NBL25 season review - Elijah Pepper

The Australian-born, US-raised guard joined the Wildcats ahead of NBL25 as a local player and didn’t take long to show what he’s capable of.

Injuries to fellow guards Bryce Cotton and Tai Webster opened the door for increased minutes for the talented points scorer.

Pepper started in seven of his 31 appearances in NBL25 and had some impressive outings along the way.

The 23-year-old was ranked sixth in the Wildcats’ scoring across the season with 7.1 points per game.

He was fourth in the team’s three-point makes with 40, at a decent percentage of 34.5, the fourth-most steals with 28 and fifth in assists with 38.

There were several standout offensive games from the first-year Wildcat, who reached double digits on 12 occasions.

His best game against Sydney Kings in just his second NBL appearance when he put on 18 points to go with three assists and two steals.

He amassed a dozen points in a stunning final-term burst to nearly drag the Wildcats to a famous victory at RAC Arena.

Pepper also dropped 17 in a road loss to SEM Phoenix on November 3, to go with six rebounds, two steals and two assists, and 14 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals four days later against Tasmania which included a quarter-time buzzer-beater from long-range.

He’s currently plying his trade for NBL1 West outfit Warwick Senators, where he’s been named player of the round in his first three matches including back-to-back 50-point hauls.

The strongly-built shooting guard is locked in for a second season at the Wildcats and looks set to take the next step after a promising debut professional basketball campaign.