SUVA (Fiji) – As the year progresses and competitions loom in the Oceania Basketball Calendar, national teams around the region will look to take their preparations a notch up.

To continuously improve on performance and ranking, coaches play a vital role in that formula. Their constant development and growth contributes to the overall performance of their teams and sustainable growth of the sport. 

Recently, eight of the Basketball Fiji coaches where fortunate to participate in the Marty Handson Scholarship Program which was conducted online for six weeks.

The online workshops including theoretical learning and workshop discussions of coach development in a forum setting. In addition, participants were mentored by world-class players, coaches, and industry professionals with a focus on building depth in the coaches’ pathway.

Additionally, the virtual sessions included topics such as leadership, scouting, game coaching, and nutrition.

Complimenting the FIBA Global Strategy, the Program supports the empowerment of national federations through boosting grassroots programs, enabling access to coaching development across the region.

Participant and National Women’s Team Head Coach, Early Hughes appreciated the opportunity to be part of the program and to be mentored by experienced facilitators. Further stating a key area he will look to improve on is “Keeping the drills game focused to achieve what you want in the game” he said.

Fellow participants also reflected on their experience:

“The biggest takeaway from the course for me was the Game Strategy. Understanding offensive and defensive strategies. Team dynamics and tactics to improve performance during gameplay. Additionally, the knowledge gained form the coaching course has helped in introducing a wider range of drills, exercises, and training methods to keep our sessions diverse and engaging. This variety helps prevent monotony, keeps the team motivated, and facilitates continuous skill development.” Semesa Seruvatu - Idamans Diamonds Head Coach.

National Basketball Development Officer, Sakenasa Raisevu reiterates, “the biggest takeaway is great insights on how an Australian Basketball is run. Things we can take and use and what we can substitute to align with resources that we have. Furthermore, learning how to implement offensive and defensive strategies by teaching and training at the same time instead of separating the two”

Additionally, the other five coaches that participated in the program were Sera Vugakoto (Basketball Fiji’s Women’s Engagement Officer), William Peter (National men’s Team Assistant Coach – Melanesian Cup), Mataika Koyamainavure (Kazoku Womens Head Coach), Manoa Puamau (USP Islanders Head Coach) and Andrew Paris (Outcydaz Basketball Head Coach).

With the FIBA U17 Oceania Championship and the Pacific Games scheduled for October and November respectively, the added knowledge and insights gained from the program by the federation coaches, will definitely catapult the development of the sport in Fiji and especially the preparation of the national teams in the upcoming Oceania competitions.

 Basketball Fiji Media