Mick Downer on NBL Talent in Japan, NBL vs B.League, and Offensive Rebounding

  • April 3, 2026
  • Dan Boyce
  • Podcasts
  • 0
  • 698 Views

Current head coach of the Akita Northern Happinets, Mick Downer joins the podcast to discuss the differences between coaching in Japan and the NBL, his stints with Perth, Cairns, Brisbane and Adelaide over the past 25 years, and his time with the Australian Boomers program.

Visit dunk.com.au for your next set of basketball uniforms.

Host Dan Boyce chats with Downer about what he learnt stepping into the head coaching role in a non-English speaking country, as well as providing updates on NBL talent in Japan like Keanu Pinder, Yanni Wetzell, Trey Kell, Vic Law, DJ Newbill and plenty more.

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Podcast Topics include…
  • Thoughts on the NBL Finals (4:00)
  • Stepping into his first professional head coaching role in Japan (6:00)
  • Learnings from coaches like Aaron Fearne, Andrej Lemanis and CJ Bruton (14:00)
  • Helping create the ‘Tagging System’ for offensive rebounding and how it work (17:00)
  • Differences between the Japanese league and the NBL (27:00)
  • Why more Australians are heading to Japan, and whether that should concern the NBL (41:00)
  • Mick’s coaching future and plans (48:00)
 
All of this and a whole lot more…
 

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