And the wheels on the bus go Vic, Vic, Vic.

Browny's the token non-Victorian.

How does Simon Pritchard not get a guernsey with the 17's Women? He's done a terrific job actually coaching teams at National level over the past few years, without being inundated with talent.

Looks like if you want to get on board the National Programs train, better head to Flinders St Station.

Nonsense Ankles. 40% of the basketball played in this country is played in Victoria. It's inevitable that the state will produce many coaches, some of whom will rise to the top by virtue of sheer numbers.

Bruce Palmer you might recall is an American who has spent considerable time in Qld as well as Victoria. Guy Molloy either came from Perth or started coaching there and also has spent considerable time interstate including 4 years with Cairns.

I think the sport has moved well beyond its "only victorian" days - as evidenced by the number of Victorians not making national junior teams.

So your counter-argument is based not on the coaching expertise of the Victorians selected, but on the fact that they have, at some stage in their coaching careers, left the State?

Bruce Palmer - currently coaching where?
Marissa Fillipou - currently coaching where?
Guy Molloy - currently coaching where?
Cheryl Chambers - currently coaching where?

67% of our National Junior coaches as against 40% of the basketball played in the country seems like over-representation to me (if the that's the way you want to go?).

Alternately, the fact there are 100,000 Vic juniors that dont make National teams is the argument when only 50,000 NSW juniors miss out justifies their selection?

I had thought that BA had moved past the Vic-centric days as well but the past couple of years have shown a disturbing trend.

So to debate the merits of the selections. Are Victorain coaches good or are they simply the beneficiaries of the exceptional depth produced in that State at a junior level. Can you NOT win with Liz Cambage in your State U18 team (supported by five other AIS-capable players?).

Hands up if you'd rather put your coaching reputation on the line with an ACT U18 girls team or Vic Metro U18 girls team?

Just sayin'.

I would not really consider Brown to be a "token"...

Ankles, I was not comparing the 40% participation in order to say that should be the quota for national teams coaching positions - you did that! I am saying that with such a large player base, and such huge elite competitions, that it is inevitable that in the national scheme Victoria will produce many coaches some of who will get national attention.

And 40% of 350k is a very different number to 75% of 4!

I am comfortable that the coaches selected here have either proven themselves at this level before (palmer, brown) or have done their time faithfully in the system and earned a shot (Fillipou).

Its just nonsense on the basis of one round of coaching appointments that the whole damn thing is Victorian centric.

Mate, Damian Cotter is a Victorian. he's coaching NSWIS now and has had AUS jobs - perhaps he's just well regarded for his coaching.

Ankles, surely you jest about beating the drum for Pritchard to get a gig at that level. Dont let the the recent results at the U-20 level fool you, Pritchard has been extremely blessed to coach some of the SA teams over the years which have been laddened with the most talented players from both the SA Country & Metro programs! If he wants an U-17 Oz gig he will need to go back to the U-16 or U-18 level & Coach a SA Metro team but i fear he wont as he is acutely aware that the talent level is not the same as he would be coaching at the U-20 level!

Dont 4 other states combine the talents of the 2 teams in their respective regions just as SA does?

SA have not won a title with the teams he has combined, prior to U20's. The criticism is s bit harsh.
He is coaching my daughters 16 girls SASI group and is going to the ECC with that group.
His work with my daughter in the last few weeks has been outstanding. Great coach IMO

NBA2K11, Agree anyone can coach a team laddened with talent,BUT it takes a very good coach to get those girls to play as a team. Something Simon going on recent performances has the ability to do.

Bruce Palmer- Boxhill Senior College
Guy Molloy- Ballarat Miners SEABL

Fillipou got the job over Chris Lucas as well.

Just rediculuous IMHO.

She came bottom in SEABL with Frankston this year.

Yes Lucas applied.

Not sure if being a female should give you greater opportunity to get a job.

NBA2K11 - Surely you are not comparing the level of talent in the SA sides Simon has coached to the level of talent in the Vic sides he is coaching against.

Fillipou coached a stacked Vic U18 side including Cambage, Kunek, Cumming, Jarry, Moult and Terdich to an overtime win against NSW Metro containing ??

How does that make her better qualified than Pritchard, Lucas, Tomley (current Assistant to Graf with the Caps) and others?

I've only seen Pritchard work one tournament but followed the results elsewhere and as Callisto says, he seems to be able to get the girls to play together and play hard.

By all means go on the tournament results but take a look at the players at their disposal.

Pollock gets a gig with the Gems as an Assistant but was a call and/or a possession away from getting rolled by a Qld Sth team which put one player on the National Team (the Vics had 3 and brought a 6'4 National squad player off the bench). I don't know the guy, maybe he's a super coach but it seems he gets the gig on the back of his Nationals results.

At some stage in this sport, somebody has to make a decision becasue its right, and then be prepared to defend it, rather than because its the easiest decision to defend.

420 - Unfortunately your emphasis is on them being great AUSTRALIAN coaches, as opposed to GREAT Australian coaches, which is my point.

I really don't care where they're from if they are clearly the best candidates for the role. In this case, I suggest some are and some are not and it seems to me that where there are question marks those candidates are from Victoria.

Its not about a parochial pissing contest, its about ensuring that the sport continues to provide opportunities for players and coaches alike based on talent, dedication and most importantly performance, as opposed to affiliation.

Nobody who has jumped to the defence of those coaches appointed has yet made a case for why they should be appointed, simply that its not about being Vic-Centric, that the other candidates will get 'their chance' and they all deserve their appointment.

I think my questions still stand.

Do some Victorians of relatively average ability (players and coaches) benefit by being associated with strong teams and hence get opportunities which wouldn't come their way were they based in other States?

I'll give you Brown (generous I know), Palmer, Cotter and Molloy at a stretch (although most coaches coming off a 6th-place finish wouldn't get another shot).

So what have Fillipou and Chalmers done to put themselves demonstrably ahead of the pack? I've heard BA's reasoning and it frankly doesn't stack up.

I'm worried that BA are going all 'Cecilia' on me.

"Do some Victorians of relatively average ability (players and coaches) benefit by being associated with strong teams and hence get opportunities which wouldn't come their way were they based in other States?"

Yes of course they do.
That's why it is going to be hard for non vic coaches to get the same scrutiny, with all roads moving to VIC over the next 2 years.
It certainly has the potential to become an 'old boys club'


Winning will always give rise to a promotion. Both Watkins and Pritchard won Nationals this year with non vic teams. That gave rise to their appointments to Nationals teams.
They will get a team at some point and may end up as assistant coaches with these teams, which is probably fair?

So 930 - are you saying we should be making allownaces fore coaches based on the preparation time they have with their teams and the amount of talent at their disposal.

Like say, if a Victorian coach with a number of AIS players gets beat by a coach from another State with less talent at their disposal that should come into consideration when appointing these coaches?

452 - certainly don't disagree with your assessment of Kinsman although I think that tends to make my argument for merit-based appointments (I don't know the circumstances of his appointment but there seems to be a fair bit of agreement that it wasnt on merit.) Having said that, he loaded the AIS up with a lot of Vic girls along with his SA Country connnections.

Don't know why you think I've softened (unless you've seen my physique lately!). Still think there's evidence we're heading in a decidedly Victorian direction with these and other recent appointments.

Tell me, of the appointments being defended by others here - who of those could be described as 'on the ascent' in their coaching trajectory? I'd argue only Cotter. Yet Lucas is summarily dismissed because he's 'the past', is a male and is in exactly the same position (if not better) than two of the coaches selected (Chambers is an Assistant with a borderline dysfunctional WNBL program while Filipou was an Assistnat 3-4 years ago). Tomley is female, a WNBL Assistant to the National Team Coach, on the way up but coaches in Canberra?

Your boy missed out - wrong. I have no horse in this race!

Happens to players every day - unfortunately it does but should it be a reason to accept selections based on affiliation as opposed to merit?

Happens in the workplace every day - yes again, but in most workplaces there are processes in place for appealing these decisions. At a grassroots level in sport no such mechanisms exist - it remains one of the few unchallenged monolopies (in Qld they are even beyond the reach of the Anti-Discrimination laws!).

You mistake my concerns for self-interest. I want to see the best available coaches coaching our young players. I want to see as many of these players as possible progressing to compete for the chance represent at the open level, something which the best coaches will facilitate. Maybe all the best coaches do come from one area - I just doubt it!