Perth Wildcats coach Trevor Gleeson will beam with pride when the club unfurls its ninth NBL Championship banner but he'll realise how tough it will be to snare No.10 as soon as he lowers his eyes.
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The club's faithful 'Red Army' fan base will bask in the glory of last season's title when the Championship banner is unfurled before Saturday's grand final re-match with Melbourne United at RAC Arena.
The Wildcats had to overcome plenty of adversity to win that title, with a worrying mid-season slump almost derailing the Championship charge.
The quality of players in the league has gone up significantly since then, and Perth's title defence will receive an early test against the title favourites.
Although United will be without injured duo Casey Prather and David Barlow, they will still boast a star-studded line-up featuring the likes of Shawn Long, Melo Trimble, Mitch McCarron, and Chris Goulding.
United are expected to come out breathing fire after suffering a shock 91-88 loss to newcomers South East Melbourne Phoenix in Thursday's season opener.
Gleeson says his team will have to be on song to stop United's charge.
"They've got some guys who can really light it up," Gleeson said.
"Chris Goulding can win a game off his back. Once he gets his eye in, he's lethal.
"Trimble, Long, McCarron - they're very talented. They can score in a hurry.
"It's going to be a tough, physical game."
Gleeson resisted calls to add a third import to his roster last season.
But that approach changed when Angus Brandt departed, with Gleeson bringing in undersized centre Dario Hunt this season.
Hunt and Major Majok will have their hands full with former NBA centre Long, who tallied 26 points and 13 rebounds against the Phoenix.
"The physicality has to be there. We can't just let him catch the ball where he wants to," Gleeson said.
"He's a prime-time player, and we saw that last year when he was with NZ."
Gleeson declared Terrico White (wrist), Mitch Norton (groin), and Clint Steindl (neck) fit to face United.
The veteran coach said it would be a proud moment when he sees the Championship banner get unfurled.
"It was a great year last year and we had to fight for everything we got," Gleeson said.
"It's going to be a great, exciting challenge to see if we can get to the top of the pinnacle again.
"The league's got better, the talent's got better. It's an exciting time."
Australian Associated Press
