Aussie program awaits DLSU coaches

MANILA, Philippines - La Salle head coach Juno Sauler and assistant coaches Allan Caidic and Jun Limpot leave Manila for Sydney tonight to attend a five-day comprehensive development program specifically tailored for the Archers staff by Basketball New South Wales CEO Danny Martinez and Asia-Pacific director Amado (Ding) De Villa.

The three coaches recently returned home from a week-long observation tour of the San Antonio Spurs training camp and a side visit to the University of Texas practice in Austin. Spurs assistant coach Chip Engelland, who played on the San Miguel Beer team that won the Jones Cup in 1985, arranged the all-access visit that included courtside seats to the San Antonio preseason games against Orlando and Houston. Sauler said the inside look at how Spurs coach Gregg Popovich conducts practice was an enriching experience that will go a long way in enhancing the three coaches’ careers.

In Sydney, Martinez and De Villa assembled a structured course to feature lectures by four-time Olympic basketball star and Sydney Kings coach Shane (Hammer) Heal, Australian under-19 Emus head coach and Opals national women’s assistant coach Damian Cotter, Sydney University swimming coach Grant Stoelwinder, four-time Olympic diving coach Chava Sobrino, former professional cyclist and New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) cycling coach Brad McGee, NSWIS biomechanists Jake Michael and Damien O’Meara, NSWIS senior strength and conditioning coach Geoff White, NSWIS strength and conditioning coach Jason Howell, NSWIS principal scientist Kenneth Graham, wheelchair basketball coach Ben Ettridge who piloted Australia to the gold medal at the 2008 Summer Paralympics, NSWIS performance analyst Bjorn Maddem, NSWIS coach and service excellence Troy Baverstock, NSWIS manager of High Performance Sport and Excellence Kim Crane, NSWIS medical director Dr. Corey Cunningham and former Niagara University basketball coach Pete Lonergan.

“It’s the most complete basketball coaching seminar we’ve ever designed,” said De Villa. “I don’t know if this will ever be duplicated. Just getting the all-star cast of lecturers was a challenge but fortunately, everyone whom we invited to participate agreed to contribute for Basketball New South Wales. It’s a privilege to host the UAAP championship coaches and we’re excited to share the knowledge of some of the best minds in Australian sports.”

De Villa said the program will include on-court training sessions conducted by Heal and Cotter on separate days. The visiting coaches will be given access to the pre-game shoot-around and dugout preparations for the Kings’ game against the Cairns Taipans at the Sydney Entertainment Center on Friday.

Among the topics to be taken up in the course are training and competition planning, biomechanics landing assessment, elements of fitness and anthropometrics, conducting a functional movement assessment, high-performance leadership in coaching, process for medical and physiotherapy screening, building capability of high-performance coaches, capability assessment of players, building athlete/coach relationships at the elite level, coaching philosophies and basketball game strategies, understanding teams through vision and values, shooting/video feedback and performance analysis and testing against core physical competency benchmarks.

 Cotter, 41, led Australia to fourth place at the FIBA U-19 World Championships in Prague this year and was recently appointed an assistant coach with the Australian women’s national squad. Opals head coach Brendan Joyce said, “As far as coaches go, Damian’s got the whole package, he reads the game well on the day, he has a proven track record in developing players and he’s just an all-around quality person … I’ve seen the way he works in the SEABL (South East Australian Basketball League) and at the NSWIS and I know his experience will be crucial in the women’s program as we look to strengthen our elite pathways and develop those Opals stars of the future.”

Heal, 43, played with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 1996-97 and San Antonio Spurs in 2003-04. A sharpshooter, the six-foot guard dumped 35 points on Brazil at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics where the Boomers finished fourth. He was on the Australian squad that qualified for the semifinals at the 1996 and 2000 Olympics.

What fans remember about Heal was when he hit 8-of-13 triples in scoring 28 points against the US Dream Team in a pre-Olympic exhibition in Salt Lake City in 1996. The US squad was bannered by Hakeem Olajuwon, Karl Malone, John Stockton, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, Grant Hill, Reggie Miller and Scottie Pippen. As Heal released for his fourth trey, Barkley undercut the blond bomber to send him sprawling on the floor. Heal and Barkley had an exchange of words, bumped chests and cooler heads had to separate them from scuffling. Australia and the US later met in the Olympic semifinals with the Dream Team winning, 101-73, and Heal firing 19.  

The Sydney Kings are led by 6-3 imports Charles (Boss) Carmouche of Louisiana State University and Jesse Sanders of Liberty University. Carmouche played with the University of New Orleans and University of Memphis before finishing his NCAA eligibility at LSU. Sanders is the first NCAA Division I player to register a triple double in each of his four years with the varsity.