We are thrilled to announce the signing of Paul Flynn as Head Coach of the Mainland Pouākai for the 2024 Tauihi season.
Flynn brings a wealth of experience to the Pouākai organisation, having been the Operations Manager for Nunawading Basketball since 2015 and Head Coach of the Nunawading Spectres women’s team in the NBL1 South since 2017. He also shares experience at the WNBL level as he was previously an assistant coach for the 2022 WNBL champion Melbourne Boomers.
“It is an exciting opportunity to come into a first-class organisation and work alongside talented, high-character athletes and staff,” said Flynn. “I’d like to thank Caleb, Judd and the entire Mainland Pouākai organisation for their trust in me to lead our team into the Tauihi 2024 season.”
Between leading the Victoria Metro U18 Women to three straight National titles and spearheading the programme at Forest Hill College Basketball Academy, Flynn’s track record of player development speaks for itself and aligns closely with the vision of the Pouākai.
Mainland Pouākai General Manager Caleb Harrison spoke to this, saying, “Judd and I throughout the process were looking for a coach with professional head coaching experience and a strategic alignment with us in developing our local core of players and supporting them in the pursuit of playing opportunities in the Tauihi offseason, whether in the US College system or offshore professional leagues such as NBL1 and WNBL.”
“The Pouākai represent a proud region with a rich history of developing athletic talent,” said Flynn. “As a coach it’s exciting to be presented the opportunity to build within an environment a team that everyone can be proud of supporting.”
Last season’s Pouākai Head Coach Josh Thompson will be taking on the role of lead assistant coach, working closely alongside Flynn. Thompson is a valuable member of the organisation heading into the 2024 season due to his familiarity with Tauihi Basketball Aotearoa and the Pouākai organisation.
“We have a lot of learnings from our first two years in Tauihi Basketball Aotearoa and we are looking forward to having Judd Flavell again in the role of Pouākai Performance Director and Josh Thompson supporting Paul in the assistant coach position,” Harrison expressed.
“I’m looking forward to continuing being part of the Pouākai whānau and being involved in such a great league,” said Thompson. “Having Paul come in as the head coach is something I’m really looking forward to, learning from his experiences.”
Under the leadership of Paul Flynn, we hope to continue to foster a strong developmental environment for players within the Mainland region and build towards an exciting and fruitful new season of Tauihi basketball.
Can’t wait for the season ahead? Catch all the Mainland Pouākai action by becoming a 2024 season member!
