Sixers eager to get back on court for clash with “championship calibre” Hawks

Adelaide 36ers Head Coach Mike Wells has described Sunday’s opponent Illawarra as “championship calibre” while expressing his side’s desire to get back on the court after last week’s narrow loss to Melbourne United.

The Sixers led in the last minute over the unbeaten United side at Melbourne’s John Cain Arena but failed to close out the game.

Wells said his side had done a lot right without getting the victory and was eager to play again this weekend to get back on the winner’s list.

“It's a hard one,” he said after training when asked how the side had responded to the result. “I think for all of us, it's one of those, from my NBA background, you just wish you had a game quicker, right?

“You'd like to be able to go back out there and play and sort of correct your sins in real time, but, you know, we have to do it in practice.

“We've obviously got a lot of games coming up (but) we're focussed on Sunday's game and Sunday's opponent, and I think we've got a good week of prep and then it'll get real here coming up.”

While the group has seven games in 20 days, starting with Sunday’s home encounter with the reigning champions Illawarra, the seven-day break between games this week has at least allowed the group to work on game situations for when things get tight late.

Wells will be a keen viewer when Illawarra hosts New Zealand on Friday night, with Will Hickey expected to play his first minutes of the season after being sidelined with an eye injury and new import signing QJ Peterson a chance to make his debut after being unveiled this week.

“I think they're an outstanding team,” Wells said of Sunday’s opponent. “I don't think their record is indicative of who they are.

“They're championship calibre team. They've got championship blood running through them.

“Davo (Hickey) is the heart and soul of that thing last year. His will to win a championship exceeded everybody else's. I thought it just came through the television in my house. Like, that guy refused to lose so I have the ultimate respect for him as a player and as a person.

“He will bring that with him, if he's coming back, he'll be ready to play like that, and they've got a new import coming in and I would imagine it just brings new life to them, right?

“They're still trying to figure out who they are. Anything's possible in this league.

“And then again, it's about the 36ers playing at home on Sunday and taking care of home court.”

Wells will be paying extra attention to the Hawks’ star import JaVale McGee who is fast becoming one of the premier big men in the NBL.

McGee ranks third in the competition for points per game (22.7), and leads the NBL for rebounds (10.7) and blocks (2.5).

“He's an unbelievable player,” Wells said of the 213cm three-time NBA champion.

“I was with him with the Washington Wizards way back, like 14 plus years ago when he was a young, young player.

“He's got great length, great athleticism, you know, he's played for a long time.

“He's a presence in the paint on both sides of the ball. Our ability to kind of recognise him and figure out the scoring angles and the passing angles is going to be key in this game as it is with everybody that plays against JaVale.”

The Sixers will wear a special Indigenous Round jersey in Sunday’s game, which gets underway at 4pm. If you can’t be there, you can watch it live on ESPN or 10 Drama.