The Adelaide 36ers have parted ways with head coach Scott Ninnis, the team announced on Monday.
Ninnis was informed of the decision on Monday morning, sources said, with the players told shortly after. The 36ers had a practice immediately after the players were informed.
Ninnis took over as interim head coach toward the back-end of the 2023-24 NBL season -- taking over from CJ Bruton -- and put together an 8-7 record. He subsequently signed a new two-year deal to become the full-time head coach. This marks the second time Ninnis has been fired as head coach of his hometown 36ers.
Mike Wells -- a long-time NBA assistant coach who was hired this off-season to join the 36ers' staff -- has been named the team's new head coach.
Over the off-season, questions continued to fester within the 36ers' management about Ninnis' capability as a head coach in the NBL, sources said. Those concerns were evident from the moment they hired Ninnis as a full time head coach, with the team looking to place at least one high-level lead assistant next to him.
Ninnis had a desire to bring back his long-time assistant and ally, Graham Kubank, but the team's decision-makers wanted a more experienced, proven option. Judd Flavell, Brendan Joyce, and even Chase Buford were among those the team showed interest in for that lead assistant job, sources said, before ultimately hiring Wells. Wells had been an assistant coach in the NBA for more than a decade -- spending time with the Utah Jazz, San Antonio Spurs, and Charlotte Hornets, among others -- as well as an assistant at USA Basketball for multiple 2023 FIBA World Cup qualifying games. Marko Marinovic -- an assistant for the Serbian national team -- also joined the 36ers' coaching staff.
As the off-season progressed, and amid the recruitment of imports, the 36ers' decision-makers concluded that the team was in need of a more credentialed head coach, sources said, ultimately deciding to move on from Ninnis.
In a statement on Monday, the 36ers said they would reveal more "in due course including potentially a new role within the club for Ninnis".