Miners Strike Gold with Kennedy Kereama

The Ballarat Miners are excited to announce their new women's head coach for the 2024 NBL1 South Season and beyond.

Veteran coach Kennedy Kereama will take the reigns for the 3 next seasons, with experience in the lead role at the New Zealand Tall Ferns, the Perth Lynx, an assistant coach at Canberra Capitals, and most recently as the current head coach for the Bendigo Spirit, where he guides current Miner and reigning Robyn Maher MVP Abbey Wehrung as well as previous Miner MVP in Alicia Froling.

Kennedy was excited about his appointment to the role, saying “I am ecstatic to be joining the Miners team as it presents an incredible opportunity for me to make a positive impact on the growth of a robust program while collaborating with exceptional local players and coaches. I am particularly thrilled to work closely with Abbey Wehrung during the NBL1 offseason in the WNBL, as her leadership, experience and skills will undoubtedly contribute to our success both on and off the court next season.”

Kereama will also fulfill responsibilities in a newly created role as High-Performance Director, which focuses on the development of local talent in both our athletes and coaching ranks, with a key emphasis being on our girls and women's program, Kennedy will also oversee the junior program led by a soon to be appointed Director of Coaching.

Kereama said, “The alignment of Ballarat’s values and visions, combined with the unique dual role that allows me to balance my WNBL involvement and quality time with my family, is a perfect fit for my current circumstances. Furthermore, I am eagerly looking forward to building a highly competitive NBL1 program over time, showcasing the immense talent within our region and providing a platform for players to thrive and reach their fullest potential.”

Basketball Ballarat CEO, Nev Ivey was thrilled to secure someone of the calibre in Kennedy, saying “We are incredibly fortunate to have been able to attract Kennedy Kereama to our program. Kennedy’s reputation of being able to build capacity within his athlete and coaching group is exceptional and aligns with our objectives to build on our local talent base.”     

Ballarat Miners Senior Elite Teams Chair, Nathan Oldaker added "Ballarat Basketball is committed to providing high-performance opportunities via an elite pathway for our basketball families and community.  With this in mind, the Senior Elite Teams Committee, alongside CEO Nevile Ivey set ourselves the challenge of finding not only a head coach for the Miners NBL1 Women's team but someone who could take our program to the next level.  We are very excited to announce that we believe we have found such a person in the signing of Kennedy Kereama to the position of both Miners NBL1 Women's head coach and the new role of high-performance director.

Oldaker finished by saying “Kennedy has a proven track record coaching at the WNBL level, and we look forward to drawing on his exceptional experience to further improve our women's NBL1 program. Development pathways are integral to the next generation of athletes, and we have every confidence that Kennedy will advance Ballarat's broader basketball programs in his new role."

Currently, in the NBL1 off-season, Kereama expects to get the squad together in February, however, watch out for some key player signings over the coming months.