Posted on 12 November, 2019

Josh Allison and Craig Campbell have signed as head coaches of the NWBL (National Wheelchair Basketball League) and WNWBL Cobras, respectively, for the 2020 season.

Allison will make his coaching debut with the Cobra Men, taking on the role of player-coach for the 2020 NWBL season. A member of the  2014 World Champion Australian Rollers and 2016 Australian Paralympic team, Allison has enjoyed a stellar wheelchair basketball on both the local and international stages, having also won back-to-back NWBL championships with the Cobras in 2015 and 2016.

Allison – a Kilsyth junior – will take over the reigns from former head coach Shane Furness, who led Kilsyth to four straight playoff appearances and guided  the Cobras to their 2016 championship. And although Furness has set the bar high, Cobras Manager of Basketball Operations, Mark Watkins, believes that Allison’s playing experience and success will serve him well on the sidelines.

“I’m excited to announce Josh as the head coach for our NWBL Men,” Watkins said.

“He replaces the big shoes left by Shane Furness, who has done wonderful job in building the program here. Josh’s wealth of knowledge and experience from playing at the international level makes him well suited to lead the team both on the court and from the sidelines.”

“With the help of Shaun Groenewegan as a senior leader/mentor, I’m looking forward to Josh adding some new up-and-coming talent to our Cobras line up.

Groenewegan – also a member of Kilsyth’s title-winning teams – will serve as a senior leader and mentor to the group while continuing his role as one the Cobras top 4.0 category players.

Craig Campbell will return to lead the WNWBL Cobra Women in 2020 for a third straight season.

Campbell – who led the Cobra Men to their 2015 NWBL title – guided the Women to a playoff appearance this season, thanks to a remarkable mid-season turnaround. With the Cobra Women entering 2019 in re-build mode, Campbell turned a 2-7 start into a 7-8 finish to the regular season, before falling agonisingly short of a preliminary final berth.

While Campbell and the Cobras will again look to rebuild in 2020 as they develop a number of young players, Watkins believes Campbell has what it takes to not only develop the next crop of stars – a responsibility to be shared with some of the Cobras veteran leaders – but improve on this year’s 7-8 record.

“The club is pleased to have Craig back again to lead our Women in 2020,” Watkins said.

“Craig has a plan to develop a number of young players next year in addition to improving on this season’s fourth-place finish. Craig’s experienced players will also be tasked with taking on a leadership role both on and off the court in 2020.”

Tryout dates have been announced for the NWBL Men’s team (see below), with more information for the WNWBL Women coming soon.