No place like home for returning 36er

He’s been lighting up the NBL1 with the Frankston Blues, and Adelaide 36ers signing Michael Harris has every intention of making his mark in NBL26.

Harris has been an impact player for the Perth Wildcats across his three seasons with the club, but found court time hard to come by in his most recent campaign, averaging just six minutes a game.

Now, he’s ready for a new opportunity, back where it all started as a train-on player with the 36ers in 2018.

“The Adelaide front office was very up front and very keen to have me on board so I just think their enthusiasm to have me as part of the team and be back in Adelaide was kind of what led me to being back here,” he told the club’s website.

Harris is among a number of players to make the move to Adelaide across the off-season, as Mike Wells looks to build his roster around stars like Dejan Vasiljevic, Isaac Humphries, and more recently Bryce Cotton.

Flynn Cameron (Melbourne United), Isaac White (Brisbane Bullets) and Matt Kenyon (South East Melbourne Phoenix) are all set for a fresh start.

“Mike's been really up front about what he sees as my role, which is what you want from the coach,” Harris said.

“He said we want to play fast paced, shooting threes, just trying to adapt to what all the good teams have been doing the last couple of years, and that's being dynamic in transition, having multiple ball handlers, just having a lot of guys that can space the floor and play fast.”

If his NBL1 form is anything to go by, it could be a big year for the 26-year-old.

In 10 games, he’s averaged 23.4 points, 3.8 assists and 7.5 rebounds, including a 36-point haul in his most recent outing on Sunday. That included seven threes, at 58 per cent from long range. 

“I’m really keen to be joining the team and building towards success,” Harris added.