Perth Lynx relishing life in WNBL spotlight with attacking game plan and a story that would make a great movie

Ryan Petrik is as much a movie director as he is a basketball coach. When the Perth Lynx coach says he’d rather lose 140-138 than win 62-60, he actually means it. Petrik understands sport is about more than wins and losses. It’s also about entertainment and he always aims to put on a show. This is the 10th season since the struggling West Coast Waves changed ownership and were re-branded as Perth Lynx. During that time the Lynx have won the most regular season games, played in the equal most finals series, scored the most points and made the most three-pointers. They entertain and they win. The club’s recent move to playing at the renovated Perth High Performance Centre (formerly HBF Stadium) has taken the off-court entertainment to another level with stage lighting and huge broadcast screens. Now when games start, it is lights, camera, action on and off the court. “We play a high octane style of basketball,” co-captain Anneli Maley said. “We score the most points and we do all of these amazing things. It is fun basketball. No-one comes to the basketball to watch defence. They come to watch scoring. They come to watch excitement. That is what we give. “Now we have a more professional stadium to play at. I look at the LEDs and everything feels like a NBL game now. Coming here is like watching a movie on a big screen TV instead of analogue.” Like a movie or sit-com, Petrik needs a cast filled with quality characters. He’s got the stars, the support acts, the new faces and the extras. And like any TV series, the story needs a plot that is full of twists, turns, agony and ecstasy. Agony like losing two grand finals in three years after missing free throws in the dying seconds. Even a Hollywood script writer would re-consider putting die-hards through that type of pain. Ecstasy like home grown talent becoming Olympic medallists and WNBA players. Thrills like club individual game records being set in the last decade for points (41- Sami Whitcomb and Courtney Williams), three-pointers (9 - Amy Atwell), rebounds (21 - Maley) and assists (15- Katie Ebzery). The club also experienced a record 14 wins in a row along with three grand finals. It’s a far cry from when the club went 15 seasons without playing finals, won just 52 out of a possible 329 matches and finished last for three years in a row. Respect went out the window when Melbourne Tigers coach Chris Anstey used the Waves as an example of mediocrity following a loss to the Perth Wildcats “If you turn the ball over 15 times and shoot at 29 per cent, you wouldn’t beat the West Coast Waves,” he said. Then Perth Wildcats owner Jack Bendat took over the licence with a desire to be different. He made the players full-time athletes and raised the bar as he aspired to win championships. The club’s game record holder Melissa Marsh retired 12 months before Bendat took over after winning just 34 of her 243 games. Marsh said the turnaround has been extraordinary. “We found it really hard to recruit quality players because the money wasn’t there,” she recalled. “But Jack Bendat injected money and we were able to recruit some great players. They paid people enough to lift standards. That’s been the big difference. There’s more professionalism. They’ve brought in quality people and it’s been really fabulous to see the transition. It’s exciting. “Winning breeds a strong culture. When you’re successful and you’re winning, it feels so much better. A couple of years ago we had Marina Mabrey and Jackie Young. “I was watching Marina in the WNBA and thinking ‘Oh my god. She played for the same team that I did.’ The quality of players means it has gone next level. “I was there courtside for the first game at the new stadium and was blown away. It was amazing.” WA Basketball Hall of Famer Andy Stewart was initially handed the task of turning the Lynx into a powerhouse. He’d won state league championships with an attacking style and took that strategy to the WNBL. Stewart previously tried to convince clubs to recruit a high scoring American dominating for Rockingham and couldn’t believe nobody gave Sami Whitcomb an opportunity. He signed her for the Lynx and Whitcomb rose to become a WNBA championship winner. Having lost the 2015-16 grand final, the Lynx won 14 games in a row during the 2017-18 season and were guaranteed to finish on top heading into the last two away games in Canberra and Townsville. Stewart felt an obligation to do the right thing by the competition, didn’t rest anyone and watched in horror as those pesky scriptwriters added a twist which tore Perth’s championship dreams to shreds. The league inexplicably handed home court advantage to the lower placed finalists for the opening game of the semi final series for the first and only time. That meant the Lynx had seven flights in eight days before finally playing in Perth and an exhausted team was swept in the play-offs. “We tried to do the right thing by the integrity of the league,” Stewart recalled. “If I had my time again, I’d have left the team at home. I remember walking around Perth after our awards night with Paul Maley, who was running the league at the time, and he apologised for what they put that group through.” Plenty has changed throughout the last 10 seasons with ownership changes and a constant turnover of players. But the club’s ability to target the players who have can thrive under their game plan has always stood out. Maley isn’t big but has had double-figure rebound tallies in 10 of her 13 games this season. She arrived at the club last season with a career three-point shooting percentage of 26.5 but has improved that figure to 39.7 per cent this season. Petrik loves athletes who can run and shoot the lights out. He compares his team to card counters at the casino. They know the numbers are in their favour and let bets ride through rough patches. The Lynx made just two of their first 20 three-point shots last weekend but Petrik told them to keep shooting. They made six of their next 12 attempts, wiped off an eight-point deficit and won by nine points to go 10-3 for the season. The club is well placed ahead of Sunday’s home game against Adelaide Lightning. Stewart likes what he sees and is confident Perth’s script has a pay-off coming soon. “You’d think the reward for all of the work that’s been done over the years would end up being a championship. That would be fitting,” he said. Perth’s only WNBL championship was way back in 1992 and Marsh is ready for the spotlight to shine on a second title. “I truly believe from the bottom of my heart they are going to win it,” she said. “You’ve got to score to win and I love that it’s high tempo, fast and energetic. They shoot the ball, they share the ball and they’ve been backed in individually. “But to have sustained success, you’ve got to have a solid defensive foundation. This year they have the players capable of doing that. Ally Wilson has been a fireball. Her toughness on defence could be the difference. “They’ve got a really exciting team. Having Amy Atwell back from injury, having Anneli Maley with so much confidence and with Laeticia Amihere being so talented means they’ve got the players.”