By Tara Murray
Former Australian Opal Dee Butler has signed on as coach of Hume City Broncos.
Butler, who has coached Bullen Boomers and Diamond Valley in the Big V competition against the Broncos, was last week announced as the women’s coach for next season.
The Broncos were forced to make a quick decision when this year’s coach Michael Thomas had to step down because of work commitments.
Butler said she felt it was the right time to step back into head coaching.
“It is a kind of a turnaround, I was always coaching against them [Hume City],” she said.
“I know them as having a loud crowd and as a well-run club. I’m excited to be on board.”
Butler, who had her second child in February, was this year an assistant coach for the Diamond Valley men’s team in the South Eastern Australia Basketball League.
She said she was looking to get back into a head coaching role. After a meeting with Broncos vice president Glen Milner “it went from there”.
Butler said she had heard a lot of good things within the basketball community about the Broncos. The fact they are a family club was one of the things that attracted her.
Butler said after meeting with the Broncos players on Wednesday night she believed most of the group was looking to return.
“We’ve been going through the roster and most of the players are looking to come back … We’ll start discussing how we move forward and recruiting.
“Hopefully we’ll get some drawcard players to Broadmeadows.”
Butler said one area she was keen to focus on, was continuing to grow the relationship between the women’s and youth league women’s teams.
Butler has had an extensive playing career, which included playing for the Australian Opals, playing internationally and being named a WNBL life member.
She will juggle her commitments with the Broncos with that of coaching the Australian under-19 girls team.
She has also been named coach of the Victorian under-20 team for the national titles.
“Any experience I gain through that program, I can bring it back to Hume,” she said.
Broncos’ president Peter Jackson said that Butler’s recruitment was a significant coup for the club.
“We have been able to secure a highly credentialed women’s coach who is currently working within the national system, it’s a testament to our club’s reputation, positive culture and its strong commitment to providing opportunities for our female athletes to realise their potential to compete at the highest levels of the sport,” he said.
MORE BIG V NEWS
www.starweekly.com.au/sports/talented-whittlesea-pacers-teen-takes-the-next-step-in-development/
www.starweekly.com.au/sports/new-hume-city-broncos-coach-has-a-winning-focus/
