Building Better Basketball

Tyrone Thwaites - Building Better Basketball

Welcome back to season 4 of Building Better Basketball. Neil Gray Game Development Manager at Basketball Australia is joined by Tyrone Thwaites from the Cockburn Basketball Association in Western Australia. Cockburn are an association with 336 teams, the largest Aussie Hoops program in Australia for 2 years running and home to a Womens NBL1 Championship side and an NBL 1 Coach of the year who also happens to be their Chief executive Officer! No prizes for guessing that’s Tyrone!

JP Nerbun - The Sports Parent Solution - Building Better Basketball

Our first return guest on Building Better Basketball and he is back to talk about one of the biggest issue that coaches face, PARENTS!
He has a fantastic new book out called the Sports Parent Solution and in this episode he dives into the questions, the solutions and the experiences in that book across the vast spectrum of parent involvement in the game.
 
A must listen for any coach working with young athletes!

Mark Alabakov - Building Better Basketball

Todays guest is Mark Alabakov, the NBL1 Championship winning coach with the Bendigo Braves. Mark has also had significant involvement at the WNBL level with the Bendigo Spirit, Melbourne Boomers, Townsville Fire and the Sydney Uni Flames as they then were as well as an understanding of Basketball at the community level with Diamond Valley Basketball Association.
On this episode, we'll talk about the incredible season Mark and the Braves have just had and the secrets behind the championship success.

David Herbert - Building Better Baskebtall

Todays guest is David Herbert, the Centre of Excellence Women’s Program Head Coach. David has over 25 years of experience within the Basketball Australia pathways having coached in the NBL1, WNBL, National Junior Championships and as a national team's Head Coach. David is the current head coach of the Ballarat Miners NBL1 women’s team. David has received numerous coaching accolades including WNBL Coach of the Year, Coach of the Year Victoria and Queensland and the SEABL coach of the year

Nick Cox - Building Better Basketball

Todays guest is Nick Cox, the Director of Academy at Manchester United. Nick Cox is renowned for his commitment to developing a holistic approach to youth development, focusing not just on technical skills, but also on character, education, and personal growth. His dedication to building a strong foundation for the future of Manchester United has earned him the respect and admiration of football enthusiasts worldwide.
Throughout his career, Nick has had the privilege of working with some of the brightest young talents in the game, shaping them into the stars of tomorrow. Under his guidance, Manchester United's youth teams have achieved remarkable success, with numerous players progressing to the first team and representing their countries at the highest level.
On this episode, we'll delve into the intricacies of talent development, the challenges faced by young players, and the importance of creating a nurturing environment for them to thrive.

Georgia Koopmans - Building Better Basketball

Georgia Koopmans is a current NBL1 Player, a 3 time Vic Country representative and two time captain, the new Helping Hoops Charity Shootout Champion and one of the most passionate Junior Coaches you will hear! Neil and Georgia talk about her comeback from a significant knee injury, her history with Helping Hoops and her amazing record breaking performance and her coaching philosophy working with young kids in country Victoria. Georgia also pays it forward with a question for our very own David Herbert in the traditional podcast question!
 
Helping Hoops - Home - Helping Hoops

Dion Devow - Building Better Basketball

Neil is joined by the founder of Canberra’s only Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander focused Basketball Club the Winnunga Warriors. The club organises the NAIDOC Basketball Tournament as a way to create an awareness of NAIDOC week within the ACT Community and to also demonstrate how their club is committed to the motto of reconciliation in action.
The 2023 Tournament will be held from 7 - 9 July 2023 and due to the size of the competition will be held at multiple venues around the ACT. 
Neil and Dion talk about the journey of the club, the success of the tournament and the learnings it brings the players and the families away from the court. They also discuss the needs for the tournament this year and the vision moving forward. A great listen for the passion of volunteering in community Basketball and the importance of understanding Naidoc week and its significance in Australia.
 
Warriors Facebook Page
https://www.facebook.com/atsiwarriors.com.au
 
ABC Canberra footage of the 2022 NAIDOC Tournament
https://fb.watch/ehLFf-lZu1/
  
NBA player, Dyson Daniels, on playing with the Warriors
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/cACnm15nACg

Lauren Robinson - Building Better Basketball

This weeks guest will be no stranger to you if you went and did the @asc Reflection Course last week. Lauren Robinson is coaching with @knoxbasketball at multiple levels including @nbl1 , @basketball_vic within the Wheelchair program and is leaving on Sunday in her role as manager with the @ausgliders  . On top of that for a young coach she has an incredible amount of knowledge from her own studies. This is a great episode for coaches of all levels to get an insight on reflection and the coaching journey! 
Link to Aus Sport Reflection course- How you improve | Australian Sports Commission (ausport.gov.au)
Link to etrainu resources https://basketballaustralia.etrainu.com/ 
Link to Mojo Coaching App Basketball Australia Community Coaches x MOJO = Game Changer | Basketball Australia Coaching Resource

Scott Tutton - Building Better Basketball

We are recording this weeks podcast bang in the middle of National Volunteer Week (NVW) Australia’s largest annual celebration of volunteers. The theme for National Volunteer Week 2023 is The Change Makers, representing a celebration of our power to drive change and ensure volunteering is inclusive of all members of the Australian community and celebrate, thank and recognise the significant contribution of the 3 million sport volunteers. To have a chat about that Neil is joined by Scott Tutton. Scott is currently the Head of Clubs and Volunteers at Cricket Australia. Originally a Sydney boy he has spent time with the ACT Government, Clubs NSW and Netball Australia before spending the last decade in cricket across Cricket Victoria and Australia. The main reason Scott is here though is due to his role on the Sport Australia, Sport Volunteer Coalition, a panel made up of experts from the sports industry, government and volunteering, who will work together to transform the sport volunteer experience and promote the value of volunteering in sport. 

Lisa Alexander - Building Better Basketball

Lisa Alexander AM  coached the Australia national netball team from 2011 to 2020. Alexander coached the Diamonds for 102 test matches, becoming the most capped Australian coach of all time. She oversaw gold medal successes at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and 2015 Netball World Cup. As Australian coach Alexander won 83 of her 102 test matches, an impressive 81% winning record.
In this episode just sit back and listen to one of the best Australian coaches in any sport talk knowledgeably about mental health, success, player development, what she learned from Basketball and the deepest response to the "Ask the Coach" question we have ever had.