"What have you got to say now?" Lowery praises Rillie

After two weeks filled with negative energy, the Perth Wildcats have found themselves in the post-season positions off the back of a pair of Round 6 wins, and former NBL champion Damon Lowery says he never lost faith in Wildcats head coach John Rillie.

Victories over Adelaide and Melbourne saw the Wildcats move to a 4-5 record on the season, ahead of Friday night’s clash with New Zealand, and Perth was forced to showcase a previously absent grit and grind mentality in both wins.

<iframe src="https://omny.fm/shows/nbl-now/nbl-now-nov-7-perth-answers-critics-and-attention/embed?style=artwork" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write" width="100%" height="180" frameborder="0" title="NBL NOW | Nov 7 | Perth answers critics and attention turns to the whistle"></iframe>

The injection of Hyrum Harris into the starting lineup proved to be the catalyst for the win over Adelaide, and Bryce Cotton’s return to his superstar self has coincided with the pair of victories.

Although he refused to say the Wildcats are ‘back’, Lowery liked what he saw from the previously embattled side in Round 6.

“The Wildcats are trending, they are definitely on the rise – and to the Red Army, all that yap, yap, yapping you’ve been doing, what have you got to say now?” he said.

“Perth was up 20 against Adelaide, lost the lead, came back and won. Came down to Melbourne and was staring at another L and found a way to win with Keanu Pinder fouled out of the game. This team is showing so much fight.

“Everybody is desperate, that’s the beauty of this season – every single round has implications and desperation, I love it.”

Rillie was typically bullish about his belief in his side in the post-match press conference following the victory over Melbourne, and said this weekend could be a turning point for his side if they “move forward in a positive direction”.

Rillie and Lowery played against each other in the NBL for half a decade in the early 2000s, and Lowery says he always believed his counterpart would begin to turn the narrative around.

“You can’t do anything but tip your hat to the Wildcats,” he said.

“John Rillie, who I never lost faith in because I know this guy a little bit – this guy is a fighter and the kind of coach you want to have, you want them to have qualities John Rillie’s got.

“There’s no quit in him, he’s going to fight so I figured it was only a matter of time. They’re definitely trending in the right direction.”

Perth will next play the Breakers on Friday at 9:30pm AEDT, live on ESPN via Kayo – Sky Sports in New Zealand.