| James Kon |
NATIONAL Director of Coach Development for Basketball in New Zealand Natu Taufale yesterday commended the Brunei Basketball Association (BBA) for focussing on the development of local basketball coaches, which is one of the key fundamentals for the quality development of basketball in the country.
The New Zealander with over 20 years of coaching experience is currently in Brunei Darussalam to deliver International Basketball Federation (FIBA) World Association of Basketball Coaches (WABC) introduction to Level 1 coaching.
Twenty-eight participants including the head coach of men’s basketball of Guam University Brent Tipton took part in the four-day clinic.
Natu Taufale said, “There has been a change in the Brunei Basketball Association and it is looking at building the structure of the game. Therefore, it is important to start with coach and referee development. With quality coaches, they can provide quality experience for young basketball athletes. Coach development is connected with referee development which is also connected with athletes development.
“It is very important for coaches to be certified as the game of basketball is standardised globally. This is international quality. In New Zealand for example, coaches must have level 1 coaching certification in order to coach in the national tournament.”
FIBA coaching qualification has Levels 1, 2 and 3.
He said, “The country’s national coach should be of Level 2 or 3 certification. The Level 2 and 3 courses are very comprehensive ranging from six to seven days.
“The FIBA WBAC introducion to Level 1 course is only an introductory course. In order to obtain FIBA Level 1 certification, the formal part of the assessment will be done in a separate course. Coaches will need to take a coaching decision and be observed during the formal assessment. This is a good start for BBA to get coaches with formal qualification assessment. I envision in three to five years, Brunei will have its second level course for coaches. We are trying to get people to Level 1 first in Brunei and then see who is interested to be certified for Level 2 qualifications.”
Natu Taufale also felt that there is great potential for basketball to grow in Brunei.
He said, “We looked at the nations in Oceania and the Pacific. Some nations have improved tremendously in the past five years. Countries such as Guam, Fiji, Thailand, the Philippines have improved tremendously. It’s exciting to see the sport is growing. Brunei’s basketball can also grow.
“It will be great to see Brunei’s improvement and development in the next five years. It will take a long time and one of the key areas is building coaches to pass on what they learn to the athletes.”
When asked about player’s discipline, he said, “Coaches can set the rules of code of conduct with the players so that they can be held accountable and it’s also building a culture of accountability among players in the team.”
The basketball coaching clinic, organised by BBA and partly sponsored by FIBA, the international governing body of international basketball, is part of the continuing effort to further develop the sport of basketball.
“The clinic is one of many pathways to develop basketball in Brunei. We need more certified coaches that are capable of teaching the correct basketball fundamentals. By increasing our pool of coaches, we hope this will translate to a larger pool of young basketball players which in the long run will improve Brunei’s competitiveness in regional and international competitions,” said Secretariat of Brunei Basketball Association Lim Fung.
Brunei Basketball Association is also exploring the possibility of making it mandatory for teams to have certified coaches in all local competitions.
Participants who completed this clinic will be awarded Level 1 coach certification by the BBA.
Furthermore, participants will be invited back for another coaching clinic within the next few months where they can be certified as Level 1 coaches by FIBA.