Downer appointed SI talent manager

BASKETBALL New Zealand has appointed Mel Downer as talent manager in the South Island.

The position is a parttime role created in collaboration with the Canterbury Regional Basketball Foundation.

The role has been created to support the highperformance needs of the associations in the South Island and to provide greater clarity around the national highperformance programmes.

Basketball New Zealand’s highperformance director Leonard King said the role would provide the appropriate leadership, guidance and support to improve the alignment between Basketball New Zealand and the sport’s entities throughout the South Island.

It would help link the national highperformance programmes through to regional and local levels.

‘‘We are extremely fortunate to have Mel joining us. Her skills and experience, and her strength in programme management makes her the ideal person to take up this newly created position,’’ King said in a statement.

Downer is a former head coach at the Australian Institute of Sport for women. She was the high performance manager for the Basketball Queensland South region and head coach of the Logan women’s senior state league basketball team.

Downer started yesterday with the Canterbury Regional Basketball Foundation. Part of that role will include supporting coach Ben Sheat with the Mainland Eagles Academy.

Her first oncourt coaching is at the Mainland Eagles South Island camp in Christchurch this week.