Basketball: Green joins list of coaching hopefuls

Waikato coach Jeff Green has been added to the list of candidates wanting to coach the New Zealand men's and women's basketball teams.

Green's name was missing when Basketball New Zealand released the names of applicants this week.

Green was out of the country when applications closed but had earlier expressed an interest in the position through Waikato chief executive John Davey to Basketball New Zealand general manager David Crocker.

"Jeff noticed the stories in today's media advising who the candidates were and that is the first time he was aware that his expression of interest via a third party hadn't been taken as an entry into the process," Crocker said.

"Jeff had considered his expression of interest would suffice until his return and his formal application could be lodged.

"Obviously a misunderstanding between John and Jeff took place. Basketball New Zealand wants to make sure we leave no stone unturned in searching for our next national coaches so we will accept Jeff into the selection process for these positions."

Green joins a list chasing the national men's job which includes incumbent Tall Blacks coach Keith Mair, Auckland coach Tab Baldwin, Nelson's Nenad Vucinic, Canterbury's Matt Ruscoe and Australian Stergios Asterios.

Asterios at present is head coach and development officer for Greek club Basilika after previously coaching in Tasmania. Crocker confirmed BBNZ had received several other inquires from Europe but most had withdrawn upon discovering the position was not a high-paying one.

"We had a great deal of interest from European-based coaches until they found out the role is not a high-paying fulltime job, or even a low-paying fulltime job for that matter, and that they would be volunteers with a grant from the Sports Foundation to assist them," Crocker said.

The national women's coaching job became vacant when Carl Dickel decided to step down. Contenders to succeed Dickel are Green, North Harbour Kings head coach Tracy Carpenter, Canterbury's Gilly McFarlane and former Tall Fern Carolyn Grey, of Waikato.

- NZPA