Early this year, CJ Bruton was part of Brisbane as an assistant coach. And he had one Asian player on his list that he wanted the Bullets to get as their Special Restricted Player in Kai Sotto.
Now he gets a chance to do so after Bruton was tapped to be the next head coach of the Adelaide 36ers.
“It came about because of a call from JVG [Jeff Van Groninge, GM of Basketball]. He said, ‘Can we talk?’ I was pretty excited,” said Bruton about the hiring process.
“I just met Kai Sotto and ran into him and JVG at the stadium,” gushed Bruton, a former NBL Grand Final MVP.
“I was talking about how he was one of the guys that I wanted to bring to the Brisbane Bullets, putting his name forward, and following a guy like that.”
Bruton has high hopes for Sotto — just like his predecessor Connor Henry.
The difference though is Bruton knows the plight of an import that is trying to prove himself.
During his playing years, Bruton, a 6-foot-2 point guard, played for Israeli club Ironi Ashkelo and Puerto Rican team Piratas de Quebradillas in hopes of getting to the NBA.
Prior to that, he tried out for the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2006 but was unsuccessful.
“If you know anything about my career, it wasn’t always about the money. It was about winning and being successful and doing things the right way that you leave a place better than when we got there,” he said.
Bruton has long been the bane of Adelaide, playing for Perth, Brisbane, Illawara, Canberra, Sydney, and New Zealand. After retiring from the game, he became an assistant coach for Brisbane in 2015-16.
This time around, he plans to rebuild Adelaide on the fly as the 36ers finished with a horrid 13-23 slate last season.
“It’s an honor to be a part of a great tradition and culture. Adelaide is the first team in the NBL to have its first stadium,” said the six-time NBL champion player.
And Bruton feels like he has the team to do it.
Besides Sotto, the 36ers have G Leaguers Emmanuel Malou, Dusty Hannahs, and Todd Withers. They will be backed by vets in Daniel Johnson, Isaac Humphries, Mitch McCarron, Mojave King, Sunday Dech, and Tad Dufelmeier.
“I look at our roster and already see that it’s built for success.
“I think JVG and Grant Kelley have done a great job. I’ve spoken with them about their vision and where they see this club going, and it all aligns with what I’m about not only on the floor but off the floor,” he said.
“We have the balance of young players and veteran players, and you’ve got to mix that with the international players and making sure that everyone feels a piece and feel involved and that they can grow in this game,” he added.
For Bruton, it will all begin in practice on Saturday.
“I’m all about effort and if you bring the effort every single day, then you will you’ll be rewarded not only at practice but also in the community. And then it comes about communication, it’s the number one thing that we’ve got to have.”
The NBL season begins on November 18.
