Wells says 36ers prepared for Taipans tussle

Adelaide 36ers head coach Mike Wells said his team have made some adjustments heading into Saturday’s clash against Cairns Taipans in Far North Queensland.

Wells said his side did some learning and took a lot out of last Sunday’s opening round 102-94 loss to Sydney Kings at HoopsFest in Perth.

“The more time we have to practice, the more times we have on the floor, have film sessions, we are still in the newness of this season, the more time the better,” Wells told media on Thursday.

“We are continuing to figure out our rotations, our player combinations, adding Trez (Montrezl Harrell) in changes some things.”

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Wells expects Harrell to have a greater impact against the Taipans after another full week of practice for the 2020 NBA Sixth Man of the Year.

“His (Harrell) basketball IQ is exceptional, he hit the ground, and he has a very good idea of what we were trying to do and has been a leading voice in the locker room, on the sideline,” Wells said.

“I think he is only going to get better with more time with us and the more minutes.

“He got a rhythm in the game, and he did some things which he will be able to do all the time for us and that is rebound, defend and be a presence around the rim.”

Wells said his first regular season game as head coach seemed to go longer than what he was expecting from a FIBA regulated match.

“I wish it was 19-3 right out of the gate, but we did manage to get our feet under us a couple of different times when we got our rhythm back,” Wells said.

“You were in the moment, and I’ve been a coach for a long time, but not a head coach, it didn’t feel uncomfortable to me.

“I’ve got some great assistants and some veteran players that have helped me along the way.”

Wells said his side are ready for the next challenge on Saturday and is looking forward to seeing the response.

“I was super proud of the way we took their punch, then got our feet back under us more than once,” Wells said.

“We learnt a lot of things about ourselves, and we are a better team after that game than before the start of it.”

Adelaide will get their next chance this Saturday when the 36ers travel to Far North Queensland to battle Cairns Taipans from 5pm, you can catch all the action live and exclusive on ESPN via Kayo Sports.