By Murray Wenzel
New Brisbane coach Justin Schueller plans to build his squad around Olympic medallists Aron Baynes and Nathan Sobey when he takes over at the NBL club next season.
Schueller is the long-time national under-17s coach and won two titles with Melbourne as an assistant during a six-year stint.
New Bullets coach Justin Schueller wants to build his team around Boomer Aron Baynes, seen here in action against Nigeria at the 2020 Olympics.Credit:AFP
He will head north on a two-year deal with hopes of elevating a Bullets outfit that has battled over the same period, making the finals just once since their return to the league seven seasons ago.
Hopes were high this year after the arrival of Australian NBA champion Baynes and US import Tyler Johnson.
That high-profile pair joined Boomer Sobey on Brisbane’s roster but a poor start led to coach James Duncan’s exit as the Bullets slumped to second-last with an 8-20 record.
Nathan Sobey of the Bullets breaks through the Sydney Kings defence in their round eight NBL match at Nissan Arena last season. The Bullets faded after a bright start to the season.Credit:Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)\
“This has been something I have been wanting for a long time and I couldn’t think of a better club to be joining,” Schueller said.
“It’s an exciting time for the club; we have two Olympians on our roster to build around, a fan base that is always there behind the team and opportunity to turn our on-court output around quickly.”
Bullets chief executive Pete McLennan said Schueller had beaten a quality field to the role.
“We believe he has all the necessary traits to lead our group,” he said.
“Justin’s vision, goals and values align well with what the organisation want to achieve and he will play a pivotal role both on and off the court.”
AAP
