Gold Coast (Australia) - The Tournament Coaches Course (TCC) for female coaches concluded the 6-session workshop designed to develop future mentors and coaches in the Oceania region.

The course was completed with a Scouting Module presentation by Katrina Hibbert and was attended by Jessica Olson (Marshall Islands), Arleen Mad (Guam), Derin Stinnett (Guam), Keziah Lewis (Cook Islands), Richelle Gempton (Cook Islands), Lanieta Baleiono (Fiji), Lysa Wini (Solomon Islands), Pualele Craig (Samoa) and Natsumi Wiainebengo (New Caledonia).

We want to thank all our participants for joining in the activities and handing in their weekly tasks. It's been an amazing journey and we hope to continue to provide this opportunity for coaches in the future" shared FIBA Oceania Development Manager, Annie La Fleur.

La Fleur spearheaded forum and was supported by various esteemed female mentors that supported delivery the course over the last two months.

"We were so excited about this project and even from coaching for a long time and listening to other presenters as well, the course reinforces us that we are on the right track," shared guest presenter Lori Chizik, who discussed "Planning" in the first session.

"The big thing about coaching is building your network and it's really important to share your knowledge and help each other grow," she added.

In the final session, Fordham University Women's Basketball Assistant Coach and current Fiji national team player Valerie Nainima was invited to partake in the session with the group and had encouraging statements regarding the course.

"I want to thank everyone for inviting me to this course and for taking up this advocacy of growing the game for future female coaches in the Pacific. I have learned a lot as well, I was so excited to join even if it's just for one session," Nainima said.

Nainima, who regularly scouts in the FIBA Oceania Youth Championships for the Fordham Rams reiterated her commitment to Pacific basketball and vowed to put more emphasis on international recruiting within the region.

"My passion is with Pacific basketball and always has been, this is where I learned my work ethic. We usually don't have resources, so we learn to work with what we have and tend to work harder than others," she said.

"We are very big in international recruiting and one of the things we can teach our Pacific players is fundamentals so we are helping to develop their basic skills," she added.

The session ended with a thematic discussion and everyone involved praised the workshop and how it has encouraged them to build this network with each other.

"I enjoyed getting to know everyone over Zoom and hopefully we get to meet in person soon. I enjoyed the topics and I liked how different the tasks and how it has allowed us to grow each week," shared Olson.

"Thank you so much, everyone, it's kind of lonely because most of the time I am the only female coach in a tournament. This is inspiring for me, I feel like I am on the right track and there's a validation in this group it's exciting and nice to know I am not alone," Arlene shared.

La Fleur and the group decided to keep in touch intermittently to check up on each other's progress and continue to build their relationships with each other.

"I am looking forward to catching up from time to time so we can all share the things we are doing. This is an opportunity to continue to inspire each other and lead the way in showing the importance of Women in Basketball," La Fleur ended.

FIBA