Wildcats appoint new head coach

Former Boston Celtics assistant coach Scott Morrison has put pen to paper to become the Perth Wildcats head coach for the next three seasons.

Morrison served under Brad Stevens at the Celtics for the last four NBA seasons. Prior to that, he was the head coach of the NBA G-League’s Maine Red Claws, where he was named Coach of the Year in 2015.

The Canadian is thrilled to be heading down under.

Watch Scott Morrison's first Perth Wildcats press conference in full.

“Outside of the NBA, the Perth Wildcats head coach position was one of the best available in the world. Perth is a great city in an English-speaking country, making it an easy transition for my family. Any time you get a great career opportunity and a great opportunity for your family, you have to go for it.

“I’m excited for the challenge, I’m excited to get back to being a head coach after a few years of being an assistant, and I’m very honoured to be joining Perth’s great history of winning.

“There’s an expectation for this organisation to do well, and to live up to the past, but that’s not something I’m afraid of. I’ve always been the kind of person and competitor that embraces the pressure. It just makes achieving your goals that much sweeter.

“I know that the Wildcats 10 championships is a record for the league, which makes it easy for us to determine what the next goal is; and that’s number 11.

“To be successful as a coach you need to be a part of a great team, and there’s a great staff and a great group of players already in place that I’m excited to get to know and learn from.”

Scott Morrison began his coaching career at the collegiate level in Canada, successfully serving as the head coach of the Lakehead University for 11 years.

During this time, he began his involvement with Canadian national programs, serving as an assistant coach for the national junior team from 2012, and the senior men’s national team from 2016.

After spending a year volunteering with the Maine Red Claws, he took over the head coach position in 2014 and went on to become the franchise’s winningest coach.

A standout 2014/15 season saw Morrison coach the D-League Select team at the NBA Summer League.

Ahead of the 2017/18 NBA season, he was promoted to the assistant coach of the Boston Celtics.

“I first met Scott eight years ago when he was an unpaid intern for the Maine Red Claws and have stayed in touch with him while watching his career trajectory take off. To take the steps he has with a historic franchise like Boston has been very impressive,” said Perth Wildcats general manager of basketball operations, Danny Mills.

“He brings a well-rounded mix of player development as well as offensive and defensive philosophy that resonates with the NBL, given his FIBA background in Canada working with their national teams, both junior and senior.

“That stood out to us. He has the G-League experience as a head coach, he’d already coached for over 10 years at the college level in Canada. he understands the global game and he’s had front bench assistant experience in the NBA with the Celtics.

“For us, that made him a standout candidate.”

Perth Wildcats CEO Troy Georgiu said, after an intensive recruitment process, the team is in great hands.

“We’re entering a new era for this club so it was vitally important that we didn’t rush the decision and took a diligent approach to appointing our new head coach. A number of very high-calibre candidates, from both Australia and overseas, were interviewed,” he said.

“Scott came with numerous recommendations from many well-respected people within the NBA. He impressed us with both his coaching history and how he presented. I’m confident we’ve picked the right person for the job and look forward to welcoming he and his young family to Perth.”

Scott Morrison succeeds Trevor Gleeson who, after coaching the Wildcats for eight seasons and winning five championships, accepted an assistant coach role with the Toronto Raptors.

The Perth Wildcats coaching staff is now complete, with Morrison leading a team including associate head coach Mike Kelly, assistant coach Luke Brennan plus development coach and video coordinator Keegan Crawford. Josh Cavanagh remains physical performance manager.

Scott Morrison becomes the 14th head coach of the Perth Wildcats in its 40-year history.

Scott Morrison

Boston Celtics Assistant Coach 2017-2021

Boston Celtics NBA Summer League Head Coach 2019

NBA D League Select NBA Summer League Head Coach 2015

Maine Red Claws Head Coach 2014-2017

Canadian Junior and Senior National Teams Assistant Coach 2012-2018

Lakehead University Head Coach 2003-2014