Cooper-Brown Appointed to U17 Men’s National Coaching Squad

Basketball Australia is pleased to announce the coaching staff for the national Under-17 men’s and women’s teams who will compete in the new FIBA Asia Championship to qualify for the 2019 World Championships.

The Crocs former Assistant Coach, Justin Schueller (Basketball Victoria), will take over the top duties ahead of the FIBA Asia Championship with Nathan Cooper-Brown appointed and one of two assistant coaches.

The men’s FIBA Asia Championships will be held in either October and November with a location to be announced by FIBA in the coming months.

Cooper-Brown, 35, came to Ballarat in October 2015 as Manager of Athlete & Coach Development for Ballarat and to provide support services to the Western Region of the State.

“I am tremendously proud and honoured to represent my country. This is a positon I have always aspired to. There are many people who contributed to this, and to them I am very grateful”

“BA couldn’t have picked a better Head Coach to lead this new group of talented elite athletes than Justin Schuller, I’m incredibly excited to work with him in this new capacity. He brings a dedication and attention to detail that will help this group have the success we all desire. Both Justin and assistant coach Dave Ingham have a wealth of experience, and I look forward to bringing my own experiences, passion and knowledge to the coaching to staff, and contributing to the success of the group in this campaign for gold.”

“The new FIBA schedule for Australia is incredibly exciting now having to qualify for World Championships through Asia. This bodes a whole new set of challenges, and ones we are eager to take on. I look forward to working tirelessly to make sure we secure qualification for World’s in 2018, and contributing to the proud legacy of the Australian U17 program.”

“Being able to represent Basketball Ballarat on the world stage is something that I hold dear. We have worked extremely hard over the past 2 years to improve the program, and prove to the greater basketball community that we are a leading program that provides pathways for athletes and coaches all the way to national representation (and competitions). I would like to thank Peter Eddy and all the Ballarat community, who have supported me and helped make this appointment a reality. And I look forward to it contributing to further success of our program in the coming years.”

Scouting is already underway for potential squad members from the U18 Australian Junior Championship (AJC) held in April in Townsville and at the upcoming U16 AJC in in July.

In August, the first U17 Selection camp at the AIS will bring in a squad of 20-25 athletes from which coaches will select the 15-20 for the next selection camp in September.

At the September U17 Selection camp AIS the squad reduces to 15-20 athletes from which we select the best 12 to represent Australia at the 2017 Asia qualifiers to be held in October at the Asia Cup in India or China. From this qualifying tournament, the top 4 teams will secure a spot for the 2018 U17 World Championships.

Basketball Ballarat CEO Peter Eddy said that the program was delighted to see Nathan achieve this goal and the experience will further enhance the education and development of young athletes and coaches from Western Victoria.