Basketball Australia (BA) has today confirmed the process and the selection panel who will be tasked with appointing a new head coach for the Australian senior men’s national team.

Ricky Grace was a part of the Boomers program from 1995 to 2000, a period which included playing a significant role in the team’s fourth-place finish at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, which is still the equal-highest finish in Boomers history.

Grace, also a member of the Australian Basketball Hall of Fame, will headline a panel of six key basketball personnel tasked with selecting the replacement of Brett Brown who recently stepped down as Boomers head coach.

The selection panel will consist of:

• Ricky Grace AM – Sydney 2000 Olympian and BA Hall of Famer
• Matti Clements – Australian Institute of Sport, Director of Athlete Wellbeing and Engagement
• Neil Craig – Elite High-Performance Consultant
• Peter Lonergan – BA Director, High-Performance Coach Development
• Jerril Rechter AM – BA CEO
• Jan Stirling – BA Executive GM, High Performance & National Teams

The successful candidate will take charge of the Australian Boomers at the Tokyo Olympics, with a longer-term objective to lead the senior men’s national team program for other FIBA competitions through until the 2023 Men’s Basketball World Cup.

The job description for the role includes “a podium outcome in Tokyo” as the measurement for success.

A description of the qualities the new Boomers coach will require is described as;

• The role is a high-profile appointment responsible to lead a multifaceted elite program system.
• An influential leader with strong accountability to listen and empower others, skilled and effective mastering persuasion strategies to achieve essential actions that drive performance success.
• An assertive decision-maker who solicits a high level of trust and commitment from others.
• Strong facilitator of critical actions by all involved, to ensure the program remains globally recognised as one of the best systems in the world developing elite athletes and coaches and high-performance staff.

“There are high expectations on our men’s national team going into the Tokyo Olympics and it was imperative that we assembled a credentialed selection panel to appoint not only the right coach for this unique opportunity but the right person for our athletes and the organisation as a whole” said Basketball Australia CEO Jerril Rechter AM.

“In recruiting for this head coach position, Basketball Australia is seeking to appoint a candidate with a longer-term objective of leading the senior men’s national team program post a successful Tokyo Olympic campaign. Coaching the Australian Boomers is a privileged position. We enter this process with an open mind and are committed to appointing a coach who reflects our ambitions and best suits the needs of our senior men’s national team program.” said Rechter.

Former Boomers coach Brown had replaced Andrej Lemanis, who stood down after the team narrowly missed out on a medal during last year’s FIBA World Cup.

In November 2019 Lemanis helped convince Brown to return to the role he served in from 2009-2012 after determining there was a gap in communication between himself and some of the teams younger NBA stars like Ben Simmons.

Since the coronavirus pandemic intervened a number of factors have impacted Brown’s commitment to the Australian National team. The Olympics was moved to 2021, Brown had since been fired from his head coaching role with the Philadelphia 76ers and NBA boss Adam Silver has stated next year’s season could run straight through the proposed July-August Games window removing NBA players from Olympic competition.

With all of those factors and the reality that international travel is still uncertain across the globe Brown had no choice but to back out of Boomers’ duties.

“Whilst I have a deep and long-standing passion for Australian Basketball, I am currently unable to commit to coaching the Boomers at next year’s Olympic Games,” Brown said.

“The uncertainties around the direction of my professional future, unfortunately, mean that I cannot commit to the time and preparation that this job deserves and requires. The difficulties around travelling internationally with my family during the pandemic have also contributed to my decision.

“It is important for me to give Basketball Australia, the coach, and players, the necessary time for a full and thorough Olympic Games preparation in the event that the Games do proceed.”

He said he would help Basketball Australia in their search for a new coach.

The announcement of Brett Brown’s replacement is expected to made in December 2020.

The full job description for the Australian Boomers coaching role can be found here.