MELBOURNE (FIBA U17 Oceania Championship 2017) – Basketball Australia has announced Darren Perry and Tracy York as head coaches for the Australian men’s and women’s teams, respectively. They will be leading their teams at the upcoming FIBA U17 Oceania Championships 2017, which will take place on Guam in July.

Both York and Perry bring a wealth of experience. Perry, a respected coach in the South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL), was a former point guard in the NBL playing 250 games and enjoying a championship with the South East Melbourne Magic during their inaugural season in 1992. He is also no stranger to representing Australia, Perry was a member of the Australian FIBA U19 World Championships team in 1987.

Perry’s team will be looking to reclaim top spot in Oceania after the New Zealand Junior Tall Blacks took out the FIBA U18 Oceania Championships crown in late 2016.

York, a longtime Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) and National Basketball League (NBL) mentor, served as an assistant coach with the Australian U17 women’s team that won gold at the FIBA U17 Women’s World Championship 2016 in Spain. York is currently an assistant coach with the Adelaide 36ers in the NBL.

York and company can build off the back of last years success of the Australian U18 Women’s team who went undefeated in last year’s FIBA U18 Oceania Championship in Fiji.

Both teams will be competing for Oceania gold and one of the two FIBA U18 Asia Championships 2018 qualifying spots up for grabs.

As part of FIBA’s new competition system, Oceania teams will now aim to qualify for FIBA World Championships through the Asian region. Two Oceania teams will compete in each FIBA Asia Youth Championship in the hopes to earn one of the four (4) FIBA World Championship qualifying spots available from the Asia/Oceania region.

The FIBA U17 Oceania Championships will take place July 10-15 at the University of Guam Fieldhouse.

FIBA