Henry excited for 36ers that light is at end of tunnel

Conner Henry has made sure he has got his playing group as ready as possible for the upcoming NBL season during the longest pre-season imaginable coming in as Adelaide 36ers coach, but now he's relieved that they are almost at the end of that.

When Henry was appointed coach of the 36ers back in April, he could have had no idea that we could now be in January of 2021 and not only has he been settled into Adelaide for six months, but he has had to be here minus his family and he is yet to officially debut as head coach of the Sixers.

COVID-19 has seen to it that nothing is for certain or can be predicted in the world throughout 2020 and now coming in 2021, but what Henry has been able to control is the playing group assembled by the 36ers and the work they've put in heading towards #NBL21.

The Sixers maintained Daniel Johnson, Brendan Teys, Jack McVeigh, Daniel Dillon and Alex Mudronja from last NBL season while signing Isaac Humphries, Keanu Pinder and Sunday Dech in free agency along with adding imports Tony Crocker and Donald Sloan, and Josh Giddey as a Next Star.

There was some light at the end of the tunnel for the group when they played two pre-season games against the Brisbane Bullets back in November, but the grind continued after that leading into Christmas.

But now the Sixers are preparing for two more hit outs in Cairns against the Taipans on January 7 and 9, and then belatedly the 2021 NBL season will get underway for the 36ers at the Adelaide Entertainment against the Sydney Kings on Sunday January 17.

Henry is now glad that the season is closing in after the power of work everyone has put in as preparation.

"We've been training for quite a while now and we had a goal to kind of aim for with the two Brisbane games and then ramping it down a little bit to give the guys a rest," Henry said on the Official Adelaide 36ers Podcast, Sixers Fix with Scott Ninnis.

"And then we've just been trying to progress forward and now we've got another goal to go with the two pre-season games in Cairns coming up and then we have the 17th finally where we can get started. We are excited and looking forward to it.

"I think overall I've just been impressed with the work rate of the group since they got here. We've had guys that just like to work, they like to come to the gym and our training sessions have been good. We feel like we've got the basics of the system in which they've grasped and are really churning at at a high level."

As a whole unit, Henry couldn’t have been more impressed with the work put in by everyone at the 36ers in preparation for the upcoming season that is now finally within sight, but he couldn’t help but be especially invigorated by some of the group.

Daniel Johnson has nothing left to prove but recommitted to the Sixers in the off-season and Henry can't be more impressed by what he continues to see from him to set the standard for the whole group.

"Individually there have been a bunch of guys I've been impressed with. DJ is leading the way just because he rocks up every single day with his routine through his warmup to how he approaches things on the court, and he's been our leader," Henry said.

"It's been great to see and great for me so I'm really impressed with DJ. Then you just go down the line with the young guys we have with Mud, Harris, Marshall and Owen who are competing for a developmental spot.

"They've been putting the work in and then the contracted players have been what we feel were advertised and are showing why we went after them in free agency. 

"Isaac has been tracking good and we're trying to keep him as fresh as possible because he is such a key piece to us playing alongside DJ which is why we pursued him so heavily.

"Keanu had a rough start in the two Brisbane games but ever since then he's finally settled in at a really solid physical and work rate level. 

"He was a little bit banged up coming in and underdone, but he has been fantastic in the last six or seven weeks so our bigs are tracking well and we're excited about that. Our system is really based on how we are going to play inside to out."

The big man trio of Johnson, Humphries and Pinder is far from the only aspect of this Sixers team to be excited about though.

Imports Crocker and Sloan have now arrived and got through quarantine ahead of the trip to Cairns while Henry can't be higher in his praise of the likes of Josh Giddey and Sunday Dech for how well they have settled in.

"Then you look at Mr Giddey and Mr Dech along with Mud and they are all just working hard and getting better," he said.

"Giddey is as advertised, he's big and strong, and can see the floor and has a great feel for the game. He gets everyone involved and his offensive game really has improved. There was a knock on him as not a great shooter, but he's worked really hard on that and it's coming. 

"He has really proven in practice that he can get in deep as well and finish against big guys, and physically take the contact. Sunday was the No. 1 target for us in free agency to be honest and he has come in and he does what he does. 

"He gets into the ball constantly, he is a presence on the defensive end and his shooting has improved too. All in all the group is really working hard and we're pleased."

While the 36ers begin their season at home to the Kings on January 17 and then over the opening five rounds announced have six of those eight matches all at the Entertainment Centre, the NBL will then enter a hub in Melbourne throughout February.

That will see all teams play each other once with the games counting towards the NBL season proper but also a separate NBL Cup being up for grabs. Henry likes the concept.

"I think it's a great call by the league. It's going to benefit the league coming off such a long layoff that everybody will be there, the media coverage will be great and we'll get to see high level games very quickly," Henry said.

"There'll be a lot of games played in one months' time and I think with COVID and all the uncertainty, all the teams have been put under this strain of the unknown. 

"We've been trying to prepare the guys to meet any challenge whatever that challenge is, and to come together as a group. We are looking forward to the bubble and we'll see how we track, but I like where we are at as a group right now in terms of being prepared for any challenges."