Ninnis thrilled with big week on training court

An entire week on the training courts has been the right recipe for head coach Scott Ninnis as he prepare his side for battle against Melbourne United at John Cain Arena on Saturday night.

Ninnis, who only had three training sessions as head coach before last week’s 116-101 loss to Cairns Taipans, said his side has come back with a new focus and looking forward to the United challenge.

“I like the fact we have had a week on the training track, to make some adjustments,” Ninnis told media on Thursday.

“We have a big game against the best side in the competition and I’m excited to get away and see what we can do.”

The 36ers will again look to shorten the playing rotation but Ninnis said there will be some changes in the backcourt as Adelaide will go against a deep United guard rotation led by Olympic medalists Matthew Dellavedova and Chris Goulding.

“I will shorten the rotation again, but I might get minutes into a few extra guys, I thought we ran out of steam in that last game and guys like DJ and Trey played major minutes,” Ninnis said.

“So, maybe reduce their minutes slightly to make sure we are able to keep up the intensity and make sure we are rolling all the time.”

The seven-day break between games has been crucial for Ninnis and his side, who will travel to Melbourne for the first time this season.

“Having a week between games has been really important for us, and myself as well,” Ninnis said.

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“We have been able to initiate a few suitable changes, but when you’re halfway through a season, you can’t just throw everything out.

“I’ve been excited on what the boys have shown on the training track, the ability to push the ball a little bit more than what we have done in the past.”

Adelaide will face Melbourne United at John Cain Arena from 7.30pm ACDT on Saturday night and you can catch all the action on ESPN via Kayo Sports.