Ballarat Miners head coach Nathan Cooper-Brown has helped lead the Australian Crocs to the quarter finals in the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Under-16 Asian Championships.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Cooper-Brown is in Foshan, China, as part of the coaching staff for the Australian boys’ team, with the tournament running from April 2-8.
His duties mean he will miss the Ballarat GMHBA Miners’ first South East Australian Basketball League game at the Minerdome on Friday night against Dandenong.
The Crocs have impressed since their campaign got underway on Tuesday, defeating Malaysia 110-47 in their first game, and backing up on Wednesday with a victory over Philippines 82-52.
Winning both group phase B games have earned the Crocs a quarter-finals spot, which kicks off on April 6.
A victory in that game will mean the Crocs advance to the semi finals, while also earning qualification to play in the the Under-17 World Cup in Argentina which starts on June 30.
Cooper-Brown was promoted to Miners head coach for the next two seasons at the end of 2017, filling the vacancy left by the departure of Ballarat basketball legend Eric Hayes.
He stepped into the role after one season as an assistant to Hayes.