Rucker: "It rips the guts and soul out”

Former NBL MVP Derek Rucker says the Adelaide 36ers’ decision to part ways with head coach Scott Ninnis just over a month out from the season could “rip the guts and soul out of the team”. 

Ninnis was thrust into his second stint in the head coaching role after the departure of CJ Bruton in December, but lasted just eight months in the job, despite being re-signed for two years in February. 

He coached the 36ers to eight wins from 15 games to close out the season.

“I thought they did a really good job of rallying that team and getting some wins down the back end of that season," Rucker said of Ninnis’ time in the head-coaching position.

“Go back three years and the same thing happened to Conner Henry (coached in 2020-2021) ... it rips the guts and the soul out of your team.”

Ninnis will be replaced by lead assistant coach Mike Wells, who has over three decades’ coaching experience in the US, including 26 years in the NBA and with Team USA.

Rucker hinted Wells’ addition in the off-season, alongside with another experienced senior assistant coach, Marko Marinovic, was always going to pile more pressure on Ninnis. 

“I don’t think you can operate with that type of undermining going on, effectively as a head coach,” he said.

“If it was me, I’d be like ‘those guys, I don’t need them. I think I can handle this’. 

“To fully assemble my coaching staff for me, that doesn’t sit well with me. 

“I wish I had the opportunity to be inside and see how Ninnis actually gets down in training and what he’s like as a coach … if he wasn’t putting the effort in, then that’s certainly a trigger point.”

“That’s part of the reasoning from the 36ers management,” ESPN's Olgun Uluc continued. 

“The bulk of it though is what they feel is Ninnis’ capacity as a basketball coach.

“They re-signed Ninnis as head coach and they immediately went to bring in a high-level assistant, whether that was a Brendan Joyce or a Judd Flavell, and it ended up being Mike Wells.

“The idea was, there wasn’t complete trust in Ninnis’ capacity as a head coach and so they had to bring in these other basketball minds to supplement it.

“You could then argue that was a pathway that was never going to succeed.” 

Ninnis is one of South Australia’s most decorated basketball figures, having played in three NBL championships and as a four-time SA State League winner with the South Adelaide Panthers.

He’s also won two NBL championships as an assistant coach with the 36ers. 

Rucker said Ninnis’ departure would be felt through the local basketball community.

“Scott Ninnis is a piece of South Australian basketball history,” he said.

“He’s the chair in the corner of the room that’s been there a long time and seen a lot of basketball and seen it all come and go.

“His crew down there spreads quite vast and it’s a lot of South Australian luminaries, so they’ve got to deal with that aspect as well.”

Despite his scepticism, Rucker said the 36ers’ could prove to be a brave, and ultimately, correct decision in the longer term.

“I tell you right now, the 36ers do not give a damn about timing ... they let Conner Henry go on the eve of the season, they let CJ Bruton go before the Christmas holiday season ... they do not care about when they do stuff,” he added.

“Some of their moves in the past have proven to be the incorrect moves, perhaps this move is a result of them learning from past mistakes and them now trying to get it right and saying ‘whatever is inevitable, it’s better to do it sooner rather than later’.”