COOPER BROWN TO JOIN CAIRNS COACHING STAFF
Continuing the long line of Basketball Ballarat SEABL coaches to move to the national stage Ballarat’s Manager of Athlete & Coach Development, and SEABL Miners Head Coach, Nathan Cooper-Brown has announced he will not be continuing with the club in 2019.
Cooper Brown has accepted an exciting new opportunity with the Cairns Taipans in the NBL, with another major national team opportunity also potentially on the horizon for 2019 in the elite High Performance Coaching pathway.
His decision brings to end a three-year tenure leading the program. Two-years with the SEABL Miners, where Cooper-Brown helped guide the team to consecutive top four finishes and finals appearances and three-years creating and facilitating a new program culture, structure, and Junior Elite Teams success as Manager of Athlete & Coach Development. These efforts have helped propel Basketball Ballarat back to being one of the strongest clubs in Country Victoria, and as an emerging elite performance hub for the greater Western Victoria region, something that has been timely with the impending opening of the new Ballarat Sports & Events Centre.
Cooper-Brown commented on his time in Ballarat, “my entire experience at Basketball Ballarat has been incredibly rewarding. I have thoroughly enjoyed the challenges and highlights, developing as a coach and as a person, and importantly creating many meaningful relationships with staff, coaches, athletes and the community.”
One of Cooper-Brown’s significant highlights, whilst in his role, included representing the country as an assistant coach with the U17 Men’s Australian Team at the World Cup in 2018. “Being a part of the Crocs was a direct influence of the pathway I was able to utilise here in Ballarat (and Country Vic). Being able to capitalise on hard work, positive relationships, and experienced gained, put me in a great position to achieve this dream.” Cooper-Brown said, “I hope other coaches in the community can follow suit. It would be great to see more Ballarat athletes and coaches in the green and gold.”
Cooper-Brown will stay in the role until late in 2018, to aid the search for a successor, and to oversee a transition that will hopefully keep the positive momentum created by all in the past three years.
Basketball Ballarat CEO Peter Eddy thanked Cooper Brown his contribution to Basketball Ballarat and especially for the work he has done to create a high quality junior representative program for our athletes and coaches.
Nathan’s passion for our sport, his knowledge and ability to engage our elite pathway athletes and coaches has been first class”.
Eddy added “It always presents a challenge when we lose such quality people from our program but that is the very nature of being part of the basketball career pathway and is one that we embrace positively. Nathans next career opportunity opens the door for the next aspiring Development Manager and Coach to add to our program”
A life-long learner, with attention to detail and possessing a true passion to teach, Cooper-Brown alongside club legend Eric Hayes, Peter Cunningham and others committed wholeheartedly to the resurgence of the program.
Cooper-Brown added “It’s been a privilege being a part of this storied Ballarat program. I will always look back on my time here as fond memories. I now look forward to taking on my new roles and expanding on the experiences of the past three-years”, he added “I would like to sincerely thank Peter Eddy for this opportunity, and all in the Ballarat community for making me feel so welcomed. I wish them, and the club, nothing but success”
Expression of Interest for both the Manager of Athlete and Coach Development and the Miners Head Coach positions will be advertised in coming weeks.
Cooper Brown follows former Ballarat coaches Brian Goorjian, Al Westover, Brendan Joyce, Eric Lowe, Eric Cooks, Andre Lemanis and Guy Molloy who have all developed their coaching career via the Basketball Ballarat pathway to NBL, WNBL and Australian level coaching positions.
Enquiries: Peter Eddy 0409 017 807