Ballarat Basketball is thrilled to announce the appointment of Brendan Joyce as Head Coach of the Miners Women’s team for the 2026 NBL1 South season.
A true Ballarat basketball legend, Joyce first coached the Miners in 1994, winning two Championships before launching his NBL coaching career. He returned in 2018 to lead the Men’s program and now reunites with the club again to guide the Women’s team. His return marks the next chapter in a remarkable coaching journey spanning more than three decades.
Joyce’s coaching resume is very impressive at the national and international level. He has led the Wollongong Hawks and Gold Coast Blaze in the NBL, served as an Assistant Coach for the Australian Olympic Teams in 2004 and 2008, and was Head Coach of the Australian Opals from 2013 to 2016. Under his leadership, the Opals won Bronze at the 2014 FIBA Women’s World Championship and competed at the Rio 2016 Olympics. Most recently, Joyce coached the Kaohsiung Aquas to a T1 League Championship in Taiwan, the first Australian to win a senior-level title in Asia.
Joyce shared his excitement about returning to Ballarat:
“I’m excited to be back in Ballarat and to be coaching our senior women’s team.
I’ve been fortunate to gain extensive experience coaching both female and male teams in Australia, and more recently in Asia, where I was proud to coach a team to a national championship in Taiwan. Coaching the Australian Opals and leading the women’s program at the COE from 2013–2016 was incredibly rewarding, with World Cup medals U17 Gold, U19 Bronze, and Opals Bronze and a strong 5–1 result at the Rio Olympics. Seeing so many of the young athletes we developed now playing professionally around the world is something I’m particularly proud of.
Now it’s time to return home for family and lead the Ballarat Women’s NBL1 team. My focus will be on developing players and helping them achieve their goals, whether at Ballarat, college, the WNBL, or even the WNBA. I also want to build a style of play that excites our fans and encourages the community to get behind our team.
Although we’re starting a little later than usual, we’ll work hard to recruit talented players and build a squad capable of competing for playoffs and ultimately a championship.
Let’s go!”
Ballarat Basketball CEO Travis Merlo said:
“It’s fantastic that Basketball Ballarat can attract a coach of the caliber and experience of Brendan, and shows our program is highly regarded. We think of Brendan as basically a Ballarat Local, having coached the Miners on two separate occasions. Having coached in the NBL, with the Australian Opals and running Basketball Australia’s Centre of Excellence. Brendan will bring a wealth of experience to our Women’s program and Ballarat as a whole.”
With the NBL1 off-season underway, Joyce plans to begin assembling the squad with exciting player signings expected in the coming months.