Ninnis: ‘Building for the now and the future’

Adelaide 36ers head coach Scott Ninnis says his roster is in a great spot heading into the NBL25 season.

With nine of the 11 rostered spots already locked away, Ninnis is thrilled with the local talent returning to South Australia.

This is the first NBL off-season for Ninnis as a head coach for over a decade, but the dedication and hard work put into building the roster has never been more invigorating.

“It’s been a long time but it’s exciting, being able to put a team together, we have a had a few forced changes, but I have talked about that stability right from the start,” Ninnis said.

“To get some people locked away on multi-year terms is very exciting.”

The roster build was started with the long-term commitment of Isaac Humphries and DJ Vasiljevic, who both signed three-year deals before free agency.

Ninnis said both Humphries and Vasiljevic are cornerstone pieces for the club, and he likes how his new roster looks.

“We are building for the now, but we are also building for the future,” Ninnis said.

“To get some of these young, South Australian guys locked away is key for us moving forward,

“Ultimately, it’s about winning games now and I think it’s coming together pretty nicely.”

South Australian talent returns to the Adelaide 36ers line-up for the first time in a long time, Ninnis excited about the prospect of big man Ben Griscti, power forward Lat Mayen and swingmen Nick Marshall and Jacob Rigoni.

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“I have been big one that and it’s really important, but we haven’t just done it to give local guys a job, we have done it because they have earned it,” Ninnis said.

“You look at Rigoni, he was outstanding all of last year on the training track and he has earnt his spot, it’s not a token appointment, they have earnt their way.”

Ninnis said the support Griscti and give Humphries will be vital as the season progresses, the 211cm big man already starring for Sturt Sabres in the NBL1 Central, where he scored a game-high 36 points against Woodville last round.

“Seven foot South Australians don’t grow on trees, Ben is a great long-term prospect who we expect to develop into a really, really good player in this league,” Ninnis said.