TENISON Woods College has announced a huge coup for the school’s Titans basketball high performance program, with the signings of Pioneers head coach Richard Hill and captain Tom Daly.
Hill will take on the director of basketball duties, while Daly will run as head coach.
The pair need no introduction to the basketball fraternity in the region, with Hill’s accolades including assistant coach of the Adelaide 36ers, current head coach of the Mount Gambier Pioneers, with five South East Australian Basketball League conference championships to his name, three SEABL national championships, along with SEABL coach of the year in 2015 and 2017.
Daly is a former Adelaide 36ers player and has achieved the same SEABL championships as a player as Hill has as coach.
He was also voted the 2013 SEABL Under 23 youth player of the year, the 2017 SEABL championship game most valuable player and made the All-SEABL team for the 2017 season.
Hill said he looks forward to the new challenge.
“They are looking to give their program a shot in the arm, so over the last few weeks we discussed how it could all fit,” he said.
“Tom is key in this – I am not in a position where I can be on court everyday and we need some youth involved in the program that can connect with those young kids.
“Tom has tremendous experience and a great way with people.
“I think he will be really good in that role.
“I think having me to help him through and oversee the whole program should work really well.”
Tenison has a culture of sporting prowess and Hill said with him and Tom at the helm it should show a real pathway for the young budding basketballers to follow.
“From a connection point of view it is great for the kids to be able to see a pathway leading through to high-level basketball in the Pioneers,” he said.
“To have the captain and the coach of the Pioneers as mentors will be very good for those young kids, both boys and girls.
“There are some very talented kids who we feel we can move to the next level.”
While Hill was hesitant to blow his own trumpet, clearly having the two involved in the program is huge for the school.
With both Hill and Daly involved, the program is sure to lift to another level.
“I know Tom is a very hard worker and if I am involved I want it to be a first-rate program,” Hill said.
“We will do everything we can to make sure the students get everything they can out of the basketball program.”
Of course one advantage for the Pioneers is the identification of new talent.
One name in particular is Kane deWit, who went through the Tenison program and progressed to be an integral part of the Pioneers roster.
But Hill said the same could be said about the remainder of the school’s sports programs.
“Across the board Tenison has programs that are quite successful in netball, in football and they are venturing into soccer,” Hill said.
“Basketball has been a part of their school for a long time.
“Their contribution to local sport has been pretty important and there have been some reasonably high-level kids come through.”
While it might sound like a big deal for the boys who can follow on to possibly find a spot on the Pioneers development roster and progress from there, Hill said the girls had certainly not been forgotten.
“There have been some terrific young girls who have come through the Tenison program,” he said.
“Most of them have moved on to Adelaide and become involved in programs in the city.
“Overall I think it is a great opportunity for Tom and I to lend our energy and our expertise to make the program even better.”
Tenison Woods College high performance sports program coordinator Kate Exelby said she was thrilled with the appointments and the promising future of the program.
“We are very fortunate to have both Richard and Tom join Tenison Woods College and the high performance sports program team,” she said.
“A big part of our effort has been a deliberate approach to redefine and strengthen our program by hiring two coaches with such extensive knowledge and ongoing success at an elite level.
“Their professionalism, passion, experience, skills and genuine desire to develop the student-athletes will bring our basketball program at Tenison Woods College to a whole new level.”
