The Tall Blacks will have a new coach next month. Photo: Photosport
The realities of the global business of basketball have influenced Basketball New Zealand's (BBNZ) approach to finding the next Tall Blacks coach.
At the halfway point in the process to replace Pero Cameron, who stepped down after five years in charge last month, BBNZ chief executive Dillon Boucher said the organisation had been "overwhelmed" with international interest in the head coach role.
Previous requirements that the national coach be based in New Zealand no longer applied.
"We've had to adapt a little bit with how we are approaching the role and I think there is two ways the role could possibly be - it could be a New Zealand-based person here or it could be someone overseas-based that is able to be available for the [International Basketball Federation] windows when they are on."
Boucher said they had been open with applicants about remuneration and factors that differentiate the role from other national team coaching roles around the world.
"We've been really transparent throughout the process to make sure that people have a clear understanding of what is required for the role, to make sure that we haven't got people putting their name forward without knowing exactly what the role consists of or the expectations of the role... and we're really happy with the calibre of talent that is coming through with all of that taken into account."
Cameron's decision to move on from the role was not a surprise to BBNZ, and Boucher said they had been in discussions for about a year about Cameron's desire to pick up a professional coaching gig - which he has, with Chinese side Ningbo Rockets.
"He always wanted to secure a head coaching job somewhere as a profession, so it always makes it hard when you are going into a new role to be able to have other focuses."
Pero Cameron spent five years as Tall Blacks coach after eight years as an assistant. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Boucher said with a new four-year cycle - based on the Olympics and World Cup - about to start, now was the "perfect" time to be bringing in a new coach.
The Tall Blacks next play in November, and Boucher said the goal was to have the new coach appointed by the beginning of next month.
"We are in the first round of interviews and there will be a second round of interviews for those that are successful, and then we will be looking for the preferred candidate and hopefully we'll be able to get that all tidied up by early October."
The incoming coach would be offered a four-year contract.
"A lot happens within four years, so we would expect that someone coming in would have that in mind - but again, we know how quickly landscapes can change, especially when you are talking other jobs that they may be doing if they are coaching professional teams.
"We're not naive to think that the Tall Blacks role is probably complementary to a lot of other roles that they may be doing, and so we've got to make sure that this person is committed - but at the same time we've got to have the flexibility that if something changes that we are able to be nimble and be able to step in if need be."
The new coach would be expected to get results, but BBNZ was also looking towards building rosters for the future.
"You're always building for those World Cup and Olympic moments, but you can only get to those moments if you have success at Oceania championships and Asia championships, so for us it is about making sure we get the necessary wins to get through to the next part of the tournament - but also thinking about developing a group that is going to be available in four years to be the best possible team we can have.
"And then in some cases we have one eye on eight years away as well, so developing the next group that is going to be coming though in 2032."
Reuben Te Rangi of New Zealand. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
With Cameron's exit, changes to the assistant coaching staff would be likely.
"We feel like we've got some really good talent here in New Zealand, but again we would be open to working with the successful candidate on who their preferences would be. It would be a combined effort, I guess would be the best way to put it."
The Tall Blacks were not the only team needing to lock in a coach. The Tall Ferns had Natalie Hurst take on the role of interim coach in May when Guy Molloy stepped down, and Boucher said the Australian still had the 'interim' tag.
"We think Nat has done a great job coming in and picking the team up and being able to go straight away on tour and work with the group. We'll be working on what the next steps are towards the end of this year."
Charlisse Leger-Walker of New Zealand Tall Ferns Photo: Photosport
The BBNZ high performance programme underwent major changes in recent years, including the addition of heads of the men's programme, the women's programme and 3x3.
"We've probably got the best resource we've ever had in our [high performance (HP)] programme. We've never had such a big team, but the demands on HP are getting far greater. The more success that our teams are having means more tours which means more work.
"We've resourced HP to what it probably always should have been and we've brought in some really high level expertise in many areas of HP, and we really feel the programme is continuing to get better and better and we're already starting to see the fruits of that labour with some of the results we are having.
"Even results aside, just our processes are better - we're really confident in how we're progressing forward."
