Australian basket-balling great set to lead Keilor Thunder for the 2024 season.
Thunder announced Kristi Harrower as their National Basketball League 1 South women’s head coach for the upcoming season back in August.
The Basketball Australia Hall of Famer and four-time Olympic medallist is one of the most decorated Opals in history.
Harrower’s illustrious playing career includes four Olympic appearances from 2000 to 2012, claiming three silvers and one bronze as well as a gold medal in the 2006 FIBA World Championships.
Her coaching journey includes serving as the assistant coach for the Opals and is currently an assistant coach for the Melbourne Boomers.
The former WNBA player, WNBL MVP and two-time champion will now take her expertise to Keilor in what she said is the perfect fit.
“I did um and ah about it to be honest,” she said.
“But I knew it was the perfect situation for me, I live in Keilor, so it meant I didn’t have to drive 45 minutes to training.
“So it was the perfect situation for me to apply for the job. I went through the process and I was lucky enough to get it, so I’m really excited.”
While it is an exciting journey Harrower has embarked on, it has not come without its challenges.
“There’s a lot that I need to learn, in personnel and individuals within the club,” she said.
“It’s hard because I didn’t watch much NBL1 this season and I knew they had a bit of a different team.
“So I still need to learn a lot on who’s who and what they do and what they’ll bring to the team.
“We’re still going through the recruiting process at the moment and trying to get the pieces in place.
“It’s an adjustment, it’s not easy, I’m sure every coach would say the recruiting process isn’t easy, but I’m enjoying it so far.”
A resume such as Harrower’s doesn’t come without a determined work ethic, something that she said she will demand of her squad.
“I was super, super competitive, I had that ‘white line fever’ and I was somebody that always worked hard,” she said.
“I expect that from whatever team I ever coach, I’m going to expect that from my group.
“We’re not going to come to training and be blase, even if you’re not a WNBL player, I want you to be training at that level, the intensity needs to be that high.
“I’ll be firm on my players, firm but fair and I also want to get the best out of my players and get the best out of the personnel that I’ve got.”
Thunder finished the season in 16th last season, although Harrower is bullish of her team’s finals chances.
“My expectation is that we make the finals, I want to climb the ladder and be top eight somewhere,” she said.
“I want to be top eight and when we make top eight then we can refocus on where we should be at.”
