Former Perth Wildcats star and 2014 NBL Grand Final MVP, Jermaine Beal, joins the podcast to reflect on his basketball journey—from his standout college days at Vanderbilt, to his championship-winning years in the NBL, and beyond.
We dive into his time playing alongside future NBA and NBL talent like Festus Ezeli and AJ Ogilvy, his experiences in the NBA Summer League, and his journey through professional leagues in Europe and South America before landing in Australia. Beal shares his insights on playing for the Wildcats under Trevor Gleeson, winning two NBL championships, and setting records—including becoming the first player in the NBL's 40-minute era to hit 10 three-pointers in a single game, a feat that’s since been matched by Chris Goulding, Bryce Cotton, and Dejan Vasiljevic.
Beal also opens up about his short-lived stint with the Brisbane Bullets, the challenges of being released mid-season, and his final years playing in Belgium and Israel before transitioning into coaching.
Topics Include:
- What is Jermaine doing now, and thoughts on the legacy of the Wildcats' 2014 and 2016 championship teams (2:00)
- His thoughts on how the NBL has changed since he played here (7:00)
- Transitioning from college to pro basketball and the challenges of overseas leagues (9:00)
- Playing overseas in Poland, Belguim, Germany, Brazil and comparing them to Australia (11:30)
- How Jermaine was recruited by Trevor Gleeson and the Perth Wildcats (13:30)
- Forming a lethal duo with future NBA talent James Ennis (15:00)
- His cold start to his first year in the league and how he turned it around to win Grand Final MVP honors and the championship by season's end (17:00)
- Returning for season two in 2015 and falling short in the playoffs (24:00)
- His third year with Perth and teaming with Casey Prather to win his second title (32:00)
- Leaving Perth to play with the Brisbane Bullets (38:00)
- Reflections on his career highlights and biggest challenges (45:00)
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