Best, who most recently has worked as Casey Basketball Association’s Basketball Development Manager, will join Basketball Victoria and work with our elite Metropolitan male athletes across our programs and competitions.
Having been a perennial contributor to Basketball Victoria’s High Performance structure, including his time as a Victorian state teams assistant coach and coaching in our HP programs, Best has a strong understanding of the needs of Victorian High Performance athletes and is ready to hit the ground running in October.
“I am extremely pleased to be joining Basketball Victoria and working as part of my home state and program,” Best said. “Working with the whole High Performance team and the Victorian athletes is truly an honour – Victoria has an unbelievable pathway for its athletes and I am pleased to be part of it.”
Basketball Victoria General Manager – High Performance and Pathways Grant Wallace said Best’s appointment was a great get for the organisation.
“We’re excited to have Darren Best join our High Performance staff and continue the great work across our Metropolitan Men’s programs and teams,” Wallace said. “Darren has shown his great passion and commitment to Victorian basketball across a number of years as a Victorian assistant coach, program coach for a number of our junior development programs and in his time with Casey Basketball Association.
“Great coaches help shape the future of Victoria’s High Performance pathway and Darren knows what it takes having been part of our coaching structures and program teams for a number of years now.
“We look forward to seeing him start at Basketball Victoria in late October.”
Best was selected as the Victoria Metropolitan Under-18 Men’s head coach for the 2022 Australian Junior Championships, to be held in Ballarat, but due to taking this role he will vacate this position with a new head coach to be announced as soon as possible.
He will carry on the incredible work of departing Basketball Victoria staff member Ash Arnott, who has taken a position with the Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence in Canberra.
Coupled with our 10 High Performance Hubs – which were funded by the Victorian Government’s $5 million contribution in the 2019/20 Victorian Budget – our High Performance staff work to support and promote the development of Victoria’s elite basketball athletes for opportunities at the state, national and international level.
The High Performance staff are charged with leading the coaching of the State Development Program, State Team Program and High Performance (Victorian National Performance Program) portfolio for identified Victorian athletes and coaches.
