Former Perth Wildcats coach Cal Bruton wants 14 teams in the NBL and a second team in Western Australia

The first man to coach Perth Wildcats to a NBL championship has called for a second team to be introduced in Western Australia, saying it would add a huge rivalry to the league.

Cal Bruton is in Perth for HoopsFest and will coach the ACT’s team at the under 18 club championships. He said basketball is booming at junior levels and believes there is enough talent in Australia for the NBL to have 14 teams.

He said Canberra and Gold Coast should be included in the expansion plan but the league should also look to give the Wildcats a cross-town rival.

“Perth can house another team,” Bruton said.

“There’s Fremantle. You’ve got the Dockers and you’ve got the Eagles. If you throw out another squad like that, then you’ve got something popping in the west.

“I can’t see it hurting anything. The Red Army is well and truly established since 1982.

“If you added another rookie franchise down in Fremantle and they’ve got something that can house them down there, or they could play out of here (RAC Arena) until they build something there, I think it would create a nice atmosphere. I’m sure they’d draw the support as well. We just need more teams. I don’t care where they come from.”

Every NBL team will play their round one game in Perth as part of HoopsFest. Former NBA star Luc Longley spent the morning at the under 18 club championships in Joondalup and caught up with Bruton and Fremantle Dockers star Michael Walters.

The ex-Chicago Bull previously had a share in the Wildcats and is now a part owner at Sydney Kings. The Kings and Wildcats have a massive rivalry and are rated among the NBL championship contenders this season.

Having HoopsFest in WA means Perth will have the advantage of playing 15 games at RAC Arena this season. The NBL have indicated HoopsFest will remain in WA if it is successful. Longley said he had no issues with a Kings rival getting an advantage if it helped to build basketball’s popularity.

“You can binge basketball for a week. That’s what I’ll be doing,” he said.

“Where it is will hopefully be secondary to what it is. If it becomes a focal point of the basketball community and gets everyone excited about the upcoming season then it will be where it needs to be. If that’s in Perth, it’s great for me. I obviously love it in Perth. But I’ve got a finger in the pie with Sydney too.”