Hoop dreams
Breakers’ trailblazer
Chanel Pompallier wants this story to be about more than her breaking a glass ceiling for women in New Zealand professional sport.
The Aucklander, 35, would like to think she has earned her historic promotion to be an assistant coach with the New Zealand Breakers in Australia’s National Basketball League on merit, on the five years of work she has invested in the club’s junior coaching programmes and on the potential her new boss Dan Shamir sees in her as a developer and analyser of hoops talent.
She would also like to think she can be an inspiration for not just women securing major coaching roles with men’s professional sports teams, but for aspiring coaches everywhere that if they put the work in at the development level, they can secure high-profile roles.
In this case Pompallier, who will join Shamir and his chief assistant Mody Maor on the
Breakers’ coaching staff for the 2020-21 ANBL, ticks many boxes for the Breakers, even if she’s the first to admit she has a lot to learn about her new job after minimal experience teaching the game at the senior level.
She is the first female to hold the role in the Australian NBL club’s history, following in the footsteps of Michelle Timms (South Dragons) and Tracy York (Adelaide 36ers) who achieved the same across the Tasman, and she told Stuff that she does not take that responsibility lightly.
‘‘Yes it is a big responsibility, but I’m looking forward to it and I’m ready,’’ she said at Breakers headquarters yesterday after her appointment was announced. ‘‘This is the next step for my development as a coach. I’m passionate about the game and I’m looking forward to this experience.’’
Pompallier was a handy player in her day, graduating from Westlake Girls on Auckland’s North Shore to earn a junior college scholarship in Texas. She played at the national league level, for New Zealand Ma¯ ori and was a