The EnviroNZ Franklin Bulls have appointed Morgan Maskell as head coach for the 2022 Sal’s NBL season.
Maskell served as the Bulls assistant coach during the recently completed season and has a strong list of basketball coaching credentials.
The announcement comes after the news that 2021 coach Jamie Reddish stood down to focus on his regional work as General Manager of the Franklin Basketball Association.
When we knew Jamie was stepping down, we didn’t hesitate to sign Morgan,” Bulls General Manager Scott Kelso said.
“A number of Sal’s NBL sides will be looking for head coaches in 2022 and we believe Morgan was the best Kiwi-based coach on the market.
“He’s been one of the most successful junior coaches in the nation. And with him already part of our organisation, it was a no-brainer for us really.
“He is one of the hardest working coaches I’ve ever seen,” Kelso added. “He spends long hours on his own knowledge and on ensuring his teams function at the highest possible level. From the moment Morgan joined the organisation it was very clear why he had been so successful on the junior scene as a coach, why he’s been around the highest levels of the game for so long already, and why an NBL championship coach like Zico Coronel would recruit him to Hawke’s Bay.”
Maskell is a 28-year-old Auckland native who moved to Hawke’s Bay to assist Coronel with the Hawks in the Sal’s NBL in 2018; after assisting Zico with the 2017 New Zealand Under 16 Boys.
Maskell has been very successful in the junior basketball scene for the better part of the last decade leading Rangitoto College Juniors to back-to-back Junior Premierships, winning the Australian Country Cup and being on the staff of three national championship winning Harbour Basketball representative sides.
He was also the head coach of the 2018 New Zealand U15 Boys team that defeated Australia, one of the only junior teams to ever achieve such a feat.
Maskell paid homage to the work of Reddish.
“Without Jamie, there is no Franklin Association or Franklin Bulls. To accept a role like this, you have to understand that blood, sweat and tears that Jamie put into building this,” Maskell said.
“Nobody could do this role without understanding that and without his blessing. I feel privileged that Jamie is entrusting this role to me in 2022.
“I’m really honoured that Scott, Jamie and the EnviroNZ Franklin Bulls board and organisation have offered me the head coaching position. I’m extremely excited to take on the challenge.
“Helping players reach their goals is a passion. So my hope is that we can build a team capable of very intelligent basketball where all players can fully showcase their abilities so that we can play a part in helping them improve and reach their individual goals with us.”
Morgan is already hard at work with the first step being to recruit his coaching team.
Recent Comments