Vasiljevic: Coach sacking "a kick in the nuts"

Adelaide star DJ Vasiljevic has described Scott Ninnis’ sacking as “a kick in the nuts” to the 36ers’ players.

Ninnis was released by the club on Monday morning, just six months after signing a two-year deal as head coach.

He will be replaced by experienced American coach Mike Wells, who initially joined the club as a lead assistant in June.

“We were all mid-lift (weights) and half way through finishing up, and bang, Scott Ninnis came in and said that he was fired,” Vasiljevic revealed on SEN SA.

“I think everyone was just more shocked than anything … it felt like a kick in the nuts.”

Vasiljevic signed a three-year deal with the club in January and had arguably his best NBL season to date under the tutelage of CJ Bruton, then Ninnis.

“I don’t think I need to be consulted, but it would have been nice to be given a heads-up ... especially myself and Isaac (Humphries) are the two guys that are on long-term deals,” Vasiljevic continued.

“Being one of the main players on this team, we were consulted on the imports before they actually signed, so knowing our head coach Scotty would be fired would have been nice too.

“That’s a decision made by our front office and they have to do what they have to do.

“Everyone’s still really, really shocked about it. I know I am.”

With only a couple of weeks until the 36ers’ pre-season games begin, Vasiljevic said Ninnis’ departure was a huge spanner in the works, but the team would need to move on quickly. 

Wells will take the reins immediately, and look to guide Adelaide to its first Finals campaign since 2018. 

“Having someone replace him (Ninnis) who’s been 30 years in the NBA isn’t bad at all. I think he will continue in the direction we have,” Vasiljevic said. 

“Now we’ve got six and a half weeks before our first game, so we’ll do all we can to put this behind us and keep pushing forward.

“We have to just kind of re-focus and get back to what we want and that’s to try to prepare for the first game.

“We’ve just to get back to what we do best and that’s play basketball.”

Vasiljevic dismissed talk of players wanting to leave the club, saying it was “a bit overboard”.

“I did call my agent as soon as it happened, just to get his opinion, and he said ‘look, there’s nothing you can really do, because what if he had got fired half way through the season’, you would never know. It just happens,” he said. 

“I’m committed for three years. I think the team we have can make a Playoff push.”