Ballarat Miners Appointment Rob Baker as Women’s Head Coach

Basketball Ballarat is pleased to announce that they have appointed Rob Baker as the Ballarat Miners Women’s Head Coach for the 2023 NBL1 South season.

Baker is a Ballarat local and re-joins Ballarat Miners after a year’s break. Baker has coached across every level in Ballarat including Domestic Basketball, Junior Miners VJBL, Youth League, and Assistant to NBL1 teams.

Upon his appointment, Baker said “I’m excited for the future of the Miners and to develop a strong Ballarat based squad. I’m thrilled to be getting this opportunity in my hometown, coaching players I’ve had the privilege of coaching from U12s to adults”.

Basketball Ballarat Senior Elite Committee Member Lylny Doherty said “Rob has shown for many years he is a committed and passionate member of the Ballarat Basketball Program.  His dedication to being an ongoing student of the game has shown he is willing to develop and grow with the game.”

Doherty added, “Rob has coached at many levels of both the men’s and women’s program in Ballarat and we are really pleased to appoint Rob as the Women's NBL1 Head Coach for 2023.”

Basketball Ballarat’s Director Coaching Luke Sunderland also made comment saying “I'm pleased to welcome Rob Baker to the role of Women's NBL1 Head Coach. Rob was impressive with his views and has put a lot of thought and effort into where he wants the direction of the club to go, and most importantly, it aligns with our views of the Senior Elite Teams for the Miners.”

Sunderland added, “Rob's passion for the club and the City of Ballarat is already evident to me and I look forward to getting started alongside him for our respective pre-seasons and into a successful 2023 season".

Baker will take the reins of the NBL1 team from preseason which is due to start later this year saying, “This season is really about planting the seeds for the future with the plan to develop our locals, and hopefully welcome back some ‘adopted’ locals.”

Baker added, “The plan is for each, and every game is for our fans to see familiar faces, playing the Ballarat way, taking it up to the country’s best.”

Baker finished with “I am keen to get the Miners back to their homegrown roots and have the fans fill up Selkirk Stadium weekly and walk away proud of the team we have put together and developed.”

The NBL1 season finished this past weekend with the National Final being held at the State Basketball Centre with Warwick Senators from NBL1 West taking the crown in the women’s division over NBL1 Souths Ringwood Hawks.