Hutchison: "We believe in our coach"

The Perth Wildcats have backed John Rillie to continue as the club’s head coach, with owner Craig Hutchison labelling him “a great leader, who has a vision for where he wants this team to go.”

Speaking to Code Sports, Hutchison said the Wildcats had “full faith” in Rillie to turn things around, despite falling to eighth place on the NBL standings with a 2-5 record.

“We believe in our coach and we believe in this team,” Hutchison said. “We’re confident things will turn in the right direction with some tweaks.”

Hutchison further reiterated his comments in The West Australian.

“John is our coach,” he said.

“He is a second-year senior coach who took us to the play-in games with a (play-in) win in his first year as a coach with no runway. He has our full and unqualified support as our senior coach and we back him in. We know this will turn.”

The Wildcats’ low point came in the first quarter of Friday night’s clash against the Brisbane Bullets, in front of their home fans.

They managed just nine points, while their biggest star Bryce Cotton had another tough night, managing just three-of-19 from the field.

Hutchison said he understood the frustration from the Wildcats’ passionate fan base, with reports of booing during the loss to the Bullets.

“Patience is a virtue. It’s a hard thing to have,” he said.

“Are we testing people’s patience? Yes. Would we like to be 4-3, 5-2 or 6-1? Yes. Is there a lot to work with and are we still in the hunt? Absolutely.

“It will turn. Whether it’s this Saturday, whether it’s Monday night or whether it’s soon after, hopefully it is sooner rather than later.”

The Wildcats host the Adelaide 36ers in another danger game on Saturday night, before travelling to Melbourne on Monday to take on the top-of-the-table United team.

Read the full story here >> Perth Wildcats owner Craig Hutchison speaks out on club’s 19-year low, coach’s future