New Perth Wildcats recruit Elijah Pepper reveals John Rillie first scouted him as a high school student in USA

A relationship with head coach John Rillie forged in the United States has paved the way for new Perth Wildcats recruit Elijah Pepper to return to the country of his birth. The former University of California star guard has revealed his first contact with the now-Wildcats boss was while he was at high school, where Rillie tried to recruit him to Santa Barbara, where he was an assistant coach. When the Victorian-born 22-year-old missed out on last year’s NBA draft, Rillie was quick to reach out. As revealed by The West Australian on Thursday, Pepper has joined the club as a local player, adding to a back-court that already includes Bryce Cotton and Tai Webster. “He recruited me through high school, I ended up going to a different school that was in his conference and we ended up playing against each other twice a year,” he said. “And then we maintained a bit of a relationship outside of season obviously — you don’t walk to talk with the enemy so to speak. “He was in close contact with my family and stuff like that and he got the job over here and when I entered the draft last year he reached out and said ‘hey, we are still really interested, we’d love to be a part of that conversation’. “Then after this season ended we started that conversation up again and decided it would be a really good fit and now we’re right here.” Pepper, whose father Ryan played NBL for the Hobart Chargers, moved to Washington State for school. He then became UC’s greatest-ever point-scorer. “That’s first and foremost what I pride myself on, just working as hard as I can and getting in the gym and doing my due diligence. Getting my reps up and making sure I’m ready to work when it comes to game time,” he said. “Offensively, I’m a scorer. I’m a three-point shooter, I’m good for spacing, but I will do whatever I have got to do to play and I’m just excited for the opportunity. “He is one of the main reasons I play the game of basketball, I grew up watching him, I came to the gym with him every day, he raised myself, my two younger brothers and my sister in it. “Basketball has been, not only my life, but his life as well.” Pepper’s Australian passport means the Wildcats can still recruit one import to join Kristian Doolittle and Bryce Cotton. They are also in talks to bring another Next Star talent to the club after the raging success of French beanpole Alex Sarr. “Elijah processes a competitive nature and a great work ethic that will allow him to have success early in his professional career as a Wildcat,” Rillie said. “His strengths as a player are his ability to score and shoot the ball. At the defensive end of the floor he has good instincts that allow him to be disruptive at that end of the floor.”