Ballarat Basketball Appoint James McKinnon as Director of Coaching

Ballarat Basketball are pleased to announce and welcome, James McKinnon as their new Director of Coaching.

James will take over the role from Luke Sunderland who departed the association last month, however for the first time in many years, the role will not be combined with an NBL1 Head Coaching role, allowing for a more in-depth focus on the development of all athletes and coaches across not only our elite teams but more importantly our domestic clubs and competition. He will report to, and work closely with, Kennedy Kereama in his role as the High-Performance Director.

Ballarat Basketball Junior Elite Teams Chair, Cam Moore stated "We are very excited to have James join our association, leading our junior athletes and coaches. James comes to us with recent experience in high performance and has a wealth of knowledge within the sport. James is very passionate about building a program that has a positive environment and allows all participants to reach their full potential.”

McKinnon has an extensive background in basketball across varying roles throughout both Country and Metro associations in multiple states, as well as having experience overseas coaching in Canada. He has most recently been appointed the Head Coach of the U16 Boys Victorian Country team for next year's Nationals.

McKinnon is excited to be joining Ballarat in the role, saying “I am honoured for the opportunity to work with the athletes, coaches, parents, families, and the broader Ballarat Basketball Domestic Community. The rich history of basketball in Ballarat is profound and well-known in Victorian Basketball and I’m excited to now be a part of the program, helping everyone within it get better and develop.”

Basketball Ballarat CEO, Nev Ivey was pleased with the appointment of James, saying “We are extremely happy that James has accepted the role of Director of Coaching for our association and are excited with the vision that he presented to us as an interview panel. James will be a brilliant resource for our athletes and coaches across the entire association, ensuring great connectivity from community hoops, to domestic competition and then our elite teams pathway.”     

James commences with Ballarat immediately on Monday November 13^th.