Should Cal Bruton's Wildcats jersey be retired?

• There has long been debate among Perth Wildcats fans whether Cal Bruton's No.55 jersey should be retired
• Bruton played for the Wildcats from 1987-89 before stepping aside to focus on coaching the team
• He led the Wildcats to the 1990 NBL championship and is a member of the NBL Hall of Fame

The Perth Wildcats have such a remarkable history but one question won't go away: Should Cal Bruton have his jersey retired.

It raises the dilemma whether the criteria set should be overlooked considering the 71-year-old Bruton's significant impact at the Wildcats.

Jersey retirements can be one of the most divisive talking points in basketball and at the Wildcats, there was a long time before Mike Ellis, James Crawford, Scott Fenton, Ricky Grace, Andrew Vlahov and Scott Fisher were joined by Shawn Redhage and Damian Martin in the rafters.

Once Bryce Cotton and Jesse Wagstaff finish their NBL careers, it feels they will be the next up there too.

That leaves the question whether or not Bruton's No.55 should be up there too for the role he played in the early days of turning the Wildcats into a powerhouse.

Controversy around retiring numbers isn’t unique to the Wildcats. You can look around the NBL and make a stronger case for Alex Loughton with the Cairns Taipans, Mika Vukona at the New Zealand Breakers and Chris Anstey at Melbourne United (inherited from Tigers).

But the question about Bruton is one that won't go away and maybe that's largely because of how strongly the man himself feels he deserves the honour, but it is a fascinating case study.

Nobody can deny Bruton's role in setting the 'Cats up to be the power they are today as a 10-time championship winning force with the largest membership base in the country.

Bruton played three seasons in Perth and two of those were also with him as coach, and then took over from Alan Black as coach in 1990 to take the Wildcats to their inaugural championship.

It was short, but significant and the reality is he doesn't meet the criteria established for 200-plus games and multiple championships.

THE CASE FOR FROM CAL

Bruton won NBL championships as a player and coach, is in the Australian Basketball Hall of Fame and has received an Order or Australia Medal, but what continues to play on his mind is his No. 55 hasn’t been retired by the Perth Wildcats.

There is another quirk and it could well be retired but with Damian Martin's name attached to it after he did wear the number to start his Wildcats career back in the 2009-10 season before switching to the 53, which now is in the rafters at RAC Arena.

Above everything, and Bruton doesn’t want to feel like he's making a sales pitch, and it doesn't give him any satisfaction to be going over old ground, but what makes it mean so much to him is because he knows what it would mean to his family.

"I can honestly say it would mean the world to all of them, particularly my kids, extended family and the ones that are overseas who follow me, also the ones looking down on me, my mom, my dad and close friends," Bruton told basketball.com.au.

"Straight talk, I’ve personally been hurt by the snub, so much so I don’t really like to respond to any of it because it’s hurtful.

"When I reflect on my body of work with the Wildcats as a player and the sacrifices I had to make for my family (the strain led to a divorce), I am very proud to have come out the other side with my mental health intact, because I had to press on and be that great father, a great player, a champion coach, an Australian representative, HOF, all the while living in Perth.

"Now, I’m absolutely blessed at 71-years-old, to still be working with young inspiring players through my Bruton Basketball Foundation."

Bruton didn’t necessarily want to get drawn into the discussion because he doesn't want to feel like he's launching a campaign.

But he does acknowledge it's hurt not receive the recognition he feels he deserves for the sacrifices he made, and how hard he worked to help set the Wildcats on the course they've now gone on.

"This has been a hard one for me, simply because I feel like, I’m making a sales pitch for the right to be celebrated like some of my former players and for all the hard work I had put into helping the Perth Wildcats become a successful organisation, on and off the court, right from the start, doesn’t make feel good," Bruton said.

"Any player, coach or executive would love the opportunity to be considered for such an honour.

"The Wildcats supporters club have been campaigning for my jersey for years and it’s been 25 years since I moved over east.

"Modestly speaking though and please excuse me for singing my own praises but I felt I was amongst the best players on our team during my tenure (plus I had dual roles and was only ever paid for one).

"Whilst finishing up my playing career as the recipient of the Gordon Ellis Medal as the Wildcats MVP in 1989 and I was selected to the NBL All Star game 89 also but I had a hamstring strain so I gave my place to Mike Ellis. Once I retired I went out and recruited Ricky Grace to take my place."

There's no denying what Bruton did for the Wildcats on and off the court, and building the brand by being the ultimate showman and promoter on top of what he offered in a basketball sense. There's no question what that did to build the Wildcats. When Bruton looks at having his jersey retired, he feels some things trump an official criteria and that's the contributions he made.

"If I’ve made enough of an ‘impact’ to grow the Wildcats brand to become one of the most respected in the NBL, then just like the other players who are recognised, I feel I believe my jersey should be hanging up with them," Bruton said.

"I hear because I didn’t play enough games, and only have one championship. Now they have a criteria which I believe is very disappointing and somewhat disrespectful.

"What I do know is that we (Wildcats) went, from never having achieved a winning season, to the Grand Final series in my first year. That was hard.

"Having been the Wildcats playing general manager, whilst representing Australia at the same time and driving the corporate sponsorship, to becoming one of the most successful franchises in the country.

"That was through our sponsorship packages, having our own television show on the Wide World of Sports, radio shows, Town & Country schools programs, West Australian Newspaper column, clinics and camps… it was a lot of work and I had a great time bringing out the best in the west and I gave it my all as a player.

"When I reflect on being a player/coach in 87, capturing the imagination of the public, the sponsors and the kids, packing out the stadium, it was huge for the city and state. The Run, Stun and Have Some Fun was our catch cry!"

THE REALITY FROM WILDCATS LEGEND

Mike Ellis was the inaugural Wildcats captain, was skipper of the first two championship teams and went on to play 302 NBL games for the club, later had a stint as coach and has his legacy secured with his No.6 in the RAC Arena rafters.

He's also part of the selection committee who set up the criteria for future jersey retirements. That's why it's quite simple when the suggestion of Bruton's name comes up to go into the rafters – he doesn’t fit the criteria as an 82-game player.

"My first thought is no and that has nothing to do with Cal as a person and Cal as a player or as a coach or as an administrator, he just doesn’t fit the criteria," Ellis said.

"The criteria is there for a reason and it's a no-brainer that Cal deserves to be honoured in some way, but he played for three seasons and then coached.

"Is he eligible based on the way that he played the game? 100 per cent and he was good enough to have his singlet retired as a player for the way he played, he just didn’t play for us for long enough.

"He did a world of stuff for the club and he was instrumental in getting the club up and running from 87 onwards, and he was there up until we won the 1990 championship but only three seasons as a player.

"There's a selection panel for that reason to go through that criteria and that's the only reason, and the same can be used for Kevin Lisch, Nick Kay, James Ennis and any number of other guys.

"I'm not comparing any of those, but they also don't meet the criteria otherwise you'll run out of numbers and you'll have every singlet up there.

"There's criteria for a reason and if we start making exceptions for him, then you can do it for everybody and that's the difficult part, and I sympathise for Cal and understand where he's coming from."

It's nothing personal for Ellis when it comes to Bruton, he enjoyed having him as a teammate and coach, and is happy for him to have his significant contribution to the Wildcats recognised.

He just doesn’t feel the No.55 belongs in the rafters and in the bigger picture he's not sure even six-time championship winning games record holder Jesse Wagstaff is a lock.

Ellis also points to Paul Rogers, Martin Cattalini, Nick Kay, Kevin Lisch, James Ennis and a whole host of others who made significant Wildcats contributions, but don't meet the jersey retirement criteria.

"If we're retiring Cal's, does that mean we should be retiring Kevin Lisch's and a number of other guys who came over and played, and did spectacular things," Ellis said.

"Does that mean we need to be retiring James Ennis' singlet or Nick Kay, and Nick probably warrants it more because he was here longer and that's the official reason is that he just doesn’t meet the criteria.

"Cattalini is another example of that or Paul Rogers, he won a couple of championships and was league MVP but doesn’t fit the criteria so it's not a personal thing against Cal.

"Then you start looking down the road and if Jesse is one that's going to be a possibility and there's some arguments to say that not necessarily because he's only been a bit player as opposed to a high level player, but he's contributed spectacularly to the club.

"He's played the most games with the Wildcats by a long way so it's always a tough one no matter whose name is discussed. It's open to conjecture, and interpretation, which is why it can't be based on a gut feel and the criteria is in place."

Should Bruton's number be retired? Have your say below.