Development or Success? Title-Winning Coach Breaks Down Decision

Team success can often come with the sacrifice of player development. Teams who are in a perennial ‘win now’ mode have the expectation of immediate success, and nothing else will do.

The Perth Wildcats are a side steeped in the history of success, and even with star guard Bryce Cotton recently saying the club’s new age should not be compared to the successful teams of old, the Wildcats are still a club – and a fanbase – that expect constant success.

Rob Beveridge’s tenure in charge of the club was crucial to laying the foundations of the immense championship run experienced under Trevor Gleeson. During Beveridge’s time in charge of the Wildcats they won the 2010 championship, but also suffered back-to-back Championship Series defeats to New Zealand in 2012 and 2013.

<iframe src="https://omny.fm/shows/nbl-podcasts/rob-beveridge-on-sen-may-23-2023/embed?style=artwork" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write" width="100%" height="180" frameborder="0" title="Rob Beveridge on SEN - May 23, 2023"></iframe>

“You take on something like the Perth Wildcats, straight away the expectation is ‘win at all costs’,” Beveridge told his former pupil Damian Martin on SEN.

“We had success early. We won, then it was a semi-final, grand final, grand final, so we got there, but there was an expectation that we must win every single game every single year.

“Even when I was at the Wildcats and we were successful, when we lost a game that Monday we’d have a board meeting to discuss the loss.

“If the expectation is that, you probably sacrifice the development side of things. You recruit James Ennis, Bryce Cotton, you can get the top players and you probably don’t have to be a great development coach – you have to be a great strategist."

Beveridge’s tenure in charge of the club saw Perth recruit a handful of genuine club legends.

He brought eventual six-time NBL champion and six-time Defensive Player of the Year Damian Martin across from the Sydney Spirit, eventual captain and current second all-time franchise appearance maker Jesse Wagstaff, and future Commonwealth Games medallist Greg Hire.

Beveridge and Damian Martin spent two seasons with the West Syndey Razorbacks/Sydney Spirit before linking up in Perth.

“My philosophy is always to try and find people with great talent and character, develop them, and keep them,” Beveridge continued.

“Keep the same group together for a long period of time, and I think that’s why the Wildcats were so successful.

“They had people like [Martin], Redhage, Wagstaff, all guys [who] were there forever.

“Then Trevor (Gleeson) took over, he did his bit, and he won all those championships.

“When the focus is all about ‘what can we do to make our players great’ and you build an infrastructure with the support of the board, that’s when you can be successful.”