An Instagram scroll, a text, and a "match made in heaven"

When Mike Wells took the reins in Adelaide, he made it clear he wanted Zylan Cheatham. A year on, the tables turned, and it was Cheatham reaching out to him.

Calling it a “match made in heaven,” Cheatham shared how his move to the 36ers came together, linking up with Bryce Cotton and Montrezl Harrell in a star-studded import trio built to make noise.

“It dates back to last year, really, as soon as Coach Mike took over (in Adelaide),” Cheatham told the club’s website.

“He was pretty hard on my heels about coming out there and being part of the team, but I was kind of undecided at that point. I had a good opportunity in Japan that I ended up going with, so there were no hard feelings. We kept in touch … we’ve got history together, so we stayed connected.”

Cheatham’s relationship with Wells dates back to 2022, during a 10-day stint with the Utah Jazz while Wells was on the coaching staff.

“And then this year, once I found out I wasn’t going back to Japan, I was just sitting on Instagram, scrolling, and I see that Bryce Cotton signs. I was like, ‘Oh, that’s a pretty big deal. That’s big time.’ And then Trezz signs, and I thought, ‘Hmm, that’s interesting,’” he explained.

“So I took it upon myself to text Coach Mike. I was like, ‘Hey man, I see you shaking up the league.’ At that point, he didn’t even know I was available to be recruited. It ended up working out for me. It got me back on his radar, and everything just worked out perfectly. Everything went so seamlessly. And now, we’re here.”

Those 10 days in Utah were enough, Cheatham said, to get a real sense of Wells’ character and coaching style.

“It was only ten days, but I got to spend some decent time with him, break the ice in terms of our relationship and meeting each other. It wasn’t anything overly complex. We had some workouts, some games, but that was it. The relationship is one of those where you meet good people and certain personalities just stick,” he said.

“We kept in contact over the years, and when he got the head coaching job, I was one of the first guys he reached out to. That meant something to me. I remembered who he was. We also have a lot of mutual connections. When I was with Team USA, two of the coaches on that staff were directly on his staff, so there was always that kind of indirect but direct line of communication between us.

“Once we got to talk again after he got to Adelaide, it just felt really natural. The things we talked about, the way he goes about things, he seems like a player’s coach. A really relatable guy. He was that way when I was in Utah too. Some things don’t change, so it felt right.”

Adelaide may have fallen in last season’s Play-In against the Phoenix, but the arrival of Cheatham and Cotton, along with proven NBL performers like Flynn Cameron and Isaac White, gives the 36ers a fresh new edge.

“One big thing we talked about was changing the culture, getting the right guys into the system. High character guys. High level competitors. Good guys on and off the floor. Changing the narrative around Adelaide basketball,” Cheatham said.

“So as of now, those are the things we’re stressing. The basketball side, we’ll figure that out with reps, time, and practice. But it’s important to bring in a group of guys who can gel together, find a way to mesh, and compete.

“Overall, as an organisation, everything you hear about it, Matt Weston (GM Basketball Operations) clearly has a high level vision for what he sees this program becoming. From what he’s said and what he wants to do, it sounds like this is a match made in heaven for me.

“Trying to shift the culture and bring in guys who are all about winning and doing the right things is important. I think we’re taking the right steps.”

‍

‍