Basketball New Zealand

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Tall Fern video technician Kennedy Hamilton (ImageSport NZ)

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Tall Black and NZ Breakers assistant coach Dean Vickerman (Photosport)

NZ Breakers assistant coach Dean Vickerman will fill the same role under Tall Black coach Nenad Vucinic when the national team heads to Europe for their last-ditch attempt to qualify for the Beijing Olympics.

And the career of Dillon Boucher, who recently announced his retirement as an international player, will come full circle with his appointment as Tall Black video technician.

Australian-born Vickerman beat out nine other applicants for the position, winning the role primarily on the strength of his experience as an assistant coach with the Melbourne Tigers, Singapore Slingers and now the Harvey Norman Breakers in the Australian NBL.

He spent a season coaching the Wellington Saints in 2002 and has since married former Wellington Swish captain Christy Bromley.

“Dean impressed us with his range of experience, his knowledge of the role and his commitment to New Zealand,” says Basketball New Zealand chief executive Dale Stephens. “We are confident he will be a great asset to the programme and support for Nenad in what could prove a difficult campaign.”

A feature of the appointment process was the number of recent international players moving into the next phase of their basketball lives.

Boucher (32) retired from the Tall Blacks last month, blaming the toll of niggling injuries to a battle-worn body. Although he hopes to continue playing in the New Zealand and Australian national leagues, his thoughts have already turned to what lies ahead.

“Even as a player, one of Dillon’s greatest strengths has been his vision on the court,” notes Stephens. “He has been identified as an exceptional coaching talent and we hope this selection will smooth his transition into the coaching ranks.”

In accepting the video job, Boucher returns to the role that helped him become a key member of the Tall Black roster over the past seven years. He traveled to the 2001 Goodwill Games in Brisbane as Baldwin’s cameraman, but was called into the line-up when NBA performer Sean Marks withdrew.

Boucher, who played more than 100 games for New Zealand, has won more NBL titles (eight) than any other player or coach in the league history and added an Australian championship with the Brisbane Bullets in 2007.

BBNZ national teams general manager Grant Chapman has also been named Tall Blacks manager this year in an effort to ease the planning and delivery of the international programme. Chapman has toured with the team as communications manager since 2002.

Nelson-based Claire Dallison will retain her role as strength and conditioning trainer with the Tall Blacks.

Meanwhile, Kennedy Hamilton of Canterbury will fill the role of video analyst for the Tall Ferns during this year’s Olympic campaign.

Hamilton worked with Tall Fern assistant Leigh Gooding and the Christchurch Sirens in the Australian WNBL over the summer.