Appointments have been made for the head coach positions of the Under-17 national teams ahead of the FIBA Under-17 Oceania Championships in New Caledonia this August.
Former Opals assistant coach and Chemist Warehouse WNBL life member Phil Brown will be at the helm of the Australian women’s team and Basketball Tasmania High Performance Manager Mark Radford will lead the Australian men.
Competing in Noumea, New Caledonia from August 19-24, the Australian teams will be aiming to finish in the top two of the FIBA Under-17 Oceania Championships in order to advance to next year’s Under-18 Asian Championships which will then give them the opportunity to qualify for the 2021 Under-19 World Cup.
These coaching appointments follow on from the squad announcements for the men and women last month before they head into a selection camp for the tournament this weekend.
A former AIS mentor, Under-19 women’s head coach, London Olympian and a 300-game veteran assistant and head coach throughout his career, Brown brings a wealth of experience to the role.
“I am excited to be back involved with the national women’s program and have the opportunity to contribute to the development of Australia’s next generation of young female players,” said Brown.
He will head up the selection camp with the help of assistant coaches Jackie Brown (Queensland) and Reece Potter (Victoria).
“The squad is a talented age group with a number of players set to have their first green and gold experience this weekend.
“The start of the campaign for the 2021 Under-19 World Cup, we want to establish a solid foundation for the program that exposes the girls to the values, culture and playing style which have made Australian women’s basketball successful on the international stage.”
Radford has previously been a part of the 2017 Australian World University Games team and Under-19 Oceania and World Championships while also serving as assistant coach for the Perth Wildcats and Adelaide 36ers in the NBL.
Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence assistant coach Michael Cassidy will join NSW Metropolitan Under-18 mentor Jacob Jackomas as assistant coaches alongside Radford.
“It is a huge privilege to be selected to lead your country and a group of young men who are chasing their basketball goals,” said Radford.
“The opportunity to work with this extended group who I have seen develop over the past four years along with two excellent coaches in Mike and Jacob is something I am really excited about.
“We are ready to head into camp this weekend and get to work ahead of the tournament in August.”
In the spirit of reconciliation Basketball Australia acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.