The Brisbane Bullets are once again in a familiar position, searching for their next head coach after former head coach Stu Lash stepped down just one year into his three-year deal.
It has been reported that an Australian championship-winning coach was offered the role before the deal was reneged on due to the owner’s preference for an American coach. Since the parting of ways, a former NBA and NBL player has labelled the coaching position a “red flag” for potential candidates.
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During the preseason, the Bullets conducted a worldwide search for their next head coach, with names such as two-time NBL championship-winning coach Chase Buford and former New Zealand Breakers coach Mody Maor linked to the club at the time.
Now, the Bullets are once again in the market for a new coach, with Chief Executive Officer Mal Watts stating, “We are actively engaged in advanced discussions regarding our next head coach.”
Brisbane currently sit at 5-13 on the season and are riding a six-game losing streak as they prepare to face the South East Melbourne Phoenix on Saturday. On a recent episode of Nothing But Net: Aussie Hoops, Lanard Copeland and Ryan Broekhoff shared their thoughts on the Bullets organisation and the search for their next head coach.
“Get a real coach who knows what he’s doing,” Copeland said, before adding, “Trevor Gleeson, Chase Buford and Paul Henare – all these guys can coach, have been overseas, they’re established, they’ve won championships and they know how to get it done.”
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Those names carry significant weight across the NBL. Trevor Gleeson coached the Perth Wildcats to five NBL championships, while Chase Buford, as mentioned earlier, led the Sydney Kings to two NBL titles and Paul Henare boasts an impressive resume as both a player and coach across multiple leagues.
One concern surrounding the appointment of a new coach is the lack of stability and the frequency with which coaches have been moved on in recent seasons.
“Seven coaches over the last five years – where is the consistency?” Broekhoff said.
“You cannot build a culture if you’re continually changing coaches every season,” he added.
Broekhoff also had strong comments regarding the Brisbane Bullets organisation, which has faced ongoing scrutiny since rejoining the NBL in 2016.
“This has not been a stable, consistent organisation since rejoining,” he said.
Before adding, “If I was a coach looking to go there, it would be red flags.”
For Copeland, however, the issues extend beyond the head coach alone. The Bullets have struggled collectively and since rejoining the league, have made the playoffs just once, where they were eliminated in the semi-finals.
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When a new coach is appointed, Copeland believes they must be given full autonomy.
“Let them take over from top to bottom, let them pick their medical group, let them pick the venue where they train – do it all,” he said. “That’s what they need. They need to start over from scratch.”
One thing is certain: the Bullets find themselves in a critical position. It was reported that an Australian championship-winning head coach was offered the role in recent days, only for the deal to fall through after the owner pushed for an American coach, as reported by Lachy Reid of 10 News Perth.
That coach has since been reported as Rob Beveridge, according to ESPN, while Paul Henare – also mentioned earlier – is understood to be uninterested in the role. This shapes as a franchise-altering decision for the Bullets, who currently sit in no man’s land within the NBL.
They cannot afford to appoint another coach only to move on from them shortly after. They cannot afford another lost season. Most importantly, they must begin winning games to restore confidence and inject excitement around the club in the years ahead.
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