Who makes our Adelaide 36ers team of the decade?
Jerome Randle is a lock at point guard and Joey Wright as coach but who else makes the Adelaide 36ers’ team of the decade? We name our starting five and bench here.
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Two grand finals and a league MVP. A ladder-leading season, four finals campaigns and three All-NBL team representatives.
The Adelaide 36ers have been nothing if not competitive for the past 10 years but who makes up their team of the decade and the starting five?
Coach of the decade is easy. Joey Wright took charge of the team from Marty Clarke after the Sixers had finished eighth, ninth and eighth and they immediately improved.
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Adelaide finished Wright’s first season (2013-14) in second place after losing the grand final to Perth.
They then went third, fifth and first when they lost to Illawarra in the 2016-17 semi-finals, made the grand final the following year when they lost in game five to Melbourne United then finished fifth last season missing out on finals by percentage.
STARTING FIVE
POINT GUARD
Jerome Randle
Randle joined the 36ers for the 2015-16 season and played a starring role, making the All-NBL team and the following season he was named the league’s MVP when he averaged 21 points and five assists per game, as the Sixers finished on top of the ladder. He then accepted an offer to join the Sydney Kings for the next two years but returned this season where he has cemented himself among the best point guards in the competition.
SHOOTING GUARD
Nathan Sobey
Sobey went from bench player to starting guard and international Boomer in his time with the 36ers. He was recruited from Cairns for the 2015-16 season and the next year was named in the All-NBL second team. He played an important role in Adelaide’s 2017-18 grand final season when he 12.9 points per game, and was vice captain in his final season when his average scoring increased to 16 points per game and a career-high five assists before joining the Brisbane Bullets in 2019.
SMALL FORWARD
Mitch Creek
Eight years of service culminated with a grand final when the 36ers fell one game short of a championship, and his first club MVP award when Creek left to chase his NBA dream in the US. The fan favourite from country Victoria joined the 36ers from the AIS in 2010 and developed his all-round game by improving his shot to match his athleticism. In his MVP year with the Sixers he averaged 14 points, five rebounds two assists and a steal per game. Creek also captained the Sixers for one season before his controversial departure to join Brooklyn in the NBA but his impact will never be forgotten.
POWER FORWARD
Daniel Johnson
DJ has just about done it all in a 36ers uniform. Four MVPs (2011-2012, 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2018-19) to go with three All-NBL team appearances and a stint as club captain, he’s played in both grand final series in the past decade and the only thing missing from his resume is a championship. A scoring machine, he can play the four or the five and his hook shot or spinning fadeway has become his signature move. His career-high scoring was in 2013-14 when he went at 19 points per game and for the past five years he’s averaged 15 points or better in a model of consistency.
CENTRE
Luke Schenscher
Schenscher’s time with the 36ers spans beyond this decade with his first stint at the club in 2008-09 when he was named in the All-NBL second team. He returned to the club from 2012-15, playing in the 2013-14 grand final loss to the Wildcats and that season came off the bench to average five rebounds and seven points per game.
BENCH
Gary Ervin
The NBL’s 2010/11 MVP joined the 36ers in season 2013/14 and in his one season, led the side to the grand final. In 2013/14, Ervin averaged 16.4 points, 4.7 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game. Also played for Townsville Crocodiles and had two stints at Wollongong Hawks throughout the decade.
Terrance Ferguson
Ferguson was only in Adelaide for one season but was a trailblazer for the NBL’s Next Stars program which has seen the likes of LaMelo Ball and RJ Hampton preparing for the NBA draft in Australia. Ferguson didn’t star by any means with Adelaide in 2016-17 when he averaged 4.7 points in just 15 minutes of court time, but he showed enough to be drafted at Pick No.21 to Oklahoma City Thunder.
Adam Gibson
Played four seasons at the 36ers after joining Adelaide from the defunct Gold Coast Blaze in 2012. Captained the club and played in 2013/14 grand final loss to Perth. A London 2012 Olympian, Gibson is now at his fifth NBL club, South East Melbourne Phoenix.
Anthony Petrie
The journeyman forward played four seasons at the 36ers after joining Adelaide with Gibson and Jason Cadee after the Gold Coast Blaze folded. Played a key part of the 36ers grand final tilt in 2013/14 and averaged 11 points and six rebounds per game across 252 NBL matches.
Anthony Drmic
Drmic has developed his game significantly in four years with the 36ers to the point where he has cemented himself as a starter under Joey Wright this season. Drmic’s average minutes have gone from 14 to 26 and his scoring from 5 to 11 points per game in his four seasons, on the back of his lethal three-point shot. Played in the 2017-18 grand final series and is also more than willing to get his hands dirty on the boards.
Brock Motum
Joined the 36ers in November 2014 on a two-year deal, but only spent one season in Adelaide before moving to Lithuania. In 24 games for Adelaide in 2014/15, Motum averaged 17.5 points and 7.1 rebounds per game as Adelaide won eight of the last 10 matches to make the semi-finals, only to be swept by the eventual champion New Zealand Breakers.
Josh Childress
Came into the team mid-way through the 2017-18 season as an import replacement and his class under the ring helped the Sixers make the grand final. Childress averaged 11 points, five rebounds and two assists in his one and only season with Adelaide which was his third in the league after a two-year stint with Sydney. Big impact in a short time.