Trevor Gleeson Emerges as Adelaide 36ers Coach Frontrunner

Mike Wells has stepped down as adelaide 36ers coach, opening a vacancy that Trevor Gleeson now appears set to fill. The move puts the club into a coaching search with a familiar name at the front of the line.

Olgun Uluc on Gleeson

“My reporting is that, make no mistake about it, Trevor Gleeson is the frontrunner for this position,” Olgun Uluc said. He also said there is mutual interest between Gleeson and the Adelaide 36ers, and added that he would be surprised if Gleeson is not in the position by the start of the season.

Uluc’s read was firm: “Obviously, a deal still has to get done, and terms agreed to, but there is a mutual interest, and I’d be surprised if Trevor Gleeson isn’t in the position come the start of the season.” That leaves the 36ers with a live vacancy and a leading candidate who already has deep NBL history behind him.

Gleeson’s NBL record

Gleeson has coached in Townsville, Melbourne and Perth across 14 seasons in the NBL, and he has coached 460 games. He is also a five-time NBL champion, a résumé that makes him the most established name linked to the opening.

The connection is not just about experience. Uluc said the prospect of coaching Bryce Cotton again is part of the appeal, and he pointed to Adelaide’s framework after a Championship Series appearance. Gleeson previously won three NBL championships with Cotton, who is a six-time MVP.

Adelaide 36ers decision

Matt Weston and the decision maker in the franchise have a preferred list of candidates, but there is “a whole lot of space” between Gleeson and the next option, according to Uluc. That gap turns the vacancy into a short-list race with one clear front-runner instead of an open search.

For Adelaide, the next step is straightforward: get a deal done, agree to terms, and finish the hire before the season begins. If Gleeson takes the job, he would return to a club trying to build on its recent push toward a Championship Series while replacing a coach who stepped down.