Wells opens up on 'hardest' decision to leave 36ers

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Former Adelaide 36ers coach Mike Wells has opened up about his sudden departure from the NBL franchise, saying his decision to move on from the team he took to within minutes of a drought-breaking championship was one of the "hardest" of his career.

Wells led the 36ers to the NBL Championship Series in his second season at the helm and despite rumours spreading immediately after the season that he was set to be moved on, the longtime NBA assistant coach revealed he had signed an extension with a pay increase to try and g one step further than NBL26.

But the Ohio native said it was purely a family decision to return to the US, where he will be an assistant coach for NCAA powerhouse Ohio State University.

"(Leaving was) maybe one of the hardest things ever, I'll be honest with you," Wells said on the latest edition of Cut to the Jase with former 36er Jason Cadee.

"When we left Adelaide to come back to the US, it was definitely my intention to come back. I had one more year on my contract and they offered me an extension with a nice pay raise for what we did in the season and I signed it.

"So I had two years and (owner) Grant Kelley and (CEO) Nick Barbato and (GM) Matt Weston - they always treated me really well but, you know, once I signed it a little bit,  it was just more that family decision of.

"It started with my son, not sure if he wanted to come back and then it was like 'wow OK, what do we want to do and what do we want to accomplish the next couple of years and where do we see ourselves'.

"We just wanted to be closer to family."

Having taken the 36ers from a controversy-riddled NBL25 campaign to second place on the ladder and within seconds of the club's first title in 24 years, Wells said there was a "tonne of emotion" when reflecting on his time in Adelaide.

"I'm super proud of that team and, man, an opportunity to coach those guys was special," he said on the basketball.com.au podcast.

"We really tried to just reset the 36ers, that was the kind of the goal, was to try to build a sustainable system and just try to build the culture and build the guys and create a professional environment that everybody enjoyed working in every day and I think we did that.

"I think you could see those things on the court come out in our play.

"From the start going 18-4 out of the gate to hitting a little adversity in the back end of the season and just so proud of the guys.

"The things they accomplished at the NBL awards, Bryce is six-time MVP, Flynn Cameron, who I just absolutely couldn't be more proud of and his MIP and what he did this year on the court and he earned every minute of that and Zylan Cheatham and what he accomplished.

"(For us) to have that FIBA break and come out of it and play those playoff games like we did, those four playoff games at home, particularly at home, the two against South East (Melbourne), the two against Sydney, I'll remember forever."