has been a Wildcats season member since the 1999/00 season and is looking forward to potentially witnessing them clinch their fifth championship. 

With the Wildcats needing to win to finish the regular season in top spot on the ladder and secure the all-important home-court advantage throughout the 2010 NBL Finals, Redhage produced a stunning offensive display as he helped take out the Townsville Crocodiles, 92-73, and secure the minor premiership for Perth for the first time since 1995.

Despite having some scoring struggles over recent weeks, Redhage’s round-high 32 points against the Crocs on 12-of-16 shooting from the field was just what the doctor ordered right before the Finals.  With his shooting radar on Redhage, even connected on one of two from the three-point line. With the opposition having to respect his shot, Redhage used his aggressive nature to get himself to the free throw line where he hit all seven of his freebies. He also exerted himself on the defensive end, blocking two shots and picking the Crocs’ pockets twice for steals while picking up two rebounds and one assist.

To open the second quarter, Redhage scored nine of the first 11 points, helping the ‘Cats open up a 13-point margin on the Crocs.  He also put all thoughts of a late Townsville comeback to rest as he reeled off the first nine points of the final quarter.

Despite the Wildcats finishing top, Redhage is the first Wildcats’ player to take out the NBL’s weekly honour this season, highlighting the strong teamwork that coach Rob Beveridge has instilled in his club and the way the team shares the load on both offence and defence. 

Wollongong Hawks’ power forward Cameron Tragardh was also outstanding in his two games during Round 20. His performances helped secure second place on the ladder for Wollongong, giving the Hawks home court advantage in the Semi Finals, something they could have only dreamt of at the beginning of the season.

Tragardh averaged 18.0 points and 4.5 rebounds in two games against the Melbourne Tigers and the Adelaide 36ers as the Hawks went 2-0 for the round.  His standout game came against the 36ers, where he hit 12 of his 16 shots, some of them when his team needed him most.  Tragardh’s teammate Glen Saville also was a big performer in the final round of the regular season, averaging 17.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists.

Kirk Penney again produced some scintillating numbers in the final round to help give the Breakers a chance to take the last spot in the playoffs. His 26 points against the Blaze and 27 against the Taipans showed why he is one of the hottest properties in the NBL.  Although the Breakers fell just short of a playoff berth, it was a great way for Penney to finish off an otherwise disappointing season for the Breakers.

Other players in consideration for the weekly award in Round 20 included Julius Hodge (Melbourne), Daniel Johnson (Melbourne), Kevin Lisch (Perth), Russell Hinder (Townsville), Chris Goulding (Gold Coast), Kevin Braswell (New Zealand), Mika Vukona (Gold Coast), CJ Bruton (New Zealand), Adam Ballinger (Adelaide), Matt Burston (Adelaide), James Harvey (Gold Coast), Adam Gibson (Gold Coast), Dusty Rychart (Cairns), and Glen Saville (Wollongong).

NBL PLAYER OF THE WEEK 2009/10
Round 1 – CJ Bruton (New Zealand)
Round 2 – Rich Melzer (Cairns)
Round 3 – Corey Williams (Townsville)
Round 4 – Corey Williams (Townsville)
Round 5- Mark Worthington (Melbourne)
Round 6 – John Gilchrist (Adelaide)
Round 7 – Adam Ballinger (Adelaide)
Round 8 – Julius Hodge (Melbourne)
Round 9 – Dusty Rychart (Cairns)
Round 10 – Oscar Forman (New Zealand)
Round 11 – Tywain McKee (Wollongong)
Round 12 – Tywain McKee (Wollongong)
Round 13 – Adam Ballinger (Adelaide)
Round 14 - Corey Williams (Townsville)
Round 15 – Julius Hodge (Melbourne)
Round 16 - Mark Worthington (Melbourne)
Round 17 – Kirk Penney (New Zealand)
Round 18 - Adam Gibson (Gold Coast)
Round 19 -Kirk Penney (New Zealand)
Round 20 - Shawn Redhage (Perth)

Perth knocked Townsville out of the playoffs two seasons ago and the Crocs returned the favour in February this year with a memorable win to eliminate the Cats on The Jungle floor.

That meant the first time the Crocs returned to Perth this season was going to be a heated affair with Corey 'Homicide' Williams Perth's public enemy No. 1 even if it was John Rillie's 10 three-pointers that sunk the Cats.

The game was as physical as any basketball contest is likely to be and certainly tempers were higher given the rivalry between the clubs and Williams, Stephen Hoare and Russell Hinder certainly were the focus with Brad Robbins and Shawn Redhage getting stuck in for Perth.

In the end, the Cats had too many weapons and the five-point victory moves them back to the top of the ladder.

Luke Schenscher had his best game as a Wildcat with 22 points and 12 rebounds. He received great support from Damian Martin (16 points), Redhage (14), Drew Williamson (13) and Jesse Wagstaff (11).

The win broke a two-game losing run for Perth and it will become even stronger with the signing of new import, and former Croc, Galen Young.

Hoare had his best game since joining Townsville this season from Melbourne with 19 points including two threes. Williams also scored 25, Hinder 11 and nine boards, Rolan Roberts eight and seven rebounds and Brad Williamson had 11 points.

Peter Crawford scored seven points and five assists on 2-of-5 shooting in his first game back with Perth after 166 games in five seasons.

The Crocs came out fast with a 7-2 run with Williams, Hinder and Michael Cedar all starting strongly, but the Cats hit back strong to then lead 13-10 after a good run of their own as things became heated early between Williams, Hinder and the Wildcats.

Hoare hit two big shots to get his night started to end the quarter and put the visitors up 19-18.

It was the Hoare and Redhage show to start the second quarter, with both going basket for basket and also getting into it that led to a technical being called on the Townsville player.

Redhage scored eight points in the first five minutes of the period and Hoare seven in the first three and-a-half as he hit his best form since coming to Townsville.

Perth did appear in control early in the second quarter, though, with a 28-21 lead, but Williams, Hinder and Hoare got going to finish the half and the Crocs went on a 16-6 run to lead 45-39.

Schenscher saw Roberts score Townsville's first four points of the third quarter on him and decided to answer by hitting his first three-pointer of the season. That sparked a strong period from the Wildcats as they scored 29 points to 16 to hold a 68-61 advantage.

Brad Williamson scored five quick points to start the last quarter to bring Townsville back within two, but Wagstaff scored four quickly, Drew Williamson hit a three and more threes to Martin Cattalini and Martin answered anything Williams or Crawford could do for Townsville.

Perth led by 10 with five minutes to go and Townsville could not get any closer than six in the closing stages.

Townsville (8-8) returns to play Melbourne at home next Saturday, New Zealand the following Thursday and then to prepare for the rematch with the Cats on New Year's Eve.

Perth (8-5) heads to New Zealand for what is sure to be heated rematch with the Breakers on Thursday and then a big clash in Wollongong against the Hawks on Saturday.

Perth Wildcats 94 (Schenscher 22, Martin 16, Redhage 14) bt
Townsville Crocodiles 89 (Williams 25, Hoare 19, Hinder 11)
at Challenge Stadium, WA
Crowd: 4400.

Beveridge had the ideal squad together coming into the season with Rogers and Martin Cattalini the seasoned veterans; Shawn Redhage, Luke Schenscher, Damian Martin, Drew Williamson and Brad Robbins in their prime; and Jesse Wagstaff, Stephen Weigh and Kevin Lisch the young guns.

However, the loss of Rogers to injury has left a hole in size and presence inside the paint alongside Schenscher, and in the veteran leadership the team has.

Centre Nick Horvath played in last year's championship with the South Dragons and Bakari Hendrix played with the Dragons two seasons ago, and Beveridge is looking at both, with former Townsville Crocodile Galen Young also on the radar.

Former Wildcat Rosell Ellis was as well, but he has signed to play in Saudi Arabia.

Any of the three would provide plenty of size, toughness, experience and leadership to the Wildcats and Beveridge is confident of bringing one of them in soon.

After bad experiences in pre-season with imports Theron Smith and Matt Freije coming close, but not signing, Beveridge won't be jumping for joy about a new arrival until he has signed the contract.

However, he and the club will not bring someone in who compromises the character of the club, as has been reported elsewhere. Despite some past mistakes, Beveridge believes the trio all possess the right character.

"Right from the start when Rogey got hurt we've been in the position to bring in an import to replace him and as the season goes on, we now definitely need to look at that. That's why we are looking at several people and Galen Young is one of them," Beveridge said.

"Until we get a 100 per cent verbal commitment and the agents agreeing to terms with our management, there's no point really jumping up and down too much about it. In everything we do character checks and there's no doubt that we are doing our due diligence.

"We have with Bakari Hendrix because he got in a big scuffle over in New Zealand with Casey Frank in a game, so everybody has something in the closet and if you don’t do your due diligence, it can come back and bite you."

Young, 34, had a strong season with Townsville in 2007/08 where he proved to be a strong rebounder and presence in the paint. Despite a drink driving charge, the Crocodiles organisation all speak highly of the 196cm forward and he has learned from that mistake that cost him plenty.

"When you speak with the CEO (Ian Smythe), coach (Trevor Gleeson) and people he's played with at Townsville, they all speak very highly of him as a person and character. He made a bad choice, he really did, and he has regretted it. He didn’t have his contract renewed, he never got fired, and Trevor and Ian said they needed a scorer that's why they replaced him after that season," he said.

"They said he was good and if we get him, it will be a situation where he can fill a great role for our team. It's about not recruiting over the likes of Weigh and Schenscher, the thing that stands out to us as an organisation is that not having Paul Rogers play for us is a massive loss from an experience and leadership perspective.

"Right now we are lacking that veteran in the team and we've spoken about how successful teams have two or three senior players, two or three in their prime and three or four up and coming stars. It definitely is about character, there's no question about that, and we want people with a great attitude and work ethic. Everybody makes mistakes and if Galen's made one, he's regretted it."

Beveridge was excited about what a fresh and fit Rogers could offer this season, but that left a hole in the squad when he got injured in just the second game. He now wants someone to take over the role he set out for Rogers while at the same time not affecting young players' development.

"Paul would have had that role of being a great screener, rebounder and teammate for those young guys so that when things go down the gurgler, you have someone who can settle the ship. Over the last couple of games we've been a little bit unsettled and that's an experience factor," he said.

"We need to look at bringing in an older veteran to bring some stability. The intention isn’t to take away too much court time from those players. All the players will have their minutes effected to an extent, but it's all about exposing them to court time still because that's the only way they'll get better."

Sam Harris shouldn’t see it as any disrespect to him either, as he has shown some encouraging signs for the future and the Wildcats are committed to continuing to help him develop.

"We've made a commitment to him. He's made a massive sacrifice by coming over to Perth with no expectations whatsoever, we brought him in on the injury waiver for Rogey and it's always hard, but he fully understands the situation that we are young and need a veteran player. He has a wonderful attitude, will continue to work hard and we've made a commitment to his development."

Where and When: Saturday 26 September, Cairns Convention Centre, 7.30pm (local)

Pre-season
Taipans: 5-3
Wildcats: 1-6

Season so far
Cairns 1-1
Wildcats 1-0

Past Three Head-to Head
Perth Wildcats 77-81 Cairns Taipans Challenge Stadium, Round 17, 2009 Cairns Taipans 85-101 Perth Wildcats Cairns Convention Centre, Round 10, 2008 Perth Wildcats 86-78 Cairns Taipans Challenge Stadium, Round 9, 2008

Season Series
First match

Current Standings
Taipans 5th
Wildcats 8th

Cairns lost its opening game to New Zealand but got its season rolling with a convincing 86-75 victory over the Adelaide 36ers.

In that game Phill Jones, Gary Boodnikoff and Julien Mills scored 16 points each while Dusty Rychart was an important player too with 10 points and 14 rebounds.

The 23-12 final quarter was a real positive for the Taipans as it suggests their players have a good fitness base at this stage of the season and they have the ability to respond to pressure - the Sixers led by five late in the third quarter before the home side responded.

Jones has the hot hand at the moment and has scored 40 points from his two games this year while Mills has made a strong start to the season too and both will be the men to stop on Saturday.

There will be mixed emotions for Cairns supporters when Martin Cattalini returns to the Snakepit as a Wildcat.

Cattalini will be a little on edge but the nerves associated with playing his old club should bring the best out of the veteran.

The Wildcats never gave in during their 94-92 loss to Wollongong last week and the Taipans can expect the same on Saturday.

Shawn Redhage top scored in that game with 20 points while Kevin Lisch and Luke Schenscher were also solid contributors and will again be important players this week.

Two games in two days is always a big ask so expect the Taipans to finish stronger than the visitors for the second week in a row.

Sportal Tip: Taipans by 15

Season Series
First match
 
Current Standings
Crocs: 2nd
Wildcats: 5th

Townsville has the home court advantage but will be up against a Perth outfit which is desperate to record its first win of the season and exact revenge on the Crocs who knocked them out of last season's play-offs.

The Wildcats were expected to win last year's final and the enduring image of Corey Williams' enthusiastic celebrations after the upset result would've stung the proud club.

Whether Perth can find redemption this weekend is another question.
Townsville made the perfect start to the season by jagging a thrilling away victory against the Gold Coast. The Blaze's James Harvey had a shot to tie the match on the buzzer but the luck was with the Crocs on this occasion.

Rolan Roberts and Williams were Townsville's most impressive players - Roberts scored 11 points, pulled down 12 rebounds and secured a pair of steals while Williams' game featured 15 points and eight assists.

Roberts, who had a good battle with Greg Vanderjagt last week, will have another tough assignment when he goes up against twin towers Paul Rogers and Luke Schenscher.

In contrast Perth was on the other side of a thrilling result, losing 94-92 to the Wollongong Hawks. Shawn Redhage started the season strongly with 20 points and eight rebounds while Kevin Lisch and Schenscher were the other major contributors.

Perth has a tough weekend ahead, Townsville on Friday followed by Cairns on Saturday, so success in the first game is vital. The Wildcats have everything to play for but expect the Crocs to fire-up for their opening game in front of their loyal supporters.

Sportal Tip: Crocodiles by 7 points.

An electrifying debut performance by Wollongong import Tywain McKee has lifted the Hawks to 94-92 victory over the Perth Wildcats at the WIN Entertainment Centre on Friday.

In their much anticipated season opener, the Hawks rewarded their supporters who helped keep the team in the competition with a thrilling performance.

The Hawks seemingly had the game won, up 94-89 with 28 seconds to play, but escaped with a narrow win after Martin Cattalini drained a three off an inbound steal to pull within two points.

The Hawks missed their last five free-throw attempts to give the Wildcats a sniff at stealing the game and they almost did, but Stephen Weigh's long range attempt rimmed out with two seconds remaining.

Shawn Redhage also made a last gasp attempt from beyond halfway on the buzzer.

McKee made a sensational start to his NBL career, streaking inside for a sweet floater on the opening possession.

From there, the playmaking virtuoso was unstoppable, beating every defensive scheme the Wildcats threw at him.

The Coppin State product finished with a team-high 22 points, seven assists and a solitary turnover. Cam Tragardh had 20 points and 10 boards and Glen Saville added 17 points.

Wollongong helped its cause with a 12-of-22 clip from long-range to counter Perth's size.

Redhage finished with 20 points and eight rebounds, but the Wildcats only got a combined 14 points and seven rebounds from both Luke Schenscher and Paul Rogers.

With McKee at the helm, the Hawks quickly jumped ahead 10-5, although the Cats fought back to grab a brief 16-15 lead on Jesse Wagstaff's jumper.

Larry Davidson's triple helped the Hawks close the quarter 9-2 to hold a 24-18 advantage.

McKee gave his team an early nine-point buffer in the second stanza after blitzing his way coast-to-coast and finishing with an off-balance layup.

Perth took advantage while McKee sat on the bench, Weigh posting five quick points as the visitors pulled in front 36-34.

Rhys Martin's three steadied Wollongong and triggered a run of five consecutive threes for the Hawks to close the half up 50-43.

Martin and Mat Campbell each knocked down a pair of bombs during the amazing run, with Campbell completing a rare four-point play.

The Hawks picked up the pace early in the third and with McKee quarterbacking, they extended their lead to 16 (65-49).

Wagstaff helped fuel a 15-6 run for Perth to close the period and Wollongong's buffer was reduced to seven (71-64) heading into the final quarter.

A three-minute scoring drought by the Cats to open the fourth proved costly as Hawks expanded the deficit to 14.

Kevin Lisch drilled a pair of threes in the final two minutes to pull the Wildcats to within four (89-84), but a Saville three kept Wollongong afloat with 28 seconds to play.

The Wildcats (0-1) are on the road again next Friday against the Townsville Crocodiles, while the Hawks (1-0) are on the road against the Gold Coast Blaze next Saturday.

Wollongong Hawks 94 (McKee 22, Tragardh 20, Saville 17)
Perth Wildcats 92 (Redhage 20, Lisch 12, Schenscher 11)
@ WIN Entertainment Centre, 25/9/2009. Crowd: 3,556.

Where and When: Friday 25 September, WIN Entertainment Centre, 7.30pm (local)

Pre-season
Hawks: 6-1
Wildcats: 1-6

Past Three Head-to Head
Perth Wildcats 89-77 Wollongong Hawks, Round 5, 2008 Wollongong Hawks 85-82 Perth Wildcats, Round 4, 2008 Perth Wildcats 105-92 Wollongong Hawks, Round 3, 2008

Season Series
First match

Current Standings
N/A

The Hawks take good form into their opening clash after beating the Breakers 94-88 in the final of the Top End Challenge played earlier this month. It saw them claim their first trophy in seven years.

Cameron Tragardh will be full of confidence after being named the MVP for that competition after averaging 27.7 points per game while recruit Ty McKee hasn't taken long to find his feet with his 20-point, five-rebound, three-steal performance in the final.

Larry Davidson and Glen Saville were also handy contributors and are set to have an impact on Friday.

More recently the Hawks had a win and a loss in the Hood Sweeney Pre-season Challenge against the Adelaide 36ers.

The Wildcats lost to the Townsville Crocodiles, the Cairns Taipans and Melbourne Tigers in Darwin.

Coach Rob Beveridge has admitted his side has had an 'enormous amount of disruptions' during the pre-season so don't be surprised if they make a slow start to the season proper.

Former Adelaide 36er and NBA player Luke Schenscher only joined the team this month and played just 29 minutes in Perth's last top-end game. He could take a while to gel with his new team-mates and get his own personal game going.

Schenscher joins Paul Rogers and Sam Harris in the seven-foot club at the Wildcats and if they click their height advantage will be a plus in this one.

But expect the Hawks' home-court advantage and more settled build-up to the season to get them across the line.

Tip: Hawks by 10