Aspiring young coaches from each state and territory continue to drive their own development as part of Basketball Australia’s Emerging Coach Initiative.
The program includes 34 coaches aged 22-35 years and is focused on providing formal coach education, along with development through experiential learning, mentoring and peer support.
Two guest coaches from FIBA Oceania, William Peter (Fiji) and Brent Tipton from Guam are also involved with the program.
Having commenced in August this year, the 12-month program includes monthly webinars featuring presentations from leading, experienced coaches, as well as assignments for the coaches to reflect on the webinars.
To date, the coaches have been fortunate to have on-line sessions with Australia National team head coaches Sandy Brondello and Brian Goorjian, as well as respected former Opals assistant coach and current Chicago Bulls assistant Damian Cotter.
Fenerbahçe EuroLeague Women’s coach Victor Lapeña recently took time out of his busy schedule to present to the group via Zoom, sharing his insights into the European women’s game at both the professional and international level.
Respected Australia coaches Liam Flynn and Cal Bruton are also involved in the program as mentors and the High-Performance Managers and Coach Education Managers from each state and territory are providing valuable support and opportunities in the coaches’ home states.
Program coaches make use of the TedEd on-line learning platform to complete assessments and will also gain the Basketball Australia Performance Coach and Coach Developer accreditations as part of the involvement in the initiative.
Basketball Australia Director of High Performance Coach Development Peter Lonergan said the approach and enthusiasm to task by the Emerging Coaches had been highlights of the first four months.
“All these coaches are actively involved at association level and already contribute to the sport at many levels, so to have them approach this program in such a positive and engaging way has been fantastic,” he said.
“Many of these young coaches are coaching multiple teams, assisting in elite youth programs and acting as leaders in their associations, so it is a credit to them to find time to invest in their ongoing development.
“The program has also highlights the commitment our leading coaches have in mentoring, supporting and guiding the next generation and we have been so fortunate to have Sandy, Brian and Damian give up their valuable time to assist,” Lonergan added.
Basketball Australia will be calling for expressions of interest for the next intake of the Emerging Coaches Initiative in March 2021.
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