“What happened this year can't happen again"

21 Feb 2026

brisbane bullets

Brisbane Bullets interim head coach Darryl McDonald has called for the club to learn from their tough NBL26 season.

The Brisbane Bullets’ tough Hungry Jack’s NBL26 season officially wrapped up on Friday night during their 40-point loss to Sydney.

That defeat marked their 13th straight loss to end the campaign, which saw them finish on the bottom of the ladder for the first time since the 2017-18 season.

During the post-game press conference at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre, interim head coach Darryl McDonald implored that the club must learn from this season.

“I'm struggling to be honest, now that we're at the end,” McDonald said.

“For me, it's only about winning, and that's all I want to do, and we don't have a team capable of doing that, so it's been a struggle, but we can obviously take some things out of it.

“I cringe when I look at my record, and we only won one game, but over the last two months, we've had four proper training sessions, and there's a lot that's happened and for us to reflect back on.

“I love the players and the group we had, and it's not their fault we ended up in this position.

“They gave me everything they could, and they have been competing and playing hard.”

It’s been reported that the Bullets are on the hunt for a new coach for NBL27, which McDonald called a crucial upcoming decision for the club.

“It's been tough, and I struggle with losing, and initially I didn't want to do this job,” he said.

“But I've done the best I can, and it's just been tough with our injuries and not having enough bodies, so that's the story of our season in the end.

“[Moving forward,] the most important thing for the club to do is to get a head coach and give him what he wants because you have to let him build the team he wants and trust him.

“What happened this year can't happen again.”

The inaugural NBL Ignite Cup Final between Adelaide and New Zealand tips off at 4.30pm AEDT on Sunday, live on ESPN and Channel 10.

Then the NBL26 Finals tip off on Wednesday, March 4, with the Seeding Qualifier between South East Melbourne and Perth at John Cain Arena from 7.30pm AEDT, live on ESPN.