Adelaide 36ers start pre-season training in the backblocks of working class Port Adelaide
The Adelaide 36ers’ trademark under coach Joey Wright has never been flashy which is why their new training base in working-class Port Adelaide suits them to a tee.
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THE Adelaide 36ers’ trademark under coach Joey Wright has never been flashy.
Fast? Yes. Entertaining? Definitely.
But at the heart of Wright’s teams have been characteristics he sees as far more important than the flashy stuff that fills highlight reels on MVP night.
Hardworking, team-first, humble and honest where the best player on the team is only as good as his teammates make him, and where stars who believe their own hype are either benched or moved on.
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So when the new-look 36ers squad assembled for the start of pre-season training at their new base at the Port Adelaide Recreation Centre on Tuesday, it was in a way, perfect.
Having been forced to leave their former training centre at Findon because stadium management gave prime time court access to the Adelaide Lightning which it co-owns, the Sixers tossed up between Wayville on the fringe of the city or the Rec Centre in the backblocks of working class Port Adelaide, which got the nod.
From the outside the stadium is tired and almost derelict, but it’s no more tired than the ageing arena at Findon.
But inside are three new spring-loaded courts that were laid at the start of this year, coaches have their own office space and players a renovated change room.
The new stadium at St Clair wasn’t considered an option because the floorboards are laid over concrete and believed to be too hard on the players’ legs.
“I have no concerns about the facility, the first thing as a basketballer that you worry about is the flooring and this flooring is one of the best in Adelaide,” Wright said.
“We don’t care, as long as the rims are round, the balls are round and the floor is great, nothing else matters.
“We didn’t have the opportunity to train at Titanium (Security Arena) when we needed to and still get out and do the community work in the evenings.
“It’s not frustrating. I’ve coached for a long time and moving venues is just part of it. Last year in Titanium the coaches didn’t have offices so if you wanted to sit down with a player and really nut out some quiet time we couldn’t do that, we were on the side of the court and that wasn’t great.
“And we had to move out of the facility quite a bit due to other events, so this will be consistent and we’re OK with the move.”
After a lung-busting beep test to welcome them back, Wright called his troops together and opened by saying his team’s mantra this NBL season would be defence.
“We have some good offensive players but we are going to be about defence,” Wright told his players before practice.
Only Ramone Moore was missing from the session as he arrives this weekend, and the only injury cloud hung over assistant coach Kevin Brooks who had his right wrist in a brace due to an RSI injury from playing too much golf during the break.
But shooting guard Anthony Drmic who had double foot surgery in the off-season looked sharp and captain Daniel Johnson — who reportedly put in lot of work since last season — was one of only five still standing when the beep test ran out.
“I’m just happy to have everyone in now, I’m cautiously optimistic and you guys will hear me use that every pre-season, but I’m very happy with the group we’ve got together so we just wait to see what happens,” Wright said.
Wright said leadership was the biggest deficiency in his team which fell from grand finalist to missing finals last year but he is confident it has been addressed in the off-season.
“We could have had a bit more toughness as well but leadership was probably the biggest thing, and I think we’ve got more than that (this season),” he said.
“I think we have a bunch of guys here that’s it important to them what they look like on the court and how they represent the uniform, so they’ve done that at other clubs and I think they’ll do that here.”
One of those is Kevin White who has joined Adelaide from Illawarra and is ready to deliver.
“When my agent floated my name to Joey and management Joey was quick to give me a call, we have a lot of respect for each other for the battles we’ve had in the past and it happened pretty quickly,” White said.
“That’s what the conversation was about, providing some leadership for the group we’ve got and the young guys coming through.
“Past teams I’ve played on I’ve been a captain and in the leadership group and it’s been people around me who have shown the way — James Harvey, Ben Madgen, Dave Andersen, Oscar Forman, and now to set the tone for these younger guys is an exciting time for me.”
White said he had no concerns about the club’s new training base.
“They’re good. At Sydney we were training out of Auburn Basketball Centre and Illawarra the Snakepit nothing has changed for 40 years.
“Here we have three courts and the facility to ourselves and it’s just nice to have our own space and an area the guys can get together.”
ADELAIDE 36ERS KEY PRE-SEASON DATES:
August 20-27: Games in the Philippines.
September 19-22: NBL Blitz in Tasmania.
September 27: Pre-season game v Melbourne United at Entertainment Centre.
October 5: Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City.
reece.homfray@news.com.au