Vasiljevic reveals players-only meeting

The Adelaide 36ers have looked a different outfit since DJ Vasiljevic joined the club. After their 0-4 start they now sit at 3-5, and things are looking up for the team.

Vasiljevic’s recruitment looks to have been the catalyst for the surge in form. The two-time NBL champion has been given the licence to control Adelaide’s offence, and he’s currently leading the team in scoring and behind only Jacob Wiley in assists per game.

That turnaround in form for the club stems further than the court though. Vasiljevic reportedly spear-headed a players-only meeting following his first loss with the side.

<iframe src="https://omny.fm/shows/nbl-radio-interviews/dj-vasiljevic-on-sen-november-2-2023/embed?style=artwork" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write" width="100%" height="180" frameborder="0" title="DJ Vasiljevic on SEN - November 2, 2023"></iframe>

“I don’t take the whole credit,” Vasiljevic told SEN. “, I sat down with a few of the guys after the game and said I think it would be beneficial if we all sat down to get everything off our chest.

“We held a players meeting on Friday before we played Perth at home on that Saturday and I think it’s gone in the right direction.

"I just think we needed to find an identity when things started to go south a little bit. Going back to home base on offence of what we want to run if we turn the ball over or don’t score on a few possessions, and then defensively what do we want to revert back to if people are scoring too easily.

"I think everyone’s taken it with great pride and we’re winning, so that’s the most important thing. We just want to get back to winning and try and make a playoff push.

“We’ve had two great wins, our practices have been elite, we’re having fun and everyone’s laughing and there’s a great vibe and atmosphere around the group.

“We have to keep playing our game and people are still counting us out, when people count us out there’s no pressure so we just play our game, we have fun and the wins slowly stack up.”

Vasiljevic’s previous comments surrounding Adelaide came back to the fore immediately after he signed for the 36ers, with the star guard slamming the club while still a member of the Kings.

“What I said, I said – obviously people keep receipts and that’s cool, but I want that same energy when we start to win.

“It is what it is, we move forward, and I’ve learned from my mistakes. It all happens.”

Adelaide’s Saturday night clash with Perth comes with the Wildcats under immense pressure to get a result, after a recent poor run forced majority owner Craig Hutchison to publicly defend the status of head coach John Rillie.

Vasiljevic is aware of how quickly the tables can turn in the NBL, and says the 36ers are ready for a tough battle.

“Adelaide was in that block a couple of weeks ago. We were 1-5 and everyone was calling for CJ’s head and now the tables have turned,” he said.

“With the Red Army being very successful the past few years, it’s interesting to see how they come out. I expect them to come out full of energy.

“Bryce is going to be Bryce and it’s about other players playing around him. That’s the main guy – our focus is on Bryce Cotton and trying to go in there and get a win.”

Adelaide play Perth on Saturday, November 4 at 8pm AEDT, live on ESPN via Kayo.