Wildcat Spark Plug

Hawkes Bay basketball player Everard Bartlett, 26, is fast establishing a reputation as Perth’s spark plug, emerging as yet another scoring weapon for the Wildcats as it looks to build on an impressive 3-0 start to the NBL season. Boasting the offensive efficiency to complement Perth’s up-tempo game style, Bartlett has made the most of his on-court opportunities to average almost eight points per game. Bartlett said training alongside some of the competition’s best guards had helped fast-track his improvement. “If you surround yourself with great players, you’re going to play great,” he said. As a development player with New Zealand, Bartlett took out the Slam Dunk Contest at the 2005 NBL All-Star Game.