Taking the Helm of the GB Senior Men – With Tony Garbelotto – Ep. 29

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After a nine month break, the Hoopsfix podcast finally returns, as we got the chance to sit down with Great Britain Senior Men and Glasgow Rocks Head Coach Tony Garbelotto.

With GB in training camp at Leicester this weekend ahead of their FIBA World Cup Qualifier this weekend, it seems like perfect timing to release this conversation which was recorded a couple of weeks ago.

Tony is one of the higher profile British basketball coaches, having just returned to the UK after three years in Vietnam, Garbelotto has also spent time coaching in Germany and Iceland, as well as time with multiple teams in the BBL, including the Everton Tigers where he won the treble in 2010-11.

We touched upon a lot in this conversation but I still feel there is a lot to go into that we didn’t get to explore, so stay tuned for a potential part 2 in the future.

In this hour episode, hear from Tony Garbelotto on:

• • His feelings on being named as the new Great Britain Senior Men’s coach
  • The process and plans he is putting in place for the GB programme
  • The lack of British coaches having been involved with the GB team in previous years
  • Some of his early memories of first getting into coaching
  • Why he champions British players
  • The conversations he has had with other BBL teams about playing British guys
  • The state of the BBL now compared to when he was previously involved
  • Why he feels some British players are less hardened than in the past and unrealistic
  • His frustrations with not being given the Head Coach role with the GB Futures Squad
  • How difficult it was to miss out on being on the bench with GB at London 2012
  • The missing basketball legacy of the London 2012 Olympics
  • Why he feels the biggest thing holding back the sport is having the wrong people involved
  • Who he feels are the best British coaches right now
  • Who he believes to be the best Junior British player of all time
  • His proudest career achievement
  • What led to the demise of the Mersey Tigers after all their success
  • And much, much more!

As always, I’d love to get your feedback, come back after you’ve listened and lets get some discussion going in the comments.

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