The Adelaide 36ers recently announced that Australian Institute of Sport stalwart Marty Clarke would be taking the coaching reigns of South Australia’s NBL team this season, after the end-of-season dismissal of Scott Ninnis. Clarke is in his eighth year with the AIS and this will be his first shot at an NBL squad, which comes along with a Boomers assistant coaching role at the World Championships this year under Brett Brown.
A client of John Rillie‘s Brevalto Sports Management stable, Clarke understands that he has his work cut out for him as he takes over an Adelaide squad severely lacking in filled roster spots and one that is coming off a very disappointing 2009/10 season. The coaching style that Clarke adopts in Adelaide will be interesting — for example the full-court trapping style that he exhibited with the Australian U19 team would be one of few such defences employed in the NBL.
Boti Nagy at the Adelaide Advertiser always has the Sixers news covered and this news is no exception, with a full piece on Clarke here.
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The High Stakes Hoops tournament continues to pick up steam, as news is disseminated on a slow-release basis in the lead-up to the 6 April tip-off of the tournament in Adelaide. As fans wait to hear of NBL players that will be involved in the tourney, the latest annoucement was that Luke Schenscher will be part of Brett Maher‘s Fleet squad.
Word on the street indicates that Schenscher’s champion teammate from the Perth Wildcats, Kevin Lisch, will be the next to be announced on a squad.
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Meanwhile, Schenscher has been rated as a 10-point player in the just-released NBL Player Points Ratings. He is one of 15 such players at the maximum points level. Former Utah NCAA player, Luke Nevill, who returns from the NBA D-League, has been rated a 9. There is talk that the Melbourne Tigers are hotly pursuing him. Martin Iti, who has been playing with new squad the Southland Sharks in the NZNBL, is rated a 4.
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Lastly, Inside the Game TV will not be airing this Friday due to Good Friday, so you will have to wait a week to hear Daniel Eade, DJ Rod and Rob D of NBA Mate talking Eastern Conference NBA hoops. If you haven’t done so already, check out my appearance last Friday on the show, talking about the Western Conference.
