Shane Heal has announced his decision to step down as Assistant Coach to Brett Brown of the Australian Boomers basketball squad.
“The Hammer”, a four-time Olympian himself, has cited unavoidable time constraints related to his growing business commitments.
This from the Basketball Australia press release:
Heal, whose retail and property development business has doubled in size since accepting the position, has informed Brett Brown and Basketball Australia that he can no longer commit to the time requirements of the role in the lead up to London 2012.
“This was an extremely difficult decision for me but with the growth of my business, and in particular the recent acquisition of the Urban Burger restaurant chain, it is no longer possible for me to continue with the 100 per cent commitment that Brett and the players deserve,” Heal said.
Heal paid tribute to the coaching staff and players and believes the Boomers are on the cusp of an exciting new era.
“Brett is doing an outstanding job and the Boomers program is fortunate to have such a respected NBA coach at the helm. I will miss working with Brett and his staff and also with such a committed group of players who are so well led by Boomers’ captain Matty Nielsen.”
Australian Boomers head coach Brett Brown expressed disappointment at Heal’s decision to step down from the program, but understands and respects the decision considering the circumstances.
“I have known Shane for some 25 years, some as his coach, and I know he did not make this decision lightly,” said Brown. “It would have been made after a lot of thought. Clearly he felt that he could not do the job he knows is required.”
Coach Brown described Shane’s rare ability to connect with the playing group, while remaining a respected leader and authority within the program, adding experience and expertise to the coaching staff.
“His skill package was very unique for us. His significant international career, coupled with his passion for the Boomers made him a big asset to our program. I respect his difficult decision. I will personally miss having him around.”
The Basketball Australia High Performance Management department, along with head coach Brett Brown are expected to appoint Heal’s replacement later this week.
Heal has pledged his continued commitment to supporting the development of Australian Basketball and believes there is a lot to look forward to under basketball’s new management team.
“I think Australian Basketball is in good hands, and I look forward to supporting our senior and junior programs however I can in the future.”
It will be interesting to see who Brown annoints as Heal’s replacement. Will it be someone who has previously had experience within the Boomers program under Brian Goorjian, or even someone out of leftfield, like former Brown disciple Darryl McDonald, currently coaching the Melbourne Tigers?
