Tom Maher

Last updated

Tom Maher (born 4 September 1952 in Melbourne, Victoria) is an Australian basketball coach.

Contents

Maher is the most successful coach in history of the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL), having won nine championships. He coached the Nunawading Spectres to six titles, before leading Perth, Canberra and Bulleen to one apiece. He was named WNBL Coach of the Year in 1987, 1992, 2010 and 2011.

Maher led the Australia women's national basketball team to their first Olympic medal (bronze) in 1996 and then on to silver at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. He was head coach of New Zealand in Athens 2004, and coached the Tall Ferns to their best-ever performance of eighth. He coached the China women's national basketball team at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, finishing fourth. In 2009, he was appointed coach of the Great Britain women's team. He coached Great Britain at the 2012 Summer Olympics, finishing eleventh. Maher returned as the head coach of the Chinese national women's team for the 2016 Summer Olympics, marking his sixth consecutive Olympic Games as a national head coach. [1] The team finished tenth overall.

In 2021, Maher was inducted to the FIBA Hall of Fame. [2]

Coaching career

Coaching achievements

Personal life

Maher is married to former Australia women's national basketball team captain Robyn Maher.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michele Timms</span> Australian basketball coach and retired player

Michele Margaret Timms is an Australian basketball coach and former player. She played five seasons for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008 and into the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Zealand men's national basketball team</span> Mens national basketball team representing New Zealand

The New Zealand men's national basketball team represents New Zealand in international basketball competitions. The team is governed by Basketball New Zealand. The team's official nickname is the Tall Blacks.

Lindsay John Casson Gaze is an Australian former basketball player and coach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women's National Basketball League</span> Womens professional basketball league in Australia

The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) is a professional women's basketball league in Australia composed of eight teams. The league was founded in 1981 and is the women's counterpart to the National Basketball League (NBL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suzy Batkovic</span> Australian basketball player

Suzy Batkovic is an Australian professional basketball player and politician. Suzy played her junior basketball with the Port Hunter Basketball Club in Newcastle. She has played basketball for several European clubs including the French Valenciennes, the Spanish side Ros Casares, the Russian side UMMC Ekaterinburg, and Italian side Cras Basket. In the United States, she has played for the Seattle Storm after having been selected as a first round draft pick in 2003. She has played professional basketball domestically for the Australian Institute of Sport in 1996–1999, the Sydney Uni Flames from 1999–2001, and 2009–2010, the Townsville Fire in 2001–2002, the Canberra Capitals in 2010–2011, and the Adelaide Lightning in 2011–2013; she returned to the Fire for the 2013–14 season. She has been a member of the Australia women's national basketball team, being named to the team for the first time in 1999. She won a silver medal with the team at the 2004 Summer Olympics and the 2008 Summer Olympics and a bronze medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandy Brondello</span> Australian basketball player and coach

Sandra Anne Brondello is an Australian women's basketball coach, and the current head coach of the New York Liberty of the WNBA, as well as the Australian Women's national team. Brondello played in Australia, Germany and the WNBA before retiring to become a coach. The 5 ft 7 in Brondello is one of Australia's all-time best shooting guards. She played on Australia's "Opals" national team at four Summer Olympics, has coached the team at two more, and won three medals as a player and one bronze medal as a coach. She attended the Australian Institute of Sport in 1986–1987, and was inducted to the Australian Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Canberra Capitals</span> Basketball team in Canberra, Australia

The University of Canberra Capitals are an Australian professional women's basketball team competing in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL). The team is based in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. In 2014 the University of Canberra Union took control of the Capitals from Basketball ACT. The University of Canberra is the current naming rights sponsor for the Capitals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australia women's national basketball team</span> Womens national basketball team representing Australia

The Australia women's national basketball team, nicknamed the Opals after the brightly coloured gemstone common to the country, represents Australia in international basketball. From 1994 onwards, the Opals have been consistently competitive and successful having won nine medals at official FIBA international tournaments, highlighted by a gold medal winning performance at the 2006 World Championship in Brazil. At the now-defunct regional Oceania Championship for Women, the Opals won 15 titles. In 2017, FIBA combined its Oceanian and Asian zones for official senior competitions; following this change, the Opals compete in the FIBA Women's Asia Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kristi Harrower</span> Australian basketball player

Kristi Harrower is an Australian professional basketball coach and former player. She was a decorated player with the Australian Opals, winning three silver medals and one bronze medal at four Summer Olympics. She played in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) from 1998 to 2005 for the Phoenix Mercury and Minnesota Lynx.

Philip John SmythAM is an Australian former professional basketball player and coach. He won three National Basketball League (NBL) championships with the Canberra Cannons before going on to be a three-time championship-winning head coach of the NBL's Adelaide 36ers. Smyth was a four-time Olympian with the Australian national basketball team.

Robyn Maher is an Australian former basketball player. A three-time Olympian, she was a member of the national women's team that won the bronze medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. In the Women's National Basketball League, she played for the Nunawading Spectres, Hobart Islanders, Perth Breakers and Sydney Uni Flames.

Jennifer Hazel (Jenny) Whittle is a retired Australian women's basketball player. Whittle was a regular member of the national team for over a decade, from 1994 until 2006. Playing Centre, Whittle was a key contributor to the Opals' success at international events during the 1990s and 2000s, with strong rebounding and defence a feature of her game. Following an outstanding national and WNBL career, Whittle was elected to the Australian Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abby Bishop</span> Australian basketball player

Abby Bishop is an Australian professional basketball forward/center who plays for Southside Flyers of the Australian WNBL. She has played for the Australian Institute of Sport from 2005 to 2006, the Canberra Capitals from 2006 to 2010, Dandenong Rangers from 2010 to 2011 Canberra Capitals. She is currently a member of the Adelaide Lightning (2016/2017). She is a member of the Australia women's national basketball team and won a gold medal during the 2007 Oceania World Qualifications series and a bronze medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carrie Graf</span> Australian basketball coach

Carrie Ann Graf is an Australian basketball coach. She competed in the WNBL as a player starting during 1983–1989, after which she attended RMIT. Graf has coached teams in the WNBL, WNBA and Australia's national team, and has been honoured for her contribution to basketball coaching.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lauren Jackson</span> Australian basketball player (born 1981)

Lauren Elizabeth Jackson is an Australian professional basketball player. Arguably the most notable Australian women's basketball player, Jackson has had a decorated career with the Australia women's national basketball team and has had multiple stints in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) between 1997 and 2024. Between 2001 and 2012, she played in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).

Karen Dalton is a former Australian women's basketball player.

Jae Kingi-Cross is a former Australian women's basketball player.

Jan Stirling is a former Australian women's basketball player and coach.

Guy Molloy is an Australian basketball coach, who is currently the head coach of the Southland Sharks in the New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Goriss</span> Australian basketball coach

Paul Goriss is an Australian basketball coach. He is currently head coach of the University of Canberra Capitals in the WNBL and assistant coach of the Atlanta Dream in the WNBA. He is also an assistant coach of the Australian women's national basketball team.

References

  1. Aussie women's 'super coach' Tom Maher gets China across line to set personal record with six straight Olympic Games
  2. "Tom Maher inducted to the FIBA Hall of Fame". Basketball Australia . 21 June 2021. Retrieved 11 March 2024.