The inspired move to bring Jerome Randle back to the Adelaide 36ers vindicated with two game-winning performances on the weekend
It was just before tip-off in Salt Lake City in October when Jerome Randle made his way to the 36ers’ bench, leant over and offered his hand to owner Grant Kelley. The inspired move to bring him back after two years is now paying off.
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An hour before tip-off in Salt Lake City in October, Jerome Randle made his way to the sideline and leant over the Adelaide 36ers’ bench to shake hands with the team’s owner Grant Kelley.
“We good?” Randle asked.
Just days earlier Randle had jettisoned into Utah to replace rookie import Deshon Taylor on the 36ers’ roster and had not yet seen Kelley who only arrived in the US on game day.
The last time they’d seen each other was in 2017 when Kelley had only just taken ownership off the club and Randle’s departure after two highly successful seasons was somewhat acrimonious.
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He took a big money offer from the Sydney Kings but was replaced by Casper Ware for this season.
But a lot can happen in two years, and by 2019, Kelley not only brought Randle back to the club, but by coincidence the two were seated together for the flight back to Australia to start the new NBL season.
“He leant over the bench in Utah and I thought it was a great moment,” Kelley recalled this week.
“Jerome and I never had any issues whatsoever, it was more in that era before we moved to the Entertainment Centre, the economics made it very difficult to have a marquee player of his level. Now we can.
“I would often see Jerome and (his partner) Jordan for dinner, I’ve met both their mums and now Jerome has moved back into the same area around Glenelg so it’s nice.
“I had a long conversation with Jerome as we were leaving the stadium (in New Zealand on Sunday night) and I said to him how proud I was of his extraordinary talent, but what I was most proud of was his leadership, on the court he is talking more and motivating guys around him.
“He has grown as a leader no doubt.”
He got a brilliant screen from Daniel Johnson which tricked the opposition and allowed him to find space.
“Credit to DJ for the screen – the screen was set in a way that didn’t give away a foul and allowed Jerome to get that shot up,” Kelley said.
Randle said it wasn’t planned for Johnson to flip the screen to allow him to change directions.
“I feed off DJ, I think he’s been doing a great job of flipping the screens and making it difficult for the bigs to show,” Randle said.
“We have a good understanding of my mid-range game so he has figured out a way to get me as free as possible.
“A lot of bigs just run up but he switched it at the last minute, I didn’t know he was going to do it, it just happened.”
Randle’s game-winning shot came just 48 hours after he delivered two game-sealing jumpers over South East Melbourne big-man Tai Wesley down the stretch at home on Friday night.
In both games the 32-year-old point guard also had game-high assists with eight against the Phoenix and four against the Breakers.
Randle said he has returned to Adelaide a different player but doesn’t necessarily think he’s changed as a leader.
“I keep hearing that but I’m not going to say I wasn’t a leader when I was here before,” he said.
“Everyone expected us to finish last and we finished top.
“I have taken a different approach to a lot of things this time, I’m still having big scoring games but my focus is winning and making sure the guys are happy.”
Having sat courtside for both of Randle’s game-winning moments in the weekend double header, Kelley says the decision to bring him back has been vindicated.
“What happened last night with two seconds left, the pressure in that arena, the noise the 5000 New Zealanders were making caused good players from both teams to miss free throws,” Kelley said.
“But Jerome was as cool as a cucumber. I’ve seen him do some special things but that was big. Big moment, big-game player and he delivered.”
The 36ers returned from New Zealand on Monday a game clear in fourth spot on the ladder ahead of Friday night’s clash with Illawarra at home.
The Sixers are expecting a record crowd of 8000-plus even without US superstar LaMelo Ball making the trip due to a foot injury.
In off-court news, Adelaide has been in talks with former Sydney Kings, Melbourne Tigers and Brisbane Bullets GM Jeff Van Groningen about taking up a basketball operations role.
Van Gronigen was most recently at Sydney last season when he helped the club land Andrew Bogut’s prized signature.
Adelaide has been without a basketball operations manager since Joe Tertzakian’s departure in the off-season.
reece.homfray@news.com.au