How Adelaide won the battle for Trevor Gleeson

A new era of Adelaide 36ers basketball is upon the Hungry Jack’s NBL following the appointment of Head Coach Trevor Gleeson.

The five-time championship-winning coach joins the 36ers fresh off overseas stints in the NBA and Japan, as he hopes to help the club win its first title since 2002.

Thankfully for the two-time NBL Coach of the Year, the foundations are there for the Sixers, after reaching the Championship Series last season before losing to Sydney in five games.

“I really was itching to get back home, and I really thought I was going to take a year off, sit on the beach in Bali and enjoy the sunset,” Gleeson said on NBL Now.

“It happened pretty quickly with Adelaide, all within 24 hours.

“I got three phone calls from Matt [Weston], Grant [Kelley] and from Bryce [Cotton], and then we went through a process, and that’s when the dialogue started with Nick [Barbato].

“[During this time] United’s [Head Coach role] was open, and I was in deep discussion with Brisbane, and thought Brisbane was going to happen, but they wanted to move quicker than I was ready for.

“I really thought I wasn't going to work this year. I’d done my time in Japan; it was a great experience, but it [the 10 to 11 months] was just too long for me.

“[In the end] Adelaide really wanted me. They said, ‘we want you to come here with your skillset, and we want you to be able to take this team to the next level’.

“That was very appealing [to me].”

The other appealing aspect of the job in the City of Churches was Gleeson’s reunion with Cotton, with whom he won three championships at the Wildcats and even tried to sign while in Japan.

“Obviously, we've stayed in contact over the years, and [prior to me signing] we talked and I picked his brains about the organisation and what they can improve on,” Gleeson said.

“I really didn't know if I was going to go there yet, and as I was still talking to Melbourne at that stage.

“[But now] I'm excited to coach Bryce again. He's a once-in-a-generation player, and to me, he's the best player that's played in the NBL in my time.

“In my experience, not only is he a great player, he's a great person, and that really transcends through the team.

“When you have a leader who is a good person and a hard worker, [other aspects fall into place].”

When pre-season tips off for the 36ers, Gleeson explained the team will really get to work and build a product the whole city can rally around.

“We want a team that athletes are proud of,” he said.

“Obviously, they're fanatical over here, and I've copped a lot of advice over the years being on the opposition side, so it'll be great to have them cheering [for us].

“We want something that they're proud of, regardless. We're [going to be] playing hard, playing tough, and always [giving ourselves] a chance to win.

“Hopefully, we can keep building that, so it [success] lasts a lot longer and we can have that sustained success here.”

Joining Cotton on Gleeson’s Hungry Jack’s NBL27 roster are Zylan Cheatham, Flynn Cameron, Ben Griscti, Isaac Humphries, Bul Kuol, Nick Rakocevic, Keanu Rasmussen and Isaac White.