Adelaide 36ers to hold interviews for new captain this NBL season
Applications, interviews, references and votes — the Adelaide 36ers are changing the way they select their leadership group and captain this NBL season.
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The Adelaide 36ers’ new captain will have to apply for the job and front an interview panel armed with a list of references as the club seeks to fill a leadership void this season.
With Daniel Johnson no certainty to retain the role and vice-captain Nathan Sobey now playing in Brisbane, coach Joey Wright said he was changing the way his leaders were selected.
Last year the players voted for their captain while on the pre-season trip to Utah but this year will be different.
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“We’re going to do something a little different this year, we’re going to do an interview process,” Wright said.
“So they’re going to have to bring references, they’ll have a board that they’ll interview with, and that board will approve them along with myself and votes from the team.
“I was over in the States and talked to a coach to get that and I thought it was pretty cool.”
Wright said leadership and holding each other accountable on and off the court was the biggest area for improvement after the Sixers went from grand finalist to missing the finals last NBL season.
Tuesday was the first time his entire squad had trained together after US import Ramone Moore arrived in Adelaide on the weekend, and Wright was pleased with what he saw.
“This early in pre-season they’re showing a lot of energy, they’re competing, challenging one another and we have some guys who can make plays,” he said.
“We definitely made some reads and options that we typically haven’t made, so there’s some good basketball being played, some ugly basketball being played but there’s a lot of intensity out there.
“What we’ll have to see is what we’re like after losing two or three games, couple of injuries, then we’ll find out who we are.”
Fellow imports Eric Griffin and Deshon Taylor also showed their strengths in the paint and beyond the three-point line.
“He (Griffin) definitely can rebound the basketball, he’s a power player who goes up strong, and he’s a good passer as well. We like his ability to move the basketball, we’re happy with him,” Wright said.
“Deshon is a scorer, he led his team for scoring in college last year and was also their best defender, that was the reason we signed him — his ability to do both.
“He was hitting some shots and every game shot he’s taken, I do like that, I don’t care if you make it or not, the fact he wants to take the game shot means a lot.
“He moves the ball really well and finds the open guy, I thought that was something we’d be going to have to work on but he moves the ball extremely well.”
In other basketball news, Wright said he was surprised that his former captain and MVP Mitch Creek had missed out on Boomers selection for the upcoming FIBA World Cup.
“I think he’s one of those guys who can defend multiple positions, so it will be interesting to see what they do with some of the bigger three’s in FIBA basketball,” Wright said.
“You get a 6”9, 6”10 three man, who’s going to defend him? On both the wings, not just one wing.”
reece.homfray@news.com.au