Sunday's Service – Round 2

First and foremost, I’d like to welcome you all to the 2021/22 NBL season. 

My name is Sunday Dech, guard for the Adelaide 36ers and this is Sunday’s Service, a space where I will be giving you my weekly thoughts and insights on a variety of topics stemming from our games, team, and my experiences thus far in this marvellous game. 

Hopefully it will give you a different lens in viewing the ins and out of 2021/22 Adelaide 36ers, one that will make you enjoy our team just that little bit more.

We waited in anticipation for the start of #NBL22 and in the blink of an eye two games have come and gone. Unfortunately I hurt my quad late in pre-season giving me a different perspective observing the games from the sidelines. We may have had the toughest opening round out of anyone in the league going from a month's pre-season campaign in Tassie before facing the juggernaut Red Army in Perth and then backing up against a strong Illawarra outfit at home last Sunday. 

Nonetheless, we were disappointed in the results as they were two winnable games given we executed on our game plan and systems. Not far off the pace, we just quite didn’t carry our form from pre-season into opening round. The beautiful thing about the NBL is that you get a chance at redemption quickly. As you may have seen pre-season our fast paced offence and stingy in your face defence is our foundation this season and something we have refocussed on this week leading up to a three-day road trip back to Tassie to face the JackJumpers. 

Now let's rewind back to the end of last season and chat a bit about what’s been going on in my world. The season is so frantic and fast paced that taking time off to refresh at the on a season is vital. Some need a week, most a month and others two or more depending on where you are in your basketball journey; I slot into the one week category. 

Being able to rest the body and mind for a week I started training and playing with the North Adelaide Rockets in the NBL1. We had a really good team and environment which bred a lot of success in our championship campaign. Dean Nyberg (Deano) allowed us to play fast and exciting basketball and also playing with my former teammate Jack McVeigh and Jack Purchase was awesome. It was topped off by winning the championship at the end of the season. 

This past off-season I spent two and sometimes three days a week working out with 36er great Brett Maher. Getting the opportunity to connect with a player of his calibre and wealth of knowledge was invaluable. Brett was able to help add to my game a few tricks of the trade, ones that he used when he played. We specifically worked on different footwork, angles to score and lots and lots of shooting. Being an Olympian, an NBL all-time great, and playing 500-plus games for the 36ers he knows a thing or two about scoring the ball. 

After winning the NBL1 championship with the Rockets we headed straight back into pre-season for the 36ers with a new look roster. The front office were busy in the off season recruiting as we had eight new players come into the team joining Isaac, DJ and myself. During our playing career we build strong lifelong relationships with teammates and ultimately that maybe the most enjoyable part of playing basketball. In 10 to 15 years' time when we look back on our journey I believe the things we will cherish the most will be the intricacies of the relationships we had built over that time. 

With that being said gaining new teammates occurs annually and is something that is a part of the professional sports. Recruitment takes part mostly for the basketball talent but it also is heavily influenced by character and the type of person someone is as this has an effect on the team chemistry. There are many stats taken in basketball but this is something I wish could be measured as I believe team chemistry is one of the top ingredients in a championship team. I was very excited about the roster we have this year as it boasts depth, youth, excitement and toughness. That was on full display in the Blitz where everyone was able to contribute to the style of play we have adopted this year. 

You never want to look at outside predictions of the NBL as they’re only formed at face value. They don’t take into account the behind the scenes work and what team dynamics are really like. This year we’ve got an underdog mentality about us and something we embrace wholeheartedly. I expect us to be a top four team and competing for a championship at the end of the season. We’ve got veteran leadership, shooters, athleticism, and rim protection; a recipe that will result in many wins. 

Thank you for embarking on this season-long journey with me and Sunday’s Service. It will be fun and something I look forward to sharing with you weekly as this season progresses. 

#WeAreSixers