"Best Coach in Australia": United Backs Vickerman

Player movement is part and parcel of the NBL. Already at this stage of free agency there have been 38 new signings heading into NBL24, covering everything from returning collegiate talents to imports crossing rivalry lines.

With the level of fluidity that comes hand in hand with being involved in such an international sport, consistency at the top is important - consistency that Melbourne has committed to by re-signing Dean Vickerman for an extra five years.

Aside from Vickerman though, there has been massive movement already at United. Stars Matthew Dellavedova and Jo Lual-Acuil Jr are back, young stars like Flynn Cameron and Kyle Bowen will look to make their mark on Australian basketball. Cameron will make his professional debut – and NBL talents Tanner Krebs and Luke Travers have traded in old NBL uniforms for new.

Assistant coaches Darryl McDonald and Justin Schueller have headed to Brisbane, while Jacob Chance has arrived from the JackJumpers to support Vickerman.

In the rapidly-changing landscape of Melbourne’s basketball personnel over the past few months, fans have been able to rest easy knowing that Vickerman – a three-time NBL champion head coach with New Zealand and then United, and four-time NBL champion assistant coach with the same clubs – is there to steer the ship.

“We and our ownership group were really keen on the fact that we feel like we’ve got the best coach in Australia, and we wanted to continue that for as long as possible,” Melbourne United CEO Nick Truelson told NBL Media.

“He [Vickerman] has been such a successful coach and of course just coached the Boomers for the first time.

“It isn’t just players who have the opportunity to go overseas, but leading coaches here also have eyes on them from around the globe – especially in Asia.

“There are lots of Asian clubs who are bringing a lot of Australians over to coach over there.

“It was no hesitation to put that opportunity to Dean and his family, and we wanted to give him and his family that extra security as well.”

Australian coaching legend Brian Goorjian is leading the charge of former NBL head coaches taking their trade to Asia and, like Goorjian, Vickerman will have a former assistant coaching in the NBL in the upcoming season.

Justin Schueller was named as the Bullets’ head coach following the culmination of what was, in actuality, a remarkably disappointing campaign for the Queensland-based side.

James Duncan started the season at the helm before now South East Melbourne assistant Sam Mackinnon, and then Queensland basketball icon Greg Vaderjagt, took on interim coaching duties.

Schueller has been noted as a strong developer of young Australian players, and has taken charge of some of the country’s most exciting talents on the international stage over the past decade, first as an assistant coach for the U17 Boomers, then as the head coach from 2017 onwards.

He’s already utilised those connections to bring exciting forward Josh Bannan into the fold at Brisbane, and Truelson believes Vickerman’s reputation for developing coaches only enhances the club’s reputation.

“What we’ve loved with Dean is the coaches who have developed under him – including Justin,” Truelson said. “We feel like we’ve got such a great developer as our head coach and I don’t doubt that was a big reason Jacob Chance was keen to join us.

“We feel like we’ve got ourselves in a good position with the core group of coaches we have, but we also want to build out a bit more on the academy side.

“We’re working through that, and we’re excited about the opportunity to take our academy to a whole new level with community being such a big focus for us.”