Less than three months before the 2021-22 National Basketball League-Australia season opens its curtains, Adelaide made a sudden change to their coaching staff.
The 36ers have released head coach Conner Henry, who was entering the final year of his contract.
“While decisions such as these occur regularly in professional sport and are part of the business, they are never easy,” said 36ers general manager Jeff Van Groningen.
“Coming off a challenging season we now pivot to the future, and we felt that the fit between Conner and the Club was not aligned as we move to that future.
“On behalf of Chairman Grant Kelley, the staff, players, and those that support our Club, I thank Conner for his time and efforts and wish him well into the future,” he continued.
Henry, the 2014 NBA D-League Coach of the Year, was signed by the 36ers back in April of 2020.
During the introductory press conference of Kai Sotto, he shared his high hopes for their import.
“When Kai’s name was first brought to me a couple of months back, the staff and I started to do some really solid investigation on who the young man was personally, as well as what skill level he had,” he said. “You see Kai being 7-foot-3 and you’re immediately intrigued basketball-wise. Can he play? Does he have a certain skill level at that size, at that age?
“And when we saw the initial films of him, the coaches and I were immediately excited cause he’s got a really solid feel for the game.”
Last season, the 36ers finished at seventh place with a 13-23 slate.
