Refreshed Humphries ready for NBL26
When Adelaide’s NBL season finished disappointingly in the finals at the hands of South East Melbourne Phoenix, Isaac Humphries decided to keep training.
He continued to hit the court each morning while preparing for and then performing his Adelaide Fringe show More of Me.
But unlike some of his 36ers teammates, he opted not to play in the NBL1 or any overseas competitions.
And he’s confident his decision has him well placed to attack NBL26.
“I structure my off season so I can take a break and sort of just check out a little bit both mentally and physically,” Humphries explained to Adelaide 36ers Media. “So I did that period in March and April where I kept my training up and then I went away to LA, which is like a bit of a home for me - I have a training hub there and a lot of friends and really dear people to me so they sort of click me back into gear a little bit as a human.
“I spent a bit of time over there and then came back here, released a song, and just got stuck in the training, getting ready for pre-season.”
There was of course some time to catch up with family including visiting his mum’s new property for a “Christmas in July” weekend.
“I try to just check off all those things that you don't get to when you're in season and when you're so locked into basketball and locked into what we're doing internally,” the 211cm centre said.
“There's no secret, I’ve dealt with some pretty full on injuries in the past.
“I've had a few really healthy seasons now, which is great, but I'm just still very mindful of how taxing a season is on the body and I just really feel like I need to use the off season for rest and for my body and my mind to calm down.
“Of course, the risk that playing in the off-season brings for potential injury and all that stuff comes to mind for me, and I just value my time and my season with the Sixers too much to sort of take that risk.
“There's various reasons why people want to play in the off season, and that's all fine, but I know that having a mental break and a physical break is just super important for me.”
Having averaged 11.8 points and 5.6 rebounds in 30 games last season, Humphries has spoken regularly to Head Coach Mike Wells and General Manager of Basketball Operations Matt Weston about what else he can bring to the team in NBL26.
With the roster now built, Humphries has been able to zero in on his goals.
“They've expressed very heavily that they want to see me step up in leadership and sort of just have a bit more involvement in that space, which I'm very excited to do,” he said.
“I personally would love to step up in involvement on the court. I feel like last year, I didn't show enough of what I can do and what fans have seen me do previously.
“I really want to just kind of get back to where I've been in the past - be more dominant, and be more of a presence on the court.”
And he’s confident he can do it in a high-quality team featuring a lot of exciting talent including five-time league MVP Bryce Cotton, captain DJ Vasiljevic and imports Montrezl Harrell and Zylan Cheatham.
“I think pre-season for all of us is going to be about finding where we fit in all of that, and finding our roles and within our system, just understanding where we fit and how we can make an impact,” Humphries said.
“You're not going to get every shot. That's just the reality but I think the sign of a real pro and a seasoned pro is just finding that little niche thing that you can do, and what you can be really good at, and what you can do for the team.
“At the end of the day, I really think we'll do something special this year.
“There's a buzz around the city, there's a buzz around the club, and I think if everyone, including myself, can give in to the team aspect and what's best for the team, I think we'll do really well.”
And if you were wondering about that song Humphries released in the off-season, it’s called “Always be mine” and it can be found on all good music streaming services.
“I wrote it for an old teammate of mine, Jack McVeigh, and his wife for their wedding,” Humphries explained.
“I wanted to put something out before the season comes around, because I get a bit nervous about putting songs out in the season, so I just thought I'd get one more song out for the year and finish off that sort of creative part of the off-season and then start back in with basketball.”
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