Arena 'electric' as 36ers debutant hits buzzer beater

Adelaide 36ers have had an epic three-year run with 46 consecutive sellout games, but few crowds have been louder than on Saturday night when 16-year old Raheim "RJ" Brown Jr hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer on debut.

"It was a crazy moment to hit the shot," Brown Jr told ABC Sport.

The 36ers stormed to a 28-point win over Illawarra in the NBL match at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre on Saturday.

The point guard, who turned 16 a week ago, had been on the court for just 73 seconds when he made the shot.

The Year 10 student made headlines across the basketball world in September when the then-15-year-old became the youngest player signed by an NBL club in 44 years; and now sits behind John Horder and Craig Viney (who both played at 15 years and 8 months old) as the youngest debutants in history.

"It was totally a surprise. I was just waiting for my opportunity and when the coach put me in I tried to make the most of it," Brown Jr said.

Sitting in the crowd of over 10,000 were RJ's parents Coco and Raheim Brown Senior, who were elated when their son was injected into the game.

"We've been to every game as a fan to support the team … we never knew when that time was going to happen but RJ was prepared for it," Brown Snr said.

"Once he got out there and hit the shot I was electrified like the whole of Adelaide was. It was a really proud moment."

Brown Jr is a product of the Adelaide 36ers High Performance Schools Program that works across numerous metropolitan schools including Woodville High.

His talent transitioned into the NBL1 where he averaged 20 points per game in the West Adelaide senior reserves side and was able to feature nine times for the Bearcats.

Now in the NBL, he is training and learning alongside six-time MVP Bryce Cotton and five-time championship coach Trevor Gleeson.

"Pre-game warm ups, going through plays, they're all super locked in. They all take care of their body," Brown Jr said.

"The biggest thing is the pace of the game. It's a lot faster than NBL1, or under-18s."

The 36ers will be hoping Saturday's win is the catalyst to boost their chances this season.

Sitting fifth with a record of 6-6 they'll likely regain injured winger Flynn Cameron for Thursday night's clash with Melbourne United; and unveil new recruit Bul Kuol in December.