Inside Adelaide's race to secure coach's signature

The Adelaide 36ers will leave no stone unturned in their pursuit of ending a 24-year championship drought, revealing the swift moves made after Mike Wells unexpectedly stepped down as head coach a fortnight ago.

Five-time championship coach Trevor Gleeson was appointed on Friday, signing a three-year deal to reunite with Bryce Cotton after their successful run together in Perth.

“It was Tuesday a couple of weeks ago where we found out that Mike was really struggling with the decision to come back for reasons that we genuinely respected and really sympathised with,” Executive Chairman Grant Kelley said.

“The moment that Mike told us he was certain he wasn’t coming back, we moved literally within a matter of hours.

“Matt (Weston – GM Basketball Operations) and I both called Trevor. Nic (Barbato) worked at the speed of light to get the mechanics underway.

“Something like that when it happens, it can move you forward or move you backwards. We decided that we not be down about the fact a great head coach was leaving us, but we would strive for something better.”

Gleeson arrives in Adelaide after two seasons coaching in Japan, following assistant coaching stints in the NBA with the Toronto Raptors and Milwaukee Bucks.

Prior to that, he won five championships in Perth, including three with Cotton.

“Once we knew Mike was out, we sat and said ‘let’s go to the top of the tree, who do we want?’ and we started those discussions,” Weston said.

“The choice for us was very easy. There was one person (Trevor) we saw that was going to be able to lead this team into the future.”

Weston revealed the role generated interest from around the world.

“We did got a lot of calls from coaches and agents. There was three coaches from EuroLeague that were very interested in coming,” he continued.

“That was very flattering as to where the club is now getting to and where the League is getting to.”

Both Kelley and Weston pointed to Gleeson’s ability to build relationships as a major factor behind his appointment.

“We do have a team that’s built to win now,” Weston said.

“Trevor’s appointment was not only about what he’s done in winning championships, it’s how he’s done it.

“One of the keys was how you build relationships with players. That’s a key these days in sport. It’s not just the x’s and o’s and how you execute. It goes back another step to how you build those relationships.”

“What happens when you get a coach of Trevor’s ilk is you attract players who want to play for him and learn from him,” Kelley added.

“Ultimately between Trevor’s connections in the NBL, the NBA and Asia, we’ll have tremendous choice for who we pick for those remaining spots (on the roster).”

Gleeson is set to begin in his new role next monh.