Adelaide 36ers coach CJ Bruton and star Dejan Vasiljevic have hit out at NBL scheduling after a heavy loss on the road to Tasmania, two days after a game in New Zealand.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The 36ers slumped to a 94-59 defeat - their ninth from 13 starts this season - on Saturday night at Hobart's MyState Bank Arena.
It came after a loss to the New Zealand Breakers in Christchurch on Thursday, the club's first match back from the FIBA break.
Bruton said his team woke up at 4am to get to Christchurch and left New Zealand at 1am to return to Australia and travel to Hobart.
"My eyes were stinging. It was always going to be a tough task. Clearly the result and scoreline shows that," he said.
Vasiljevic described the scheduling as "poorly done" by the NBL, saying a lack of sleep had taken a toll on teammates.
"I played in college, I've played everywhere. This was probably the worst road trip I've had in a long time," he said.
"I'm not trying to s*** on anyone or anything, but when you've got to get up at 4(am) ... I didn't sleep two nights ago.
"Again, it's not an excuse, the JackJumpers are well-coached but If we're going to do this type of road trip I would have loved to play (Sunday)."
Vasiljevic, who has won two NBL championships with the Sydney Kings, said the league should investigate other transport options.
"Or give us a private yet to fly, for real," he said.
"You talk about being one of the best leagues in the world, don't treat your athletes like this.
"I'd love to know how many people turned their TVs off at halftime.
"Ratings probably went down. It's not good for the NBL. Fix the schedule. It's as simple as that."
Adelaide trailed 45-23 at halftime and only edged past their lowest-ever score - 57 against Brisbane in 1983 - in the final minute.
The 35-point win was the JackJumpers' biggest in the franchise's short history and pushes them to second on the ladder.
JackJumpers coach Scott Roth empathised with his opposing coach.
"Adelaide had a really tough schedule to come back over here," he said.
"There are some things to me that don't make a lot of sense but it's just how the league is rolling out the schedules.
"Everyone has to deal with it. At some point or another your travel is not going to be ideal.
"The fans don't care about any of that ... they want to go out and see a product that is on the floor.
"If that is your job to play 30 minutes during the course of the day, that's a heck of a job."
The 36ers' score was the lowest by any team this season and the club's equal-lowest since the NBL switched to 40-minute games in 2009-10.
Adelaide's next match is at home against Cairns on December 9.
Australian Associated Press
