GB Basketball has unveiled their new Head Coach, 48-year-old Tony Garbelotto to replace Joe Prunty who stepped down after this summer’s EuroBasket.

“I’m extremely proud of being made the head coach of the national team,” Garbelotto told journalists on Sunday, whilst one of his other roles as Heach Coach of the Glasgow Rocks. Garbelotto, who has international coaching experience with the Vietnamese national team, will also be coaching Scotland’s Commonwealth Games team. Garbelotto is confident of being able to manage his workload despite the three roles; “I really believe there’s been good framework built for GB, I think I need to tweak a few things from the planning side,” he continued, “from staffing side and more importantly some minor tactical changes as well.”

“I’m extremely proud of being made the head coach of the national team,”

Garbelotto opened up about how his GB team will play, “I feel there is two areas in basic tactical terms. I feel we should be playing further up the court, defensively.  I think that we have some pretty good athletes now that can put good ball pressure and can get out into some passing lanes and we can generate a little more offence from our defence” In terms of offence, Garbelotto wants to utilise the running of Gabe Olaseni, who he feels is the best running four/five (power forward/center) in Europe. “I just felt that we never pushed the tempo and played a little bit faster. You got to be smart in Europe and possessions at that level count and I felt we were a bit too safe and conservative. ”

In terms of offence, Garbelotto wants to utilise the running of Gabe Olaseni, who he feels is the best running four, five in Europe. “I just felt that we never pushed the tempo and played a little bit faster. You got to be smart in Europe and possessions at that level count and I felt we were a bit too safe and conservative. ”

Garbelotto enters the job with an illustrious coaching history dating back 20 years. Garbelotto is best remembered in the BBL for his exceptional time with the Mersey Tigers especially 2011 when he captured all three domestic trophies plus the BBL title with an all-British roster and picked up Coach of the year honours.

GB take on Greece and Estonia in the opening round of world cup qualifiers in the Autumn, Garbelotto’s first work with the national team since 2012, when he was Assistant to Chris Finch.

Garbelloto outlined the short, medium and long-term goals for his tenure, which focuses on the entire GB basketball programme as well as the senior men’s national team. For the men, Garbelloto wants to win the upcoming games and qualify for the second group of FIBA World Cup Qualification. The other side of his plan “is to try and being a holistic approach to the national senior men’s team and then under 20s, 18s and 16s” instilling tactical synergy ensuring that players can move up and down the ladder, but not needing to learn new systems.

Garbelotto is the first British born head coach in the modern era and wants to find a way to bridge the gap for British coaches to work on the men’s team. “I think there are some really good young coaches who should be put into our pathway …it should extend to the men’s team “.

Great Britain’s first game under their new coach will be in Leicester against Greece in November, in a side likely to be headlined by the Glasgow Rocks’ Kieron Achara and Gareth Murray.

Photo: GB basketball media