Sweet 16! Captain Wagstaff signs on for NBL25

The 37-year-old, who finished NBL24 just nine games shy of equalling Ricky Grace’s club record of 482, had his most productive season since 2020-21, averaging 6.5 points, three rebounds and 1.1 assists per game.

Wagstaff said it was an easy call to go around again and was hopeful the Wildcats could build on their semi-finals appearance last season.

“It’s exciting, I’m looking forward to it,” Wagstaff said.

“It happened pretty quick this year compared to previous years, but I’m super excited and I felt good throughout last year so hopefully we can do a few better this year.

“In previous seasons I’ve wanted some time off, just to see how things unfolded, this year my body felt good and I still felt good with what I was contributing on court so I was probably mentally ready earlier to make that decision to go again.”

Wagstaff, who’s captained the club for the past four seasons, became just the second Wildcat to reach 450 games after club legend Grace early last year.

The tough and crafty forward first joined the Wildcats in 2009-10 and won a championship and the NBL’s Rookie of the Year award that season.

He’s since gone on to win a record-equalling six NBL titles.

"We’re thrilled to have Jesse return for a 16^th season at the Wildcats," Wildcats General Manager of Basketball Operations Danny Mills said.

"As the captain of the club, his leadership and championship experience are invaluable for the team, especially for our core of young players, which he demonstrates daily with his work ethic and team-first mentality."