What Brandon Knight calls 40-year-old Jesse Wagstaff

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NBA veteran point guard Brandon Knight ($277,000) lauded 552-game NBL veteran Jesse Wagstaff ($84,700) – "We don't call Jesse old. We just call him a skilled player" – as the Perth Wildcats arm-wrestled the Tasmania JackJumpers 98-92 in Round 9 of NBL27 at RAC Arena in Perth on Thursday, November 12, 2026.

The 40-year-old six-time NBL champion and Wildcats skipper came off the bench to help push the Wildcats back to .500 at 6-6, playing 18 minutes and 36 seconds and scoring 11 points despite a rough shooting night, going 8-for-8 at the line.

"We don't call Jesse old," Knight said.

"We just call him a skilled player. If he was 45 and doing it, you're doing it.

"You guys aren't there every day in practice, but what he does in the game, he's doing probably even more in practice. So, I'm a firm believer that whatever you put into the game, you'll get out of it. So, he prepares his body. Mentally, he's supporting guys. He's talking to guys.

"So, there's a synergy about it. When you're a positive guy, and you lift guys up, it's going to come out in your game. And so, that's why every game he's just finding a way to impact. It's not just about the playing, right? It's about his voice, how he's carrying, the leadership. All those things steamroll and pick up and snowball into him, making those types of impact plays every game.

"It's not a coincidence that it's the same guy making these impact plays. It's who he is, and it's much more than just the playing. It's how he prepares and how he's selfless. He's really one of the most selfless guys I've ever come across, and you can tell why he's been around for a long time.

"So I'm not going to call him old. I'm going to say he's skilled, really good player. As you can see, and it's funny, even like last game, his stat line: 16 minutes, 14 points, four rebounds, two assists. I'm like, I don't care how old you are; we need that."

Knight, 34, came off the bench after missing Perth's last game with hamstring soreness, and as they say, "class is permanent." He led all scorers with 23 points and five assists off the bench in his return, going 6-for-11, including 3-for-6 from three and 8-for-12 at the line, in under 21 minutes.

"I've been itching to get out there for a little bit now," Knight said.

"The team has been doing a great job of just keeping me kind of steady so I don't get too ahead of myself. But I already knew that if I'm gonna come back and play, our team needed some energy, and that was going to come from getting in the paint and pushing the ball; that's just what I've seen from sitting back and observing the last couple of weeks.

"We lack energy at times, and so how can I insert myself and bring energy, not necessarily making shots, but just putting pressure on the other team and getting guys involved and just doing whatever is necessary.

"I've been playing long enough to know my body, and so I wasn't really worried about my hamstring at all. I've been mentally ready to go for a while, but the team, they're excellent at keeping guys healthy for the season. So my mindset once again was just to be aggressive, try to be myself.

"And not just that, this is my sixth game, so with no preseason, I'm still trying to find myself and my legs and what that looks like to play in this league. So, I picked up a quick two fouls early 'cause I'm like, look, I haven't been getting certain calls.

"So, this is a more aggressive league. So I'm still learning the league, learning myself."

The JackJumpers dropped to 8-4 as head coach Scott Roth continues to battle injuries. He used just seven players, and all five starters played more than 30 minutes; Dakota Mathias ($145,200) played all 40.

"We don't have a big margin of error, and the guys fought like crazy and the third quarter was obviously an important separation point there where we just couldn't get some things done," Roth said.

"But our guys' fight was incredible all night, and Wagstaff and Angus Brandt had really impactful games for those two guys to get 20-some points between them. I love our effort; the grit and grind with us is real."

Tasmania led 48-43 at the half, but the Wildcats broke the game open in the third, winning the quarter 26-16 to lead 69-64 heading into the fourth.

Wildcats import Dylan Windler ($271,100) dropped 21 points on 8-for-12 from the field and pulled down 10 boards, while Tasmania's Will Magnay ($269,300) (19 points and 12 rebounds) and Josh Bannan ($317,500) (18 points and 12 rebounds) both had double-doubles.

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NBL27

Perth Wildcats vs Tasmania JackJumpers | Round 9 Highlights

Watch the highlights as the Perth Wildcats take on the Tasmania JackJumpers in Round 9 of NBL27 on November 12, 2026.

What you need to know

• The Perth Wildcats beat the Tasmania JackJumpers 98-92 at RAC Arena in Round 9 of NBL27 on Thursday, November 12, 2026, snapping a four-game losing streak to move to 6-6 and dropping Tasmania to 8-4.
• Tasmania won the first two quarters 21-19 and 27-24, led by as many as nine in the second and 48-43 at half-time; Perth won the third 26-16 and the fourth 29-28, and led by as many as 14 in the last.
• Brandon Knight ($277,000) top-scored with 23 points off the bench on 6-from-11, including 8-from-12 at the line, while Taran Armstrong ($304,700) led Tasmania with 20 points and seven assists on 7-from-18.
• The game turned on a 12-0 Perth run either side of three-quarter time that took a 64-62 deficit to a 74-64 lead, with Angus Brandt ($100,000) and Dylan Windler ($271,100) scoring nine of the 12, and Tasmania got no closer than four after it.
• Both sides made 33 field goals and Tasmania made three more threes (11 to 8), but Perth went 24-from-30 at the free-throw line to Tasmania's 15-from-22.

Milestones & Moments

• Kristian Doolittle ($317,500) brought up 1,500 career NBL points, finishing the night on 1,514.
• Jesse Wagstaff ($84,700) played his 552nd NBL game.
• Perth's win was their first since beating Melbourne United 103-102 on October 23, after losses to Sydney, Illawarra, Brisbane and Cairns. Tasmania's two-game winning streak ended.
• Tasmania used only seven players, and Dakota Mathias ($145,200) played all 40 minutes.
• This was the first of two meetings between the clubs in NBL27. The rematch is at MyState Bank Arena on Friday, January 1, 2027.

Perth Wildcats

• Brandon Knight ($277,000) top-scored with 23 points and five assists off the bench in his return from a hamstring injury, on 6-from-11, including 3-from-6 from three and 8-from-12 at the line, in under 21 minutes.
• Dylan Windler ($271,100) had 21 points and 10 rebounds, four of them offensive, on 8-from-12, and made all four of his free throws.
• Kristian Doolittle ($317,500) added 16 points and five assists on 7-from-11, including 2-from-5 from three, in a team-high 36:47.
• Jaron Rillie ($177,100) scored 12 on 4-from-6 with four assists, and made the two free throws that closed it out with 14 seconds left.
• Jesse Wagstaff ($84,700) made all eight of his free throws for 11 points in 19 minutes off the bench, despite shooting 1-from-6 from the field.
• Angus Brandt ($100,000) went 5-from-5 for 10 points, with three offensive rebounds and a game-high +16 in 15 minutes.
• Elijah Pepper ($202,700) was held to one point on 0-from-5 in 17 minutes off the bench.
• Perth shot 33-from-64 from the field, 8-from-24 from three and 24-from-30 at the line, with 36 rebounds, 18 assists and 10 turnovers.

Tasmania JackJumpers

• Taran Armstrong ($304,700) led Tasmania with 20 points and seven assists on 7-from-18, including 5-from-7 at the line, but turned it over four times.
• Will Magnay ($269,300) had 19 points, 12 rebounds (seven offensive) and five assists on 7-from-13, and made all four of his free throws.
• Josh Bannan ($317,500) added 18 points, 12 rebounds and five assists on 8-from-18, including 2-from-6 from three, in 37 minutes.
• Dakota Mathias ($145,200) played all 40 minutes and scored 17, every one of his five field goals a three, on 5-from-9 from deep.
• Kody Stattmann ($116,800) scored 11 with six rebounds on 3-from-6, including 4-from-6 at the line.
• Nicholas Stoddart ($69,000) had five points on 2-from-6 in 16 minutes off the bench, and was Tasmania's only player in the positive at +5.
• Ben Ayre ($117,700) had two points and two assists in 10 minutes off the bench.
• Tasmania shot 33-from-73 from the field, 11-from-29 from three and 15-from-22 at the line, with 41 rebounds, 22 assists and 12 turnovers.