270 coaches from every State and Territory gathered at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra for the 2026 Basketball Australia National Coaches Conference, making it the largest coach development event delivered by Basketball Australia to date.
Over two days, coaches from participation, representative and high-performance environments came together to learn from some of the country's leading coaching minds while building connections with fellow coaches from across Australia.
The conference featured a mix of keynote presentations, on-court demonstrations and panel discussions designed to provide practical learning opportunities for coaches at every stage of their journey.
Highlights included presentations from Sydney Flames Head Coach and Opals Assistant Coach Renae Garlepp on offensive development and shooting, professional coach Mick Downer on team defence and pick-and-roll concepts, and WAIS's own Shane McDonald on creating bespoke player development environments.
Additional sessions were delivered by Toby Conroy on load management and practice design, Di Strang on building a coaching brand, Eric McAlister on talent evaluation, and COE Women's Assistant Myra Donkin on conducting effective individual and small-group training sessions.
Coaches also participated in a Players and Coaches Panel featuring Zara Russell, Sitaya Fagan and COE Coaches, providing valuable insights into the athlete and coach experience.
Beyond the presentations, the conference provided coaches with valuable opportunities to network, share ideas and strengthen connections across the Australian basketball community.
The event reinforced Basketball Australia's commitment to supporting lifelong learning and coach development, ensuring coaches have access to contemporary ideas, practical tools and a strong national coaching network.
Basketball Australia would like to thank all presenters, attendees and staff who contributed to the success of the conference and helped create an outstanding learning experience for coaches from across the country.
