The Adelaide 36ers of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL) were quick to make moves in the 2025 free agency period. They opened their signings with the return of two hometown guards: Michael Harris and Isaac White.

Harris spent two seasons with the 36ers as a training player in 2018–19 and development player in 2019–20. He joined the Perth Wildcats in 2022, spending his first two seasons as a development player and then finally earning his first full roster spot in the 2024–25 season. However, Harris’ contract determination did not generally alter his playing time; he averaged about 7 minutes of playing time for 2 points per game across his three seasons with the Wildcats.

White is from Adelaide too but never played for the team of the homeland. He was with the Illawarra Hawks from 2020 to 2022, Tasmania JackJumpers during the 2022–23 season and Brisbane Bullets from 2023 to 2025. White has a fascinating career pattern: his scoring highs are almost entirely against the 36ers. He scored a season-high 16 points against the 36ers in 2020–21, a season-high 14 points in 2021–22 and a career-high 22 points in 2024–25. White proudly explained in a post-game interview in 2022 after a 36ers demolition that he “hates their guts”; his head coaches wisely used that isolated aggression for sporadic scoring outbursts. The hatred has seemingly subsided at last and he finally is united with the team from his place of birth. Will we see a constant unleashing of scoring now that White is playing for the 36ers? Or, will he be so confused by aligning with his former envy that his motivation finds no outlet and his scoring attempts become futile? Only White knows.

Another player had been expected to reunite with his own hometown team as well. Flynn Cameron is two years into his professional career and has spent that time with Melbourne United. Playing as a guard, he was often deep in the rotation behind teammates in the same position including Matthew Dellavedova, Chris Goulding, Ian Clark, Shea Ili and Tanner Krebs. Deserving of greener pastures, it was widely rumoured that he would be returning to his home country to join the New Zealand Breakers where he would have perhaps a major responsibility for the team now that it is in a rebuild after a disastrous 2024–25 campaign.

Instead, the native New Zealander is the third new signing alongside the Adelaide boys for the 36ers. It is a major coup. He was enticed by a sizeable contract for three seasons. Cameron will be 25-years-old when the season starts and entering what will be his athletic prime during his tenure.

Cameron played five years of college basketball in the United States. He spent two years at DePaul where he saw 8.8 minutes of playing time for 1.9 points a game from 2018 to 2020. Cameron then transferred to UC Riverside where he was inserted into the starting line-up and averaged 11.3 points to go with 5.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. He made his debut for the New Zealand national team during that same time span as well, appearing in games for the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers in 2022 and 2023. Cameron led the Tall Blacks in both points and assists when they won the FIBA Asia Cup in 2022. He is the son of Pero Cameron, the captain of the Tall Blacks from 2000 to 2010 and their coach from 2019 to 2024.

Cameron returned from the United States and signed with United under head coach Dean Vickerman who had coached his father in the New Zealand National Basketball League on the Waikato Pistons in 2009. He had some games that showed the depth of his abilities throughout his United career: 14 points and 8 rebounds against the South East Melbourne Phoenix in 2023; 15 points against the Phoenix in 2024; 18 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists against the Illawarra Hawks in 2024; 18 points and 10 rebounds against the Cairns Taipans in 2024; 20 points against the Breakers in 2024; and a NBL career-high 21 points against the 36ers in 2024. Cameron showcased himself as a highly efficient scorer too by averaging above 42% on field goals across his two seasons and notching a 42.9% and 38.8% three-point percentage in 2023–24 and 2024–25 respectively.

Cameron has high energy on the court with his output but he holds himself with an effortlessness cool. Take his postgame interview after his 2024 performance against the Taipans where he stated that his team needs to “keep chopping wood [and] carrying water” despite feeling confidence from the win. It is that routine to him.

Cameron had his moments but they were limited during his United tenure. He was often relegated to major time on the bench as United chose to go with their tried-and-tested core of guards (Dellavedova, Goulding, Clark and Ili). While United made back-to-back championship game appearances, Cameron could not get any run with only two minutes of total playing time against the JackJumpers in 2024 and an average of 6.5 minutes per game against the Hawks in 2025. Though United lost Dellavedova to the Brisbane Bullets, their signing of Dash Daniels and his definite use of major reserve guard minutes meant that it made sense for Cameron to look elsewhere.

Cameron will finally get his chance to showcase his full capacity on the 36ers. Standing 196 centimetres (or 6 foot 5 inches), he is capable of playing both guard positions and also small forward. His versatility bodes well considering the 36ers currently have no forwards on their roster and are perhaps already guard-heavy. Joining guards Harris and White, the 36ers are led by one of Australia’s premier shooters in Dejan Vasiljevic and have another New Zealander in Keanu Rasmussen who is elevated to a full roster spot after showing his own abilities as a development player last season. It will be interesting to see which imports the 36ers bring in as it will determine Cameron’s primary position as all signs point to him being designated as a starter. An import point guard in the style of Kendric Davis would move Cameron to his uncommon small forward. Alternatively, bringing in two forwards (the 36ers presently have nobody on the roster who can play at power forward; Isaac Humphries and Ben Griscti are pure centers) would shift him to point guard where he would be given the keys to the team. I cannot picture a situation where Cameron comes off the bench so the 36ers can run a bizarre three-guard back-up unit of him, Harris and White hence why I am sure of him starting.

The horizon looks for the seizing by Cameron. There is much wood to be chopped and water to be carried when it comes to playing for the 36ers. I look forward to seeing how much is taken.