GB JOB GOES TO GARBELOTTO
Tony Garbelotto is set to become the new head coach of Great Britain following EuroBasket.
With the showpiece tournament tipping off on Thursday, the Englishman is understood to have agreed terms to take over the national team on a part-time basis along side his existing role at Glasgow Rocks.
Chosen from a final short list of four candidates which were interviewed by a panel including British Basketball Federation chief executive Lisa Wainwright, director for performance Mark Clark and former Basketball England CEO Keith Mair, Garbelotto will now a packed 12 months for Garbelotto who has also agreed to lead Scotland’s challenge at next April’s Commonwealth Games in addition to chasing silverware in the British Basketball League.
With a revamped international calendar starting this season, the 48-year-old’s first official duty will be GB’s World Cup qualifiers against Greece and Estonia in November.
It will be the his second international role following three years in charge of Vietnam following a club career that has also taken in stops in Germany and Iceland.
He is expected to be present in Istanbul to catch a close-up view of the current squad who begin their European challenge in their group opener against Belgium on Friday although he will not have any formal role, according to BBF sources.
Although the federation and Garbelotto declined to comment when reached by MVP, Clark previously confirmed that any formal announcement on Joe Prunty’s success would come after EuroBasket.
However the capture is likely to be welcomed by a number of senior players who are thought to have privately lobbied for his appointment, as well as critics who have bemoaned the lack of homegrown hires around the GB team.
And the departing Prunty – whose contract was not renewed once a decision was taken to have a coach who was available for all four annual international windows – has pledged his help to his successor to ease the transition when the side’s last game in Turkey formally brings his four-year reign to a close.
“I’m available,†said the American. “The biggest thing is right now – that’s secondary. The focus has to be on EuroBasket because that is where we are at the moment. But it’s all part of the growing process.
“You always have to make yourself available. Moving forward, there are people who are in this programme now who can be there for a long time.â€
Garbelotto previously served as chief scout to the GB men’s team under Chris Finch ahead of the 2012 Olympics and was also on the coaching staff of England’s senior and Under-20 sides in the past.
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