Accolade for SBA coach
NBL1 men’s coach promoted to major Basketball Victoria role
Nathan Cooper-Brown, the Southern Sabres’ NBL1 Men’s Head Coach, has been appointed Basketball Victoria’s High-Performance Head Coach for Victoria Country Men.
Nathan will continue his role with the Sabres while regularly travelling to regional satellites such as Geelong, Bendigo and Ballarat and running State selection camps when needed.
“This new BV position will complement my NBL1 coaching at the Sabres where we are really starting to see some positives in the players,” Nathan said.
“For Victoria Country, I’ll be both managing and coaching the Under-12s up to the Under-18s. These players are high performance athletes who are in a pathway to represent country Victoria at national championships and then go on and represent Australia at either Under-17s or Under-19s international teams.”
Nathan replaces Justin Schueller who has been in the role since 2012.
Both Justin Schueller (head coach) and Nathan Cooper-Brown (assistant coach) are part of the coaching team of the Australian Crocs Under-17 team, which has a strong history in the World Cup.
This latest BV appointment is recognition of Nathan’s skills, talent and success in the senior ranks of coaching and team management.
“It’s very exciting to be an integral part of such an important pathway for players who aspire to play in the NBL and represent Australia. My coaching career really seems to be taking off since the beginning of this year,” said Nathan.
Nathan Cooper-Brown was previously with Basketball Ballarat where he spent three years as Athlete and Coach Development Manager and two years working with Ballarat’s South East Australian Basketball League team as Assistant and Head Coach.
During his time with the Ballarat Miners, Nathan Cooper-Brown helped lead the team to consecutive top four finishes and finals appearances.
The new NBL1, which commenced late March, is the semi-professional premier league in Australia after the NBL and WNBL and showcases Australia’s best emerging talent and many other professional players.
The NBL1 strengthens the pathway from the junior levels through to the NBL, WNBL and ultimately the Boomers and Opals, helping develop the next generation of international players.