New Breakers head coach Paul Henare has confirmed his coaching staff for the next Australian National Basketball League season.
Tall Blacks coach Paul Henare Photo: Photosport
Judd Flavell moves up to the lead Assistant Coach role from his former role as Breakers Academy Coach and Assistant Coach while another former Tall Black in Michael Fitchett moves out of the office from his High Performance role and into the gym with his new role as Assistant Coach while also looking after the club Academy and Development Programmes.
Henare is thrilled that both have agreed to their new roles, albeit neither is new to the club environment.
"There was never any doubt for me that Judd would be promoted and take on the lead Assistant Coach role with the team. I have the utmost respect for Judd and his coaching abilities and the skill set he brings to our group. He is a meticulous planner and a strong communicator and already has the respect of the players.
"Like Judd, Mike knows what it is to be a Breaker - to be a part of this organization and to live and breathe the values of the club every day. Mike already has experience in the international arena with the New Zealand under 17 team and brings a wealth of knowledge to the role.
"Neither is here to be a 'yes' man - and that has always been the case at the Breakers. As a group we will continue to challenge each other to ensure that there is no comfort zone and that we push each other as individuals and as a group to get better.
"There is already a real air of excitement around the office and a desire to get stuck into our work in the off-season. We are in debrief mode right now but already thinking ahead to next season, I am delighted that Judd and Fitch will be by my side throughout that process."
Henare took over the reigns following their grand final loss to Perth which was Dean Vickerman's last game in charge.
Incoming General Manager Dillon Boucher is equally excited about the prospect of the off-season and all the planning that will go into the new campaign, with new faces and fresh ideas to drive the club forward.
"The club and the Board are fully supportive of Paul's decisions around his coaching team, we know of Judd's expertise in this area already and Mike shares a passion for the Breakers and has illustrated a keen desire to move into coaching fulltime.
"All three know each other well, they know their strengths and relative weaknesses and will challenge each other every day to be the best they can be. While this is Paul's team to run, he will be open to new ideas and he himself will bring a fresh approach to the team, without losing sight of the values and standards that have helped the club get to where we are today."
Flavell has announced that he will step down from his role as Head Coach of the Junior Tall Blacks progamme, effective immediately as he balances his new Breakers role and his recent appointment as head Coach of the Southland Sharks in the NZ NBL. Basketball New Zealand has confirmed the promotion of Daryl Cartwright to the Head Coach role with the JTB's.
The priority for the new coaching team is to complete player debriefs for the just concluded season, and to continue planning on the assembling of the playing roster for the new campaign, with just Mika Vukona, Tom Abercrombie and Corey Webster contracted for next season or beyond.
