Basketball Australia is increasing the investment in the Boomers and Seven Consulting Opals programs with two senior high-performance appointments announced today.
Jason Smith has been appointed as Director Senior National Teams-Boomers and Opals and Trish Fallon as the Seven Consulting Opals Team Lead and Manager. Jason Smith OLY is a two-time Olympian, a former captain of the Boomers and Commonwealth Games gold medallist.
Jason has been working with the Boomers for the past 2 years as their Head of Operations including Tokyo 2020 where they claimed a bronze medal.
Jason has worked as a senior executive at Commonwealth Bank and Domo in data and analytics, he brings a wealth of experience and leadership to this role.
“This is the right time for me to join BA in a full-time capacity having worked with the Boomers team for the past 2 years. Our national teams have never been in such a strong position with incredible talent, the world game is changing so rapidly we have an obligation to keep our teams in the top 3 and to do that will take as much work off the court as on. I look forward to working with Sandy Brondello and Brian Goorjian as we head towards Paris and a podium finish,” said Smith.
Trish Fallon OLY is a three-time Olympian and former Opals captain. Trish won three Olympic medals and a bronze medal at the FIBA World Championships.
Trish has been working with the Opals as their team manager for a number of years and she looks forward to her role expanding.
“I’m looking forward to this new role focused beyond the game day operations to work closely with the athletes, coaches and support staff.
Having just come off a successful FIBA World Cup campaign, the clock is now ticking as we head towards Paris 2024,” said Fallon.
Matt Scriven CEO-Basketball Australia believes this is an important time for investment in the Boomers and Seven Consulting Opals programs coming off the back of a successful 2022 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup and as the Boomers head into a World Cup in 2023.
“This is an important appointment for BA with the experience that Jason brings both from his business and performance backgrounds.
Jason and Trish are highly respected in the basketball community and together they bring a wealth of experience to our national programs. Ensuring that Boomers and Seven Consulting Opals have the best opportunity to continue to medal at World Cup’s and Olympics is a strategic priority for our business.” said Scriven.
The High-Performance team led by Jan Stirling AM includes Leigh Gooding who manages the Gliders and Rollers Wheelchair national teams and Peter Lonergan who manages elite coach development and talent identification.
Sandy Brondello and Brian Goorjian are both contracted until Paris 2024 as national program Head Coaches.
Jason will commence in his new role on 1 February 2023, Trish will commence mid-January.
