Ambitious recruiters not Dragon the chain
THE South Dragons are not backing away from the big targets as they start assembling a team and coaching staff for the 2007 NBL season.
Former North Melbourne Giants and Sydney Kings coach Brett Brown is on the new club’s hit list, while the Dragons yesterday confirmed they had made an offer to Australian NBA aspirant Luke Schenscher.
While the Dragons admit Brown, on the coaching staff of NBA champions the San Antonio Spurs, is a long-shot to be their first head coach, they are optimistic about signing 216cm centre Schenscher.
“We know Luke’s excited about the prospect of playing with the Dragons, and it’s really just a matter of coming to an agreement that’s acceptable to both parties,” Dragons co-owner Mark Cowan said yesterday.
“Discussions have progressed through a couple of rounds of proposed contracts.”
After four years of strong progress at Georgia Tech, Schenscher was signed and released by the Denver Nuggets and Sacramento Kings in the NBA pre-season.
He is now playing with Fort Worth in the NBA’s development league.
“The Dragons understand that Luke’s committed to a career in the NBA and would be delighted if he were to use our club as a stepping stone to the big show,” Cowan said.
“Home-grown big men are really starting to become a trademark of Australian basketball. You only have to look at what (Andrew) Bogut’s already achieved in the NBA.”
A former assistant coach at two Olympics with the Boomers, American-born Brown has been with the Spurs for four seasons.
He may be tempted to bring his Australian-born wife Anna and their three young children back home.
While it would be an appealing challenge for Brown to be the Dragons’ first coach, it is likely the NBA package of working with the Spurs will keep him in San Antonio.
Even so, the Dragons will at least ask the question of Brown, who won the 1994 NBL championship with the Giants and took them back to the grand final in 1995.
“We think Brett would be a long shot, but we intend to go through the process,” Cowan said. “Someone like Brett is the kind of coach we want.”
