Adelaide 36ers' interim coach Scott Ninnis will sit down with the NBL club's hierarchy in the coming days to make his pitch to continue in a full-time capacity next season.
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Ninnis has impressed in his audition since taking the reins from CJ Bruton, who was sacked in December after a horror start to the campaign.
The 58-year-old club great led Adelaide to an 8-7 record in his time at the helm and ended the season on a high with a fifth-straight home win, beating the finals-bound New Zealand Breakers 76-70 on Sunday.
The Sixers (12-16) fell just one win and percentage short of a finals berth.
NBL coaching greats Brian Goorjian and Trevor Gleeson have been floated as potential candidates for the full-time Adelaide role since Bruton was sacked.
But Ninnis, whose previous stint in charge from 2008 to 2010 reaped one finals appearance over two seasons, is adamant he is the right man for the job.
"We were always going to wait until the end of the season, that message has been crystal clear right from the start," Ninnis said.
"I'll sit down with the club this week and see what direction that takes us.
"But I've made no secret that I want to do the job and I'm confident that I'm the right person for it."
Ninnis believes he is a better coach now than he was during his previous stint in charge of Adelaide and feels he has helped reinvigorate the club over the last two months.
"One of the things that we've been able to bring to this club is heart, when you look at the way we play," Ninnis said.
"I had someone come up to me, a random person in the street, about a week ago and they just congratulated us on what we've done.
"This person said to me, 'It's not the wins that we're most happy about, it's the fact that this club's got a heart and soul again'.
"To me, you can't get a bigger compliment than that."
Sixers star Dejan Vasiljevic has previously called for Ninnis to be handed a two-year contract and doubled down on his support after Sunday's season-ending win over the Breakers.
"You've got to understand how much he means to the club," Vasiljevic said.
"He's played (and coached as an assistant) championships, so why not keep someone like that around?
"He means a lot more to this city than any of the players do. He's done a lot.
"I back him, so I think he deserves it, but I don't make those decisions.
"All I can do is support Scotty - he's done one hell of a job."
Australian Associated Press
