Ray is a great guy. I wish him well

It's gospel, Ray DeWit is the new Pioneers coach.

This is the worst case scenario but the club and players have to move on with life and make the best of it.

That board has to grow up now and move on past this favouritism and show that it can lead and move the club forward.
If they can't, then resign and put someone in who will.

Heard a rumor going around Justin Schuller was going for the job .

I'm not sure about the club 'moving on', the board have picked Ray to coach and have to be responsible for that. Just as Ray will be responsible for the performance of the team. The last thing we want to see is an 0-13 record half way through the season and the board do soft to do anything about it.
Will Ray still be a board member?

Not a bad effort. In 10 years has zero coaching experience, going from coaching under 14 town team one week to Head Coach in the ABA???????????????????????????????????

Bit of a joke, not a positive for supporters.

If Ray has never coached seniors then maybe question it, but the fact he coached juniors last year is irrelevant.

Can't help but think this is going to be another loonngggg season.

From all reports we may yet see a St Kilda type coup very soon in Mt Gambier with some supporters and former members not happy with the appointment. How far they will go we will just have to wait and see.
If nothing comes of it, good luck to Ray and the team for 2008.

The sad thing is Ray is a great person but this is going to do him no favours. The board felt the need to have a 'local' asst coach last year and it was a disaster and joke with someone who is a really decent person and he lost any credibility.
But here we go again, trying the same old let us look at a local instead of making a genuine effort. Poor result guys.
Ray is not the person for the job, no experience, no credentials in coaching (who hasn't coached juniors at some stage....)and nothing to bring to the team in the way of star players.
For their own respect it would not be surprising if players walk now cause this just ain't going to be a fun year. No disrespect Ray, but what were you thinking? To do your time as an asst for a few years would have been the only road into coaching at this level.
I hope there are enough players out there who you can win over to make the move to the south east and prove us wrong and have a winning season.

Having not heard of Ray before what is his background, did he play at a reasonable level, and at what level has he coached before.

Anon. about the constitution you are dead right in that it is not worth the paper it is written on but for one interesting fact. A constitution is in place to keep an incorporated body honest and protect them from any liability.

If they have breached the constitution as eluded to in other posts so what, who is going to do anything?
It's not a criminal offence to be unscrupulous or stupid.

If however the club falls over with debts, creditors can rightly claim that the boardmembers were not immune from liability as they had ceased acting in good faith.
Then watch the feathers fly!

Ray was quite the forward from all accounts from Woodville to Pioneers he was a crowd favourite, very tough.
He has coached under 12's in a weekly development comp and town team.
No qualifications and little or no coaching (big boys) experience

The coach advert read "Interest is sought from suitably qualified coaches ..." Based on that how did Ray even make the short list?????

If you believe all of the previous posts then he had the job before it was called.
The other applicants would have to know they were playing against a stacked deck.
They'll get over it.
I wonder though if one of them get's asked to be assistant coach.

Whoops! It is a pretty amazing decision. Having coached at many levels you can not coach in the 2nd best level in Australia with no coaching experience. What kind of plan would you have?
Could not believe this decision.
And how do you coach players that know a hell of a lot more about basketball than you do?
There can not be much respect there from the players?
And he wants to play guys such as Daniel Peacock, Warrick McGinty, Simon Berkefeld and Kyle Tipene Howe. They are gonna be good players but honestly will the first 3 want to play and Kyle is only 16, he's not ready.
All I can say is good luck for the Pioneers and Ray. You are gonna need it!

This is a disaster for the Pioneers!!! With some of the names coming out as coaches who applied, some already with ABL experience and even NBL experience, for Ray to be named is amazing.
The only thing going in Ray's favour at this point of time is that he may have some extra cash to throw at players now with Scott's Transport coming back onboard as a major sponsor.
Good work Allan, but like you said once before..."while he is coaching, you will never win a premiership..."

Jason Baylis to coach...

from the Son you never knew you had in Mount Gambier

Maybe Ray is Scotty's long lost lovechild? *TIC**

He gets the coaching appointment and suddenly Scotty is back on board as a major sponsor. But yeah the team will probably win a few cause they will splash around the money they claim not to have and make Ray look good.

Sounds like someone is in bed with someone cause if they have extra cash to throw around, why not appoint one of the experienced coaches from interstate that applied?
Nepotism in the Mount, you'd never believe it.

Which kid are you???

Although i no longer play the game, i still take note of teams and scores. Seeing the message by #151703 totally blew me away. To say locals ae outclassed by the pioneers players just doesnt add up. Warrick McGinty is a winner of 2 Bill Cook Trophys and AIS contender speaks volumes. As for Simon Berkfield, 3 MVP's and this years grand final MVP speaks for itself. What else are these two expected to do? These two are not only up with some current pioneers but are ahead of them. Give the locals a go.

Those 2 plus at least 3 other "locals" have been approached. my mail is that all have refused to play.
Just watch the U14 town team to see why they wouldn't want to.