Canberra basketball export Jesse Wagstaff has one eye on Australia's World Cup qualifiers, but the other is firmly on keeping alive a remarkable 31-season record in Perth.
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Wagstaff has secured his place in the Australian Boomers' 12-man squad to play World Cup qualifiers against the Philippines and Chinese Taipei at the end of February.
It opens the door for Wagstaff to force his way into the Boomers' rotation as coach Andrej Lemanis calls in fresh faces whilst NBA players are unavailable.
But Wagstaff has pressing matters in Perth to keep him busy. The Wildcats haven't missed the finals in the past 31 seasons and Wagstaff says the team has some "brutally honest meetings" to thank for keeping it in tact.
The Wildcats host the Cairns Taipans at Perth Arena on Friday night as their NBL title defence gathers steam.
The fourth-placed Wildcats are five wins clear of the fifth-placed Illawarra Hawks with just two rounds remaining, but Canberra product Wagstaff isn't content with another finals appearance.
He wants enough championship rings to furnish an entire hand - so things are just heating up for four-time champion Wagstaff.
"No pressure mate," Wagstaff laughed about keeping the finals record alive.
"The Wildcats have a fairly rich history with the play-off run and the championships. It's the kind of club you want to play for, you definitely don't want to be that year [that misses out].
"From the top down, the CEO all the way down, it's just a phenomenal organisation. It started well before I got there, and there's just some great names on some jerseys hanging up in the rafters.
"It's a tradition and from the top down it's a fantastic organisation to play for."
Things threatened to go awry for the Wildcats following two shock losses to the last-placed Sydney Kings but they bounced back against rivals New Zealand and Adelaide in a heated double-header.
"These games mean a hell of a lot, especially against a team that's also in the top four," Wagstaff said.
"They're not double games but one team gets a loss and one team gets a win so it's vitally important coming into this final stretch of the season."
The 31-year-old knows he has a fight on his hands to get game time, even more so to fight for a squad spot when the World Cup begins in August 2019.
The NBA won't release players for in-season qualifying windows but they will be available for the World Cup and Olympic Games, meaning Boomers head coach Andrej Lemanis will ring the changes.
"The opportunity to represent your country is a unique opportunity," Wagstaff said.
"You look at a sport like AFL and you never really get to represent your country. It's not going to be for the Olympic selection.
"They've spoken about these qualification windows qualifying for the world championships and when the big guns come back in, the guys from the NBA, they'll push a lot of the guys out, but as I said, a huge honour."
Lemanis will then be able to call on the likes of Canberra's Patty Mills, Ben Simmons, Matthew Dellavedova and Aron Baynes.
But that's not on Wagstaff's mind just yet - he's still got one spot left for a championship ring on his hand that he wants to fill.
