Round 14 Preview v South East Melbourne Phoenix

The Adelaide 36ers remain home at Adelaide Entertainment Centre for two games this weekend in Indigenous Round of the NBL beginning on Friday night against the South East Melbourne Phoenix.

The Sixers begin Round 14 in the NBL where the Indigenous culture and heritage is celebrated on Friday night against the second placed Phoenix before then hosting the third placed Perth Wildcats on Sunday afternoon.

It's a big weekend for the 36ers in a lot of ways coming off a heartbreaking loss also at home to the Sydney Kings last Sunday, and to say it's been an eventful week in the build up would be a significant understatement.

Following Sunday's loss to the Kings, Sixers coach CJ Bruton has tested positive for COVID meaning he will be unavailable to coach the team against the Phoenix and Wildcats, and has also been unable to be there for practice this week.

To top that off, lead assistant coach Jamie Pearlman has also been interstate over the past week following the unfortunate passing of his mother-in-law. 

He has been unable to be in Adelaide to help prepare the team this week either and isn’t scheduled to return until Friday afternoon for the game against the Phoenix where he will take over the head coach duties.

However, given the less than ideal circumstances it could take the pressure off the 36ers players and just let them go out and feel the freedom to play basketball this weekend starting Friday night against South East Melbourne.

It will be the first time the two teams have met so far this season and there's plenty of fascinating aspects to the game with the Phoenix arriving in Adelaide in second position on the NBL table with a 10-5 record.

Any time Mitch Creek returns to Adelaide in opposition colours is also a fascinating event while the Phoenix have good big men with Zhou Qi and Brandon Ashley, impressive guards with Xavier Munford, Izayah Le'afa and Kyle Adnam, and then also feature Ryan Broekhoff and Cam Gliddon.

That is a deep and talented team for the 36ers to come up against, but it's not Adelaide team without weapons either.

Sunday Dech is a standout defender and is shooting the three ball tremendously, Cam Bairstow and Daniel Johnson provide a strong front court backed up by Kai Sotto, Dusty Hannahs and Todd Withers are finding their feet while captain Mitch McCarron is leading from the front.

This will be the first chance for McCarron to lead the Sixers into a game against the Phoenix since he was part of the Melbourne United team that beat them in Game 3 of their semi-final series last year.

Shane Kooka was the artist behind the design of the 36ers jersey that will be worn as part of the Indigenous Round, and he takes great pride in how it all came together.

The mark making within the artwork created by Shane Kooka, pays tribute to the ochre and body paint used traditionally and in contemporary dance practices. Body painting and mark marking is a traditional art form, that continues to hold deep spiritual significance and importance to first nations people.

Body markings are symbolic of identity and were used traditionally to showcase stories, the persons tribe, totems, connection to their ancestors and family groups.

Capturing the abstract contemporary markings created by my hands and then transforming them into a digital format, gives the artwork an opportunity to see no boundaries in which the markings can be placed.

"My first experience connecting to my culture was through tradition dance before moving onto mark marking and art," Kooka said. 

"My goal with this design, to recreate a contemporary style of mark making, was to give the players a sense of what it feels like to be painted up before a big dance, celebration, ceremony or going into battle."

HUNGRY JACK'S 2021/22 NBL SEASON – ROUND 14

ADELAIDE 36ERS v SOUTH EAST MELBOURNE PHOENIX
Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Friday 7.00pm ACDT

Broadcast – ESPN; Kayo; Sky Sport NZ