Suva (Fiji) - Mataika Koyamainavure, William Peter, and Manoa Puamau are named World Association of Basketball Coaches (WABC) Level 1 Certified Coaches after a six-day workshop held in Suva, Fiji.

Koyamainavure, Peter, and Puamau joined an extensive coaching course spearheaded by FIBA Oceania Development Manager, Annie La Fleur.

FIBA Oceania Executive Director, David Crocker commended the execution of the coaching program and stressed the importance of developing coaches as one of the keys for National Federation members to improve their national and youth team programs.

"Congratulations to Basketball Fiji in the delivery of the WABC Level 1 Coaching Course. The development of their pool of coaches is an essential part of the continued improvement of their national team's performance. I look forward to the development of the coaches and Fiji basketball," he said.

Peter, who was Fiji's U15 Men's coach during the 2018 FIBA Oceania Championship shared his appreciation for the course to help his development as a coach.

"The course was beneficial. It was a real eye-opener to what a coach's job entails and just how much work is required as a coach," he said. "It was a very intense 6 days and it pushed me and the other 11 coaches out of our comfort zones to learn as much as we could."

Basketball Fiji's Chief Operation Officer, Laisiasa Puamau praised the program and stated that the Federation plans to push the course to be held annually.

"It was a great learning experience for all of us, we appreciate the level of knowledge shared through the newly developed WABC coaching curriculum. We hope to make the internationally recognized course part of our annual calendar of events," said Puamau.

"There are many positive lessons learned from the experience. We would like to work closely with our NOC and selected participants for the next suggested course," he added.

Meanwhile, La Fleur expressed her optimism with the newly certified coaches and the proactiveness of Basketball Fiji with the organization of the course.

“I’m very excited for Basketball Fiji who now has three coaches who are certified. They are all students of the game and I know they will continue to grow and develop themselves which will ultimately benefit their players and teams around them," La Fleur said.

“Outside of Australia and New Zealand, Fiji is the first country in the Pacific to hold a WABC Level 1 workshop in our region. It’s an indication of what the Federation is trying to achieve by providing a coaching pathway for their coaches from grassroots to national programs," she added.

FIBA