Adnam on Mitchell’s Emotional Exit

Thursday, February 23, 2023

South East Melbourne Phoenix co-captain Kyle Adnam has praised the dedication of former coach Simon Mitchell and spoke on the connection he had with the players.

Mitchell stepped down from his coaching role with the Phoenix on Tuesday evening and is the only coach the team has had since its inaugural season in 2019/20.

“I could sit here all day and talk about Simon and how much he means to me personally, the club, the area and all these things,” Adnam said.

“He also helped me off the court and turned me into a better person. That’s the stuff I’m most thankful for with Simon and I will always cherish that relationship.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Simon Mitchell will depart the <a href="https://twitter.com/SEMelbPhoenix?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SEMelbPhoenix</a>, after stepping down as the club's head coach.<br><br>Read more: <a href="https://t.co/pYb2aHOyAK">https://t.co/pYb2aHOyAK</a> <a href="https://t.co/bONZitnNbI">pic.twitter.com/bONZitnNbI</a></p>— NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1627984558863056896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 21, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Adnam said he and Mitchell had built a strong connection throughout their time together, adding the coach always believed in his abilities.

Mitchell was the assistant coach for Melbourne United from 2014-18 where Adnam played as a development player in the 2015-16 season.

“I’ve been with Sime for eight years of my career,” Adnam said.

“From a little kid with hair coming down my back, Simon had me in here and was working me out and he really believed in me.

“It almost makes me a bit emotional in a way because of the times that we’ve had together and shared.

“Through sport you tend to not really remember the wins, the losses, the great times, the bad times, we’ve won a championship together. But you remember the relationships you form.”

The Phoenix have started looking for Mitchell’s replacement.