NBL: South East Melbourne sticking with ‘horses for courses’ strategy

Simon Mitchell says there’s probably only one player on South East Melbourne’s roster who can bank on playing more than 30 minutes per game.

Simon Mitchell is giving no one a free pass. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

If your name isn’t Mitch Creek, minutes aren’t a guarantee on the deep South East Melbourne Phoenix roster.

Captain Kyle Adnam knows that better than everyone.

This month, he was forced to spend a week on the sidelines after a bout of Covid-19, played a marathon 35 minutes in his return against Tasmania, 23 against Melbourne United in the Throwdown and “bupkis” against the Bullets – just 10 minutes.

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Then came his incredible performance against Perth, where he potted a matchwinning 13 points in the last quarter on his way to a game-high 24 in a vital 86-80 win over the Wildcats.

Adnam had a day out against last year’s runners-up the Wildcats. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

The fluctuation in playing time is a result of coach Simon Mitchell’s “horses for courses” approach where he runs with the hot hand during each game.

“Our team’s a bit of horses for courses and it’s going to be someone’s night any given situation,” Mitchell said.

“I don’t go in there with a plan and say this guy’s playing 30 minutes tonight, (although you) probably could say that about Creeky most nights.

“We have an idea of where we think we can get advantages but, at the end of the day, it’s really just about who is on on the night and just rolling with them as much as we possibly can.

“(Saturday) was his (Adnam’s) night and it wasn’t X’s (Xavier Munford).”

Creek (L) is firmly in the MVP conversation. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

The Phoenix has the best part of a week to prepare for two games in 48 hours and Mitchell says “any rest is good rest”.

His side is second on the NBL ladder but he is acutely aware of a clutter below fighting for finals seeding in a Covid-impacted season that has several teams yet to catch up on games.

“Right now, with a full squad, it’s a really good opportunity to try to string some wins together and that’s (the Perth win) two (in a row) for us,” he said.

“We haven’t got more than three (wins in a row) this season, so we’ve just got to continue to get better and give ourselves opportunities to win and try to build some separation. It’s in our hands to steer clear of the messy results (below us).

“We’ve just got to keep ourselves up in that top two and give ourselves a really good chance down the stretch.”

Originally published as NBL: South East Melbourne sticking with ‘horses for courses’ strategy