From Eagles fan to assistant coach – with Dave Forrester – Ep. 72

In Episode 72 of the Hoopsfix Podcast, we sit down with former Newcastle Eagles assistant coach Dave Forrester, who announced he would be stepping down from the sidelines last week.

Forrester, a criminal defence lawyer by day, has an improbable story that saw him start as a super fan of the club before forging a relationship with Fab Flournoy that eventually saw him take a spot on the bench as assistant coach.

He served over a decade on the sidelines with the league’s winningest franchise under Fab, winning 14 trophies, and ending as runners up another 8 times.

Having been involved with British basketball across multiple levels, as a fan, administrator, recruiter, operator, referee, coach and member of the Eagles Community Foundation board, Forrester has a unique holistic perspective on the game which we were able to get into.

In this 1 hour 50 minute episode, hear from Dave on:

• Why he decided to step down from his role as assistant coach with the Eagles
• How he went from fan to assistant coach
• Whether there were any issues gaining the respect of players not having had an extensive coaching background
• His relationship with Fab Flournoy over the years
• The biggest things he learned from working with Flournoy
• The opinions that changed going from the stands to having inside knowledge of the workings of the team
• The number one criticism he sees of the BBL that he believes to be incorrect
• What causes some of the negative perceptions of the BBL
• The need for help and guidance to aid NBL club’s development
• What impact the arena has made for Newcastle Eagles
• The biggest leverage points he sees for the growth of British basketball
• Why the North East is not producing more elite talent despite a thriving grassroots
• His take on the Newcastle Eagles using a lot of ‘plastic Brits’ – non-home grown developed players with access to a British passport
• The impact of COVID-19 on the coming season
• How importance a TV deal is for the future growth of the sport
• His favourite memories from his time on the Eagles bench
• The best player he’s coached
• The best players he’s seen in the BBL
• Predictions for the coming BBL season
• And much, much more!

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