Perth Wildcats vs The Hawks: Pre-Season Preview

Perth Wildcats recruit Todd Blanchfield believes his side’s opening pre-season game is an opportunity to test itself after months of training.

Tuesday’s game against The Hawks at RAC Arena ends a nine-month basketball drought and will be the first time the new-look Wildcats face any opposition.

“We’ve been mixing things up over the last few weeks of training, just to build those relationships,” said Blanchfield.

“Those relationships don’t form overnight, so tomorrow night’s going to be a real test to see where we’re at as a group.

“We’ve trained against each other every day, guys are really getting to know one another, I guess to be able to beat up on someone else and really go out, test ourselves, see where we are as a group is going to be fun, but it’s going to be important to us.

“It gives us a benchmark to be able to build from.”

Blanchfield’s first game in a Wildcats jersey also happens to be against the team he represented last season.

“I have a lot of former teammates still on that team, but, new ownership, new coach, pretty much a new group, but tomorrow night is more about us,” he said.

“Now we do have a start-date, we have a game to build towards and we’re really focused on that.”

The Hawks side will feature familiar names such as AJ Ogilvy, Emmett Naar, plus high-profile Australian recruits Deng Adel, Deng Deng and Cameron Bairstow.

Next Star and recent NBA Draft selection Justinian Jessup is also a notable highlight of their roster.

Perth will also get an early look at imports Justin Simon and Tyler Harvey.

The home team will be debuting plenty of new talent with import John Mooney, Kevin White, and Jarred Bairstow joining Blanchfield in making their first appearances for the Wildcats.

The Red Army will also see new development players Andrew Ferguson and Corey Shervill in action for the first time, while Wildcats Academy talent Mitch Clarke and Josh Davey will suit up.

Guard Wani Swaka Lo Buluk (groin soreness) will be the only rostered Wildcat missing from the game.

Tip-off at RAC Arena is at 6.30pm on Tuesday. Tickets are available via Ticketek.