Who is Mike Wells?

With under six weeks until the season tips off, Adelaide will be heading into opening round with a fresh face on the sidelines.

Mike Wells has been appointed head coach for the 36ers, just a few weeks after coming to the club as a lead assistant.

Wells has 26 years of coaching experience in the United States, including time in the NBA and also Team USA, after beginning his career as an intern with the Houston Rockets in 1994. In the following season, the Rockets won the NBA title after sweeping the Magic and became the first team to win as a sixth seed.

While the news of Scott Ninnis’ departure sent shockwaves around the fanbase, the Adelaide 36ers' leaders are confident Wells is the right man to take the club forward. His experience certainly speaks for itself.

“We’ve made the call early to give ourselves the best chance to succeed this season,” club CEO Nic Barbato said.

“If you look at us right now, we’ve got a fantastic roster which as been put together ... we want to give them every chance of success, and we think this call will make that happen.”

Wells was most recently part of the Charlotte Hornets' staff last season and prior to that had an eight year span at the Utah Jazz.

The decision to bring Wells to Australia, initially as lead assistant coach, was an easy one for both parties.

He'd spent time in the country early in his coaching career, and the idea of coming back was always on the cards.

“The league (NBL) is always something I’ve been intrigued with since I came here in 2000 for the Sydney Olympics,” Wells said back in June.

“I’ve always had that in the back of my head and I told everyone ‘I’m going to coach in Australia’, and here we are.”

From being a scout for Team USA to being an assistant coach in three of the six qualifying windows in the lead-up to the 2023 World Cup, Wells' resume speaks for itself.

ESPN basketball insider, Olgun Uluc, believes his addition will be beneficial to Adelaide’s season.

“If you look at that roster and the coaching staff, it has to be said it is an upgrade,” Uluc said.

“Wells has a lot of NBA experience, but he also has a lot of experience with Team USA, so he has those runs on the board in the FIBA game.”

Mike Wells' coaching career

Team USA - Head scout, assistant coach

1993-1994 - Mount Vernon Nazarene (assistant)
1994-1999 - Houston Rockets (Intern & Video Coordinator)
1999-2004 - Houston Rockets (assistant)
2004-2005 - Los Angeles Lakers (assistant)
2005-2009 - San Antonio Spurs (assistant)
2009-2011 - Washington Wizards (assistant)
2011-2013- George Mason (assistant)
2013-2014 - South Florida (assistant)
2014-2022 - Utah Jazz (assistant)
2023-2024 - Charlotte Hornets (assistant)