Randall "Trusting" 36ers Teammates

Monday, October 17, 2022

After shouldering the scoring burden in his side’s round three win over Illawarra, Craig Randall II only has his eyes on improvement – both on and off the court.

After shouldering the scoring burden in his side’s Round 3 win over the Illawarra Hawks, Craig Randall II only has his eyes on improvement – both on and off the court.

After coming under heavy criticism for his perceived lack of interest in his side’s opening game loss to Tasmania, Randall exploded for a 28-point performance against Illawarra on Saturday – including hitting four of six threes in the final quarter.

“I had a good game, but I had five turnovers,” Randall reflected. “I’ll go watch film and I adjust to that, that’s the thing I took away from it for me – five turnovers and four assists.

“It’s early, I’m just trusting what coach has be doing [and] trusting my teammates … I’ve definitely got my feet under me, I just relaxed a bit and the results came out.”

When asked about his highly-publicised body language against the JackJumpers, Randall responded by saying he’s an individual who operates with his heart on his sleeve.

“That’s all it is, [I’m] very passionate,” he said. “Obviously I have to get better when I show that, harnessing it differently and expressing it differently. That’s on me and that’s just growth.

“I’ll be better moving forward, better than I was tonight. Just keep moving forward.”

The immaculate scoring performance of Randall coupled with the strong supporting roles played by fellow starters Mitch McCarron, Robert Franks and Antonius Cleveland means Adelaide’s bench didn’t see much action against the Hawks.

Highly-rated prospect Kai Sotto saw just 11 minutes of action but finished with two blocks, while off-season recruit Kyrin Galloway didn’t even see the floor. Sunday Dech played just eight minutes, and Hyrum Harris just 10.

“I need to use it (the bench) a little more, as I told the guys in the locker room,” head coach CJ Bruton said.

“I have so much talent on my bench. You haven’t seen Kyrin Galloway yet, and you haven’t seen much of Kai or even Hyrum. Sunday didn’t play much either tonight.

“I feel like being able to have depth allows team to win championships, and you’re going to need it throughout the season.”