DESPITE plenty of hype coming into his tenure, Mike Kelly‘s time with the SEM Phoenix lasted just four weeks in his second season at the club, with the team parting ways with the head honcho on Sunday.

The move comes after a loss at the hands of the Brisbane Bullets on Saturday night at John Cain Arena. Both teams were yet to win a game over the first four weeks, and whichever side lost would likely see their season come to a premature end. That unfortunate team ended up being the South East Melbourne Phoenix, who were swift to make immediate changes.

Kelly was the victim of the poor start, with South East Melbourne’s record currently sitting at 0-5, the worst in the NBL after Saturday’s loss. The Phoenix constructed a strong roster over the off-season, built with plenty of offensive power and scoring options.

However, the team failed to make an impact on the scoreboard, with the big names unable to fire in the same game and defensively allowing opposition teams to post winning scores on a consistent basis, which led to consecutive losses.

Having previously coached the Cairns Taipans, Kelly joined the team ahead of last season, where the team finished with 10 wins and 18 losses, which was the worst record in the NBL. Following a productive off-season, it was expected that South East Melbourne would improve, but that did not eventuate.

Instead, assistant coach Sam McKinnon will lead the team while the Phoenix looks to find a new captain of the ship.

GM of Basketball Operations Simon Mitchell explained the decision-making process behind the move.

“The team’s on-court performance is not meeting the club’s standards and expectations,” Mitchell said.

“While we deeply respect, appreciate, and thank Mike for his hard work and dedication, we believe a change is necessary to move the team forward and deliver the success our fans, sponsors, and stakeholders deserve.”