"We wanted the best starting five"

The Adelaide 36ers’ front-office had one mission in the off-season.

“We wanted literally the best starting five in the league,” owner Grant Kelley explained on SEN.

It’s fair to say they’ve come a long way towards achieving that, at least on paper, with a roster headlined by Bryce Cotton, Zylan Cheatham, Montrezl Harrell, Dejan Vasiljevic, Isaac Humphries and Flynn Cameron, a group that’s already the envy of many.

“In the off-season we didn't just open the chequebook. We also did the proper evaluation to get the right people into the program,” Kelley said.

“I should add that the bench that's been recruited, who are going to be pushing for starting spots, you look at Isaac White, Keanu Rasmussen, Matt Kenyon, of course, Flynn Cameron, we're expecting to start (and) is an exceptional young man and an incredible prospect.

“I think the 11-person roster is just really, really stacked with talent, but it's also stacked with character.”

Kelley acknowledged the weight of expectation on the 36ers after one of the most impressive off-season signing sprees in recent years, but stressed they would remain grounded.

Last season's Sydney Kings are a prime example, a team many considered close to unbeatable before faltering in the Play-In Tournament.

“We're probably suffering from raised expectations through a great off-season of recruitment. But we have to remember we haven't played a competitive game yet,” Kelley continued.

“I think it's important to stay grounded, to treat every quarter as an objective, that we need to win that quarter, to win the games and then to see how the season progresses.

“But we can't get ahead of ourselves, no matter how good the off-season recruitment's been.”

That buzz of expectation and excitement has already seen the club sell out its memberships well ahead of the season.

“I think what 36ers fans have historically been known as the most knowledgeable fans in the league, but I'd also say they're the most loyal,” Kelley said.

“People forget that during much of the last nine or 10 years we didn't have winning seasons, and yet we were close to sell-outs even in those seasons.

“I'm extraordinarily grateful and quite humbled by the faith which the South Australian sporting public has put in our organisation.”

“Now that being said, of course… Sixers fans have been starved of success for too long.

“We had some success last year, perhaps could have gone further with a little bit of luck, but this year, we hope to give back to them for the faith they've put in us with a really successful year.”

Adelaide will feature at the Pavlos Giannakopoulos Tournament against Panathinaikos on September 21 in Sydney, before opening its NBL26 campaign on September 28 against Brisbane.