Coronel wants Hawks with character
Basketballers looking solely for a pay cheque need not apply at the Bay Hawks.
New coach Zico Coronel, who joins the Hawke’s Bay franchise from being an assistant coach at the Wellington Saints, has said he will go about developing a strong team culture to ensure success next season.
That’s not to say the Hawks, who finished fifth of seven teams last season with a 4-14 record, were a complete rabble of misfits. Coronel said he didn’t pay much attention to what they were doing off the court as he was too busy helping plot the Saints’ path to a perfect 20-0, title-winning season.
But what he does know is what he wants in a team in what will be his first season as a National Basketball League head coach.
‘‘We want people of good character and good ability, those are probably the two most important things.
‘‘Culture is the number one thing that underpins you being successful. Pretty much the way to have good culture is to sign people with good character.’’
It will be with that approach that the 34-year-old tries to return the Hawks to relevance again.
They won their lone title in 2006 and made seven playoff appearances in the eight years after that, but have been dismal for the past three seasons.
Financial difficulties was the main reason for the dip, which culminated in a horrendous 0-18 effort in 2016. They were better last year, but their squad was capable of even more than their 4-14 record suggested.
It was Coronel’s belief that they were on the cusp of something great.
‘‘They have a lot of good building blocks. They were in some financial strife, but Keith Price, the chairman, has done an excellent job to get them to a much better financial position.
‘‘Taylor Corporation, the primary sponsor, has come on board and been really excellent as well in helping with that. They were a bit better last year and I think the groundwork is there to make a big jump in 2018.’’
Personally, it was a big move for Coronel to take on a head coaching job.
He pulled out of the race to become Taranaki Mountainairs head coach last year because it wasn’t quite the right fit or timing, so to jump into this move it must mean he thinks he has a good chance at being successful. He has only an initial oneyear deal, with the chance of an extension if things go well.
He got the blessing of his now former head coach Kevin Braswell, who he has been in ongoing contact with, even while Coronel was away coaching the New Zealand under-16 team at the Australian Junior Championships in July.
‘‘KB has been awesomely supportive and it also reflects well for him. As a head coach, if you can show people who work with you go onto further success, when the Saints come to look for a new assistant coach that’s a pretty good carrot they can dangle for whoever that person might be.’’