Head Coach Found!

Coach Dan Ryan on the court with the South East Melbourne Phoenix. Image South East Melbourne Pheonix

The Franklin Bulls have started the coaching rebuild with the signing of new Head Coach, Dan Ryan, from Chicago, Illinois.

Coach Ryan was recently appointed as assistant coach to Josh King at the South East Melbourne Phoenix in the Australian NBL. He will take on the New Zealand NBL as head coach at the end of the Australian season and has been signed to the Bulls for two seasons.

Ryan comes to the Bulls after spending a two years coaching in Europe, most recently with Darussafaka in the Turkish Super League and in the German Bundesliga with Riesen Ludwigsburg.

The Bulls over the past three seasons have opted to bring in coaches with European experience to provide a different style of basketball to the NBL. GM Jamie Reddish says Ryan's experience continues this but adds a new approach to our player development.

"We've been spoilt over the past three seasons with Coach Dan Sokolovsky and Coach Sebastian Gleim. Our players have just gotten better under their leadership. We are extending the focus on developing our guys and we know Coach Ryan is going to take us to yet another level as we continue to build towards bringing a chip to Franklin," GM Jamie Reddish said.

Coach Ryan also has extensive experience in the NCAA US College system, having worked in coaching and operations for Belmont, University of Illinois, and Dartmouth.

"What makes Dan the right guy for the job, outside his experience, is his ability to connect and relate to players. He's hard-working and wants to be on the practice court with our guys, and the way he's planning on making us successful on and off the court is exciting. He also understands what's important to us, and with the challenges we have already thrown his way, he has proven his ability to lead," adds Reddish.

Coach Ryan will arrive in New Zealand to begin coaching at the end of the Australian NBL season. His role will also include overseeing the Bulls Academy and helping support the club in providing pathways to South Auckland/Franklin/Waikato athletes.

Coach Ryan will also be appointing his performance staff over the next few months. Applications for these positions are being sought from October 21st.