Axed Adelaide 36ers coach Scott Ninnis to head up Lightning top job
Scott Ninnis has made a shock return to professional basketball’s head coaching ranks, putting the NBL legend on a collision course with his former employer.
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Scott Ninnis is returning to coaching at Adelaide 36ers Arena.
Months after he was axed by the 36ers before he’d coached a single game under his new two-year deal in a messy break up between legend and NBL club, the SA basketball legend will be back on the sidelines, this time leading WNBL club Adelaide Lightning.
The Lightning, last week, parted ways with former coach Nat Hurst amid a third season headed toward a bottom-two finish and news the club was up for sale.
Ninnis, 58, was in Melbourne earlier this month to reunite with some of his former South East Melbourne Magic teammates during NBL Heritage Round celebrations.
But, along with the Phoenix v Cairns game, Ninnis also took in the Lightning during their road trip to face Southside and Geelong United.
He helms a club that is now 3-6 and in sixth-place on the table.
“Basketball has always been a central part of my life, and I’m honoured to join the Lightning,” Ninnis said.
“This is a proud club with a rich legacy, and I’m excited to guide the team as we strive for success together.
“It’s a fresh start and an opportunity to achieve something truly special.
“I’m eager to collaborate with this exceptional group of athletes and coaching staff.”
Ninnis will be contracted for the rest of the WNBL25 season. His appointment leaves the women’s league with just one female coach — former Opal Kristi Harrower at the Flyers.
Lightning general manager Steve Wren said Ninnis was selected for his leadership at a critical time of the club’s season.
With a hand in two Adelaide NBL titles as a player and two as an assistant coach, the revered Ninnis took over as caretaker of the 36ers last December when CJ Bruton was given his marching orders.
He was reappointed in February on a two-year deal but did not make it to the NBL Blitz pre-season tournament, dismissed after a fiery August meeting with Sixers’ powerbrokers.
On the morning of his axing, a furious Ninnis burst into the team’s strength training, catching off guard shocked players, yet to be informed the club would have a fifth coach in five seasons.
It sparked a bitter battle between club and legend, which reached an out-of-court settlement in October.
It’s a fascinating period in the Adelaide basketball landscape.
Ninnis’ return now puts him on a collision course with Sixers’ hierarchy, whose offices are located inside the same arena the Lightning play and train out of.
The Findon facility is owned and operated by Lightning owner Pelligra, which is in talks to sell the franchise and has confirmed it will hand in its licence if a suitable buyer is not secured by May, plunging the future of the club beyond this season into doubt.
The 36ers had been approached by Pelligra in a bid to gauge interest in taking on the WNBL licence, but the NBL club is not interested. Pelligra is understood to be moving positively toward a sale with a potential buyer.
Ninnis will be charged with reinvigorating a talented line-up that boasts Opals Paris Olympic bronze medallists Steph Talbot and Izzy Borlase, WNBA defensive dynamo Brianna Turner, import playmaker Japreece Dean and deadeye markswoman Issie Bourne.
Meanwhile, the 36ers’ bright start to the NBL season under Ninnis’ replacement, American Mike Wells, lost some of its gloss amid four straight losses on the back of an ugly crowd interaction in Melbourne that resulted in the suspensions of imports Kendric Davis and Montrezl Harrell, and hamstring injuries to both Dejan Vasiljevic and Sunday Dech.
With Harrell and Davis back in the line-up together, the Sixers hammered New Zealand and are now regrouping for an assault on the back-end of the season
Originally published as Axed Adelaide 36ers coach Scott Ninnis to head up Lightning top job
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