Basketball Australia is delighted to announce that Australian wheelchair basketball legend Brad Ness will lead the Rollers in the path to the 2024 Paris Paralympics as the team's Head Coach.
Having served as the assistant coach of the Rollers for six years, the seasoned five-time Paralympian and gold medal-winning captain is now set to take over the reins from Craig Friday as the Rollers chart their course along the qualification pathway to Paris.
Ness has enjoyed a storied career as a Roller and has represented Australia at the 2000 Sydney, 2004 Athens and 2008 Beijing, 2012 London and 2016 Rio Paralympic Games. His medal collection includes a gold from 2008 and two silvers from 2004 and 2012. In his fifth Paralympic appearance, Ness was selected to carry the Australian flag at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Ness says he welcomes the opportunity to lead the national team.
“It is a huge honour to represent the Rollers in any capacity, to do it as the head coach will be very special. I am looking forward to working with all the staff and players as we drive towards returning to the International podium.”
The Rollers recently concluded their Frank Ponta Cup camp in Canberra earlier this month. This camp served as the final phase of selection for the team that will head to Bangkok for the Asia Oceania Qualifiers. The athletes selected will go on to represent the team at the Championships, slated for January 2024.
“The big change up is coming into camp ready to play and work as a collective group. We spent a lot of time on the new style of play with both freedom and structure, we were looking for the players that can operate in this way. The current group is very fast up the floor and with some great in your face defenders, we need to utilise that.
“The main quality I look for is accountability to what it means to be a Roller and how we are going to keep each other accountable to our values on and off the court when the pressure is on.”
