Dech backs Adelaide resurgence

Adelaide’s Sunday Dech has refused to strike a line through the 36ers’ NBL24 post-season hopes, despite their difficult 0-4 start to the season.

Sunday’s loss to Sydney means the 36ers are seeking their first win of the season after two rounds. The last time an Adelaide side started a season with four straight losses was back in 2002.

On that occasion the 36ers turned it around to finish fifth and earn a playoff berth – which is something Dech believes the current group can replicate.

“I think we’re right there. We’ve been in every game, we’ve had some leads and then we just fizzle out at the end there. We’re on the practice court today trying to figure that out and going through film and we’re making strides.

“Teams have done it in the past where they’ve started 0-4, string a lot of wins together and then on the back end come out on the right side, so that’s what we’re hoping to do.

“Each game we’re getting a bit better bit by bit, and at the moment that’s what we’re waiting for.

“There’s a breakthrough around the corner, we’re biding our time for that and we’re hoping it’s this Saturday.”

Adelaide will play just once in Round 3 after taking on double-headers in each of the opening two rounds of the season, and plays Illawarra at home on Saturday evening.

External pressure looks to be mounting on head coach CJ Bruton following last season’s failure to make the playoffs, as well as the current playing group, after the departure of import guard Jamaal Franklin.

Dech says none of the outside rhetoric around the fortunes of the 36ers is having an impact on the squad. 

“At the end of the day it’s not the outside noise, we don’t care about that. We care about what we do on the practice court, what we do on game night and how we go through our processes,” Dech said.

“Pundits can say what they want but at the end of the day this is the group that’s going to get it done, not their opinions of us.

“This is the group we started with, this is the group we want to end with – we might add one or two more pieces, we don’t know, but we’ve got our faith in each other and trust the work on the practice court and hope it’s going to show in games.

“We don’t want to start pointing fingers because that’s not our job. Our job is to come and train hard and play hard every day.

“That’s all you can hope for – to get better each day, get a few breaks run your way and then one win turns into two which turns into three, and that’s what we’re hoping for.”