Pete Strickland has been appointed as the head coach for the Irish senior men’s basketball team.
Strickland will hold the position for two seasons, culminating in participation in the FIBA Small Nations European Championships in 2018.
The Rockville, Maryland native is no stranger to the Irish basketball scene, having played with Neptune from 1980-1982, where he helped the Cork side to an undefeated regular season and Top Four title and became player/coach at the age of just 23.
The American now boasts over 31 years of coaching experience across the professional, collegiate and high school ranks, including stints at Virginia Military Institute, Old Dominion University, University of Dayton, Coastal Carolina, North Carolina State and George Washington University.
“I’m very excited about it. It feels great to be appointed,” he said. “My heart was in it straight away, having played in Ireland in the 1980s with Neptune and I’ve been back and forth since. I love Irish basketball and have worked with many coaches and players here.
“From nearly my first day in Ireland in the 1980s, I always wanted to coach the national team. I was so jealous of Bill Dooley when he had the opportunity to do it and knew it was something I wanted to do.
"Cork and Ireland was a hot bed for basketball at the time and if we can get that kind of a fire going again, that will be exciting. Wearing the green of Ireland will be a proud endeavour, and the senior men’s and women’s teams are two teams all underage players aspire to be on.
"They are the shining lights of Irish basketball and I can’t wait to see these players play smart and hard like Irish basketballers have always done.
Bernard O’Byrne, Basketball Ireland secretary general, stated: “We are delighted to appoint Pete who is extremely well-known in Irish basketball circles. Pete brings a lot of experience to the role and will take Irish international basketball to a new level. We will support him in any way we can."
