Why Trevor Gleeson didn’t coach on Saturday night

Adelaide 36ers leadership has explained why head coach Trevor Gleeson didn’t coach the side during its second CODE Sports NBL Blitz win over Cairns on Saturday night.

The Sixers led from start to finish and were able to manage the minutes of key players in the 112-86 win at Bendigo’s Red Energy Arena.

And they did so with Gleeson sitting courtside, allowing senior assistant coach Marko Marinovic to take the lead.

Marinovic has an extensive playing and coaching background in Europe and was assistant coach with the Serbian national team that won bronze at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

Speaking to ESPN on Saturday night, Adelaide 36ers General Manager of Basketball Operations Matt Weston explained the reasons behind the move.

“He just has a lot of faith in his assistants,” Weston said.

“He loves to delegate responsibility and let people take that on.

“(He was) doing a bit of coaching over there… but I think that's what good leaders do is they give their people the ability to take on responsibility.

“And I think that's going to really come through later in the year.”

The Sixers will take a relatively settled line-up into the Hungry Jack’s NBL27 season with all three imports returning for the first time by any side in NBL history, and the bulk of the roster retained.

The biggest change has been the arrival of five-time NBL Championship winner Gleeson as Head Coach, following the decision by Mike Wells to return to the United States.

Weston said it had refreshed the group as the club chased a long awaited NBL championship.

“It's a bit like when you go from year five to year six (in school), and it's all the same class, and you move up and it's just a new teacher,” Weston smiled.

“The connections are still there, there's still the appetite and the thirst to learn.

“It's really a really good timing for us to have Trevor come in and a good time for Trevor to come back to Australia and reunite with his best mate (Bryce Cotton).”

The Sixers will now prepare to tip off the season against Melbourne United away from home on September 19.

The club’s first home game is on September 27 against the Taipans with limited tickets still available.