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LONG before he suffered the ignominy of being unceremoniously sacked as Adelaide 36ers NBL coach, Scott Ninnis revealed his personal principles by rejecting an opportunity to be elevated to Adelaide Lightning head coach after the WNBL club's ownership sacked Chris Lucas. Today Ninnis was confirmed as Lightning's new "interim" coach.

Taking Lightning to the finals in his two years at the helm, Lucas was sacked after two games of the 2007 WNBL season when he rejected ownership demands to alter his starting quintet.

Ninnis, a proven winner at whatever outpost he has chosen to park his renowned basketball nouse, was Lucas' assistant coach. Offered the Lightning gig at the same meeting where Lucas was fired, Ninnis said the sacking was disgraceful and followed Lucas out the door.

Second assistant Marcus Wong, now a regular with the Townsville Fire coaching staff, a championship assistant and an NBL1 Central championship coach, also rejected the opportunity, even though both men knew Lucas had assembled a championship-winning team.

Lucas would continue on to assist in two Canberra Capitals championships and involvement in seven of the next eight championship series after his unwarranted dismissal, including four straight as Townsville Fire coach and back-to-back WNBL championships.

Ninnis would take an extraordinary playing career which included three NBL championships, Australian representation, SEABL and NBL1 Central championships and turn it into a coaching role as a "players' coach".

An NBL assistant for two Adelaide 36ers championships, he coached two NBL1 Central championships in his first stint at Sturt, with a third recently at South Adelaide.

In 2008, a year after the Lucas fiasco at Lightning, Ninnis was appointed 36ers head coach for two years, a position he filled again as an interim last season after CJ Bruton was released mid-season.

Reappointed to lead the 36ers this season in the NBL, he was sacked for "not meeting certain standards" by the club's basketball operations manager Matt Weston and GM Nic Barbato.

To say Ninnis was a shattered man would be an understatement, his desire to ever again take out the coach's whistle and whiteboard severely compromised.

In Melbourne for the NBL's Heritage Round and a reunion with South East Melbourne Magic championship teammates, he was a conspicuous spectator at the WNBL game at Geelong Arena where Lightning coach Nat Hurst sealed her fate by leading Adelaide to its second loss at the hands of the Lucas-coached league debutantes.

And he was there again at Adelaide 36ers Arena watching as Lightning salvaged a one-point win over Canberra last round. Conspiracy theorists were having a field day!

A proven winner, Ninnis can save this program as he saved the 36ers last season. At 3-6 and equal sixth, there is a long way to go but this Lightning team, featuring a starting five as good as any in the league, will soon be back in the hunt.

BOURNE FREE: Lightning's Isabelle Bourne shows the Caps her heels.

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IT looks another tough round of WNBL, but SYDNEY can put out the Fire in Townsville tomorrow.

Hosting a full-strength Perth this time, BENDIGO can expect a tougher time but should still have the answers, taking its winning streak into double figures.

A new coach usually means a new result and ADELAIDE at home can take Southside, before TOWNSVILLE, at home, makes life difficult for Canberra.

SYDNEY should edge Adelaide, Southside will have its hands full with BENDIGO and rookie Geelong - playing way above expectations - faces a long night in PERTH.

COUNT IT: Monique Conti with the match-winning jumpshot in O/T for Geelong at Southside.