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New Zealand Tall Ferns’ basketball coach Guy Molloy will lead the Southland Sharks in 2023, after the veteran Australian mentor was today announced as the Sharks’ fifth-ever Head Coach.
Molloy who has coached professionally for 35 years, follows in the footsteps of his compatriot and great friend Rob Beveridge, with whom he said he spoke with at length before putting his hat in the ring for the Sharks’ role.
“Bevo is one of my very best mates in the world and he talked to me a lot about how good the community was, how good the basketball programme was, how good the facilities were and he said have a really good think about it. After chatting with him and the Sharks’ organisation I knew it was going to be a really good fit for me,” Molloy said.
“Obviously, I had a bit of a rugged year last year in the National League (with Wellington Saints) and I don’t think it represented what I am as a coach, and I’ve always held the Sharks’ programme in the highest regard. For me personally, I want to make a better statement, and help a marquee club in the Sal’s NBL get back to the top again. I’m really pumped and motivated about that and just keen to get to work,” he said.
“It’s been a tough few years with all the COVID stuff that’s happened, and I know Bevo’s circumstances last year, I mean the silly bugger fell off a roof and nearly killed himself and he’s still getting back to full health even now. But through all that, I know the talent in the organisation the Sharks have and in talking with Bevo after he made the decision not to return, I know how much he wanted to see the programme go into good hands and I’m hoping that I’m that pair of good hands,” Molloy said.
Southland Sharks Board Chair Nick Jeffrey said he was delighted to have attracted a coach the quality of Molloy to the organisation.
“On the back of Bevo’s experience in Invercargill these last few years, we attracted an incredibly talented field of candidates to the role, locally, nationally and internationally,” Jeffrey said.
“Guy has coached at every level. He’s been an NBL Head Coach, an Australian Head Coach, a WNBL Head Coach and obviously is the current Head Coach of the Tall Ferns. I know how fired up he is to grab this opportunity and when you combine that with his qualities as a man and as a coach, we feel really blessed to have him on board to add to our programme and to basketball in general in the south,” he said.
Molloy’s Sharks will open their 2023 campaign in April next year with the new coach taking up residence in Invercargill in late February or early March.