A Wiley bug problem

Adelaide import Jacob Wiley was back to his energetic best against South East Melbourne in Round 8, and he’d only really recovered from the stomach bug that has plagued him after the 36ers clash with Perth.

Wiley was crucial in what is one of the best comeback wins of the season against the Phoenix, and ended the game with 17 points and 14 rebounds, as DJ Vasiljevic and Trentyn Flowers both hit clutch shots in the final quarter to pull Adelaide over the line.

The 29-year-old only played 15 minutes in the previous round due to the illness, and revealed he probably shouldn’t have even played that game.

“It got me really bad to the point where I couldn’t travel with the team, I had to stay back in Perth,” Wiley said. “I hadn’t fully recovered for the next game [against Tasmania], but with injuries and guys being out I had to try to play and I did what I could.

“The last couple of games I was sick and didn’t have the energy I usually have and still tried to give it a go, but against South East I felt good and I felt like myself again.

“I really wanted to put my foot on the gas after not being able to contribute for a couple of games.

“It took me while, not eating for four or five days, but now I’ve got my weight back and I’ve got my energy back.”

NBL24 marks Wiley’s second stint in the NBL with the Adelaide 36ers, having previously represented the club in NBL19.

Since then he’s embarked on a globetrotting journey and played in Spain, Greece, Montenegro, Puerto Rico and Japan, but returned to the 36ers as a replacement for the departed Robert Franks, who left the club for a deal in Japan.

Wiley says although only four years had passed between his stints in Adelaide, the NBL is almost unrecognizable from what it was last time he was in Australia.

“Everything has just expanded,” he said. “The league has expanded and grown, the social media, media, television, access for people back home to watch games, the arenas are different.

“It just has a different vibe to it. It’s a premier league in the world now. It used to be kind of a secret, but now it’s not anymore.”

Like every team in the NBL, the 36ers will not play a game this weekend, and are next in action on Thursday, November 30 to open Round 9 against New Zealand.

With the Breakers currently one spot behind Adelaide in ninth and both teams fighting to keep in touch with the post-season positions, Wiley says the club’s mid-season program will hold the 36ers in good stead for a charge up the ladder.

“At this point in the season during the break it’s a good opportunity for us to get some more work in, get after it, and try to right some of our wrongs in the previous games,” he said.

“Every game is huge at this point, especially playing on the road in New Zealand. That’s a big one for us and we want to start this trip the right way.

“We’ve had a lot of guys in and out this year with injuries and illness. We’ve hardly had a full squad this season so to have most of our team here training is a great time for us.”