As the Under 16 Footlocker National Championships tip-off this week in Perth, Western Australia from the 3rd-10th of July, Basketball NSW looks at the Head Coaches and their support staff that will lead their respective teams on the court for a full preview and history.
U16 Country Boys
Head Coach: Tom Farrar – Illawarra Hawks
Assistant Coach: Alvin Caoyonan – Byron Bay Beez
Assistant Coach: Andrew Williams – Coffs Harbour Suns
Development Coach: Eric Hackett – Illawarra Hawks
Manager: Leisa Mihai – Coffs Harbour Suns
Back for a second time in the Head Coach role is Illawarra’s Tom Farrar. This will be his sixth time attending the tournament, previously as an AC after spending the past eight years within the BNSW High Performance Program. He also has overseen Illawarra’s State Performance Program for a number of years as well as numerous other Basketball NSW events and tournaments such as the Australian Country Junior Basketball Cup.
Another two familiar faces join Farrar’s staff with Byron’s Alvin Caoyonan & Coffs Harbour’s Andrew Williams coming back after a solid 2022 tournament. Caoyonan will be competing in the National Championships for the second time. He has been a part of the NSW High Performance programs for over six years. He is an active contributor to the Country NSW & Far North Coast basketball community through the Byron Bay Association and the North Coast Academy of Sport. Currently, he is the Assistant Coach for the Gold Coast in NBL1 North.
Farrar’s second assistant coach Williams will also be attending his second National Championships. He is currently Coffs Harbour’s State Performance Program Coach and has extensive experience coaching both junior and senior Sun’s representative teams.
The Country Boys are also fortunate to have Eric Hackett from Illawarra as their Development Coach. With almost a decade of experience in coaching through the BNSW High Performance Pathway and as an assistant coach for the Illawarra Men’s NBL1 team, he will bring a great amount of enthusiasm to the team.
Last but not least is Manager Leisa Mihai. A Coffs Harbour local and previous board member, Mihai will be attending her first nationals as a Manager but has been a spectator many a time as a parent. She has managed numerous country teams at the Australian Country Junior Basketball Cup over the past decade. Her calmness and reliability will be instrumental to the team.
U16 Country Girls
Head Coach: Kristy Bultitude – Newcastle Falcons
Assistant Coach: Lesa Mathews – West Wyalong Wildcats
Assistant Coach: Maddison Delaney – Illawarra Hawks
Manager: Nicole McMahon – Port Macquarie Dolphins
Kristy Bultitude from the Newcastle Falcons, is taking on a new challenge. She’ll be bringing together the Under 16 Country Girls to compete in the 2023 National Championships. Bultitude is no stranger to such events as she has attended the national tournament twice previously as an Assistant Coach for the Under 18 Country Girls and has been working with Basketball NSW in High Performance Pathways since 2014. Recently, Bultitude also claimed the Head Coach position for Hunter PSSA, leading the team to a gold medal win at the 2023 State Championships.
Lesa Mathews from West Wyalong and Maddison Delaney from the Illawarra Hawks are Partnering as Assistant Coaches in the all-female lineup. This will be their second year straight with the group after a strong finish at last year’s event claiming the Fair Play Award.
Matthews has been coaching at West Wyalong for the past 26 years for numerous teams at her local association and joined as a BNSW network coach in 2019. She has been on hand at many BNSW Country events such as Under 12 Jamboree and the Australian Country Junior Basketball Cup as well as coaching junior teams at the Southern Sports Academy since 2020.
Delaney, a local Illawarra junior & now senior representative will also be on hand to assist the girls during their time away. Another BNSW network coach, she has also attended numerous basketball staples for Country including the Talented Athlete Program and State Performance Program Camps, D-League and the Australian Country Junior Basketball Cup.
Manager Nicole McMahon from Port Macquarie is the glue that holds the team together. With five previous attendances at nationals, she’s an experienced manager and has led numerous country teams, from the Under 12 Jamboree to BNSW High Performance Camps. Expect her to be the steady hand for the team and coaching staff, supporting and motivating each member to reach their peak potential.
U16 Metro Girls
Head Coach: David Hayman – Hills Hornets
Assistant Coach: Blake Macfarlane – Penrith Panthers
Assistant Coach: Liam Cavanagh-Downs – Norths Bears
Manager: Ivana Hayman – Hills Hornets
The U16 Metro Men’s basketball team is gearing up for a fiercely competitive match in Perth, led by their new Head Coach, David Hayman. Coming from the Hills Hornets, Hayman has an impressive track record at the Under 14s level, including winning the gold medal in 2019, as well as serving as an AC for previous Metro boys teams. In recognition of his coaching abilities, Hayman was named BNSW Coach of the Year in 2019 and remains actively engaged with BNSW through the development of coaching pathways for Metro NSW.
Returning in 2023 is Assistant Coach Blake Macfarlane from the Penrith Panthers. A familiar face for many around the state as he has been transitioning through the coaching pathways and has been involved in numerous BNSW camps, tours and D-League since 2017. During this NBL season he has also worked closely with the Cairns Taipans as a video scout and as Head Coach for the U18 Division 1 Boys in Penrith.
Attending his first Nationals is Liam Cavanagh-Downs from the Norths Bears. Cavanagh-Downs has recently worked with the Hoops Capital coaching staff as a video coordinator for Sydney Flames and as an intern coach with Sydney Kings for the past three years, winning a championship in 2022. He has also been a part of the Inner West Ryde and Norths Bears representative program as a coach for the past seven years and has been a part of the BNSW coaches pathway since 2017.
Hills’ Ivana Hayman, an experienced coach and manager, will be leading the team as Manager. With a successful history in the High Performance Program for WaterPolo NSW and currently as a Development Player for the Hornets in NBL1 East, she brings a wealth of knowledge and skills to the role. This qualified member of the bench is sure to guide the team to success!
U16 Metro Girls
Head Coach: Tim Hill – Manly Sea Eagles
Assistant Coach: Lauryn Curtin – Sydney Comets
Assistant Coach: Michele Austin – Bankstown Bruins
Manager: Rebecca Palmer – Penrith Panthers
Tim Hill, fresh off his 2022 Gold Medal win, is once again in charge of the Under 16 Metro Girls team. Hill was named the 2022 Basketball NSW Representative Coach of the Year and led his Manly Warringah Under 18 Girls to gold, capping off a stellar year. Over the past 13 years, he has coached various representative sides for the Sea Eagles, and for the past six years, he has been a network coach for BNSW. He’s headed to the Nationals for the sixth time, earning a bronze in 2018, a silver in 2016, and of course, the recent gold. All of NSW is excited to see what he accomplishes this time around!
Hill will welcome Lauryn Curtin as the newest member of his coaching staff. Currently assisting with the Sydney Comets NBL1 Women’s team, Curtin will join the team for her seventh Nationals. Both Hill & Curtin were Assistant Coaches together with the Under 16 Girls who won a Silver medal in 2016 in Kilsyth and a Bronze Medal in 2017 in Perth. Curtin has been involved in the BNSW network of coaches & has worked her way up as an Assistant Coach with the Under 16 Metro Girls and NSW Under 20 Women. From there she then was made Head Coach for the Under 16 and Under 18 Girls for three years. Additionally, Curtin has coached at the representative level at Sutherland and currently is the NSW Combined High Schools Head Coach (16 Girls and Open Girls) and NSW All Schools Head Coach.
Additionally, Curtin has coached at the representative level at Sutherland and is an active member of the Basketball NSW network of coaches.
Michele Austin, a former Australian junior representative, is set to attend her fourth nationals in 2023, but this time in the role of a coach. With close to ten years of experience in the WNBL, Austin’s basketball prowess is commendable. She even co-captained the Australian Junior team alongside Shelley Gorman, leading them to their first-ever medal at the World Championships in 1989 – a remarkable bronze achievement. As a Bankstown local, Austin has been an integral part of her community for over 15 years, actively contributing to her home association. Presently, Austin holds the position of Under 14 Girls’ coach, nurturing young talent and building a strong foundation for the future.
Rebecca Palmer from the Penrith Panthers has been appointed as the Manager for the U16 Metro Girls for her second time. Palmer boasts over a decade of experience in coaching and managing representative teams at Penrith. Moreover, Palmer is actively involved in the BNSW officiating space and officiates as a technical official and referee. Her dedication to the sport is evident as she’s been the girls’ convenor for Sydney West PSSA since 2016. With her wealth of knowledge in the field, Palmer is poised to motivate the team from the sidelines and inspire the girls to perform their best for ultimate triumph.
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