The *Real* reason Gleeson signed with 36ers

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Five-time NBL championship winner Trevor Gleeson has revealed the real reason why he returned to Australia to coach the Adelaide 36ers in NBL27.

“I used to watch when I was a kid. I actually had a 36ers sweater in the mid-80s,” Gleeson, 58, admitted this week.

“Basketball has a rich history in South Australia, and we want to tap into that without question and build a culture that lasts a lot longer than I’m here.

“I spent the last five years overseas, so it was time for me to come back home. I could have stayed and gone for another three or four years, but I wanted to come back to Australia.

“I’ve done my time overseas. Now I’m looking forward to getting back into the NBL and hopefully finishing my career here.”

Six-time NBL MVP Bryce Cotton, 33, had a bit to do with it too – the pair reuniting in South Australia after they powered the Perth Wildcats to three of Gleeson’s five championships (2017, 2019 and 2020).

“Obviously, Bryce is a major piece of that, and there were other elements as well,” Gleeson said.

"It’s really about getting the team playing together and developing their own identity.

“They had a great year last year. It was magical. I was watching from afar in Japan and cheering Bryce on to go further. I’m excited for the year ahead, and hopefully we can be right up there.”

Adelaide seemed destined to win their first championship since 2002, leading by six in the dying stages of Game 5 of the NBL26 Grand Final, before back-to-back buckets from Davis and an offensive rebound and putback from big man Tim Soares tied the scores up.

The Kings went on to win in overtime in one of the greatest NBL Finals games in history.

Cotton later admitted: “I have to move forward … I’ll never watch it again”

The 36ers wanted to keep head coach Mike Wells, but the American decided to stay in the US after returning home in the off-season.

"(Leaving was) maybe one of the hardest things ever, I'll be honest with you," Wells said on 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 of a family decision.

"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.”

That decision opened the way for Gleeson-Cotton II.

“Since I flew in here, I started to get excited,” Gleeson said.

“Meeting the staff, having a look at the facilities, talking to the players – it’s really exciting, and I can’t wait for it.

“Obviously, I have a different philosophy on the game offensively and defensively.

“I’m not going to lie, having Bryce here was a big incentive coming here. We’ve got a great relationship, and it’s how we’re going to use that with the personnel.

“I’ve talked to most of the guys, and they’re excited to move forward. When pre-season comes around at the end of July, we’ll get after it.

Now, Cotton is an Australian citizen and soon to be a Boomer, Gleeson has the opportunity to bring in a third import – but he’s in a wait-and-see.

“I really don’t know until I get on the court,” he admitted.

“The drawback is that I’ve been away from the NBL for five years.

“We have to see how the personnel fits together, the chemistry and the synergy within the group. I’ve seen it from the outside, but I don’t really know.

“It’s like buying a new car. You don’t really know what you’ve got until you get behind the steering wheel.

“We’ve got a shortlist right now, and we’re working through what the team needs. That’s the process, and hopefully it’ll be sooner rather than later.

“We’d like to get the team settled and get some plans in place.”

Gleeson deflected Dejan Vasiljevic’s exit and subsequent signing with the New Zealand Breakers, even though Vasiljevic declared, "I was really shocked. Honestly, lucky there was no one around at the time... I wanted to kill someone.”

I’m not talking about hearsay, what-ifs or what’s happened in the past,” Gleeson said.

“It is what it is, so you move on.”

The 36ers have moved on and secured one of the most successful coaches in NBL history to compete against the most successful coach in NBL history – Brian Goorjian and the defending champion Sydney Kings.

NBL26 Grand Final Series

• ‍Game 1: 'Saturday night slaughter' as KD's Kings fire first shot‍
• Game 2: Cotton game-winner levels series as KD loses his cool‍
• Game 3: 'All love' as KD talks Cotton clash as Kings take Game 3
• Game 4: DJ winds back the clock to keep 36ers alive‍
• Game 5: Kings crowned champions in greatest decider ever