Ryan Addison will not continue as coach of the Sunbury Jets men’s Big V Championship side in 2022, ending a five-year tenure that included a championship.
Sunbury Basketball Association general manager Chris Tighe said Addison had decided to step down due to his ongoing work commitments.
“He’s been an asset and definitely been influential on the men’s side of our program,” Tighe said.
“He’s stamped his own impression on the club and ran some things that have been very successful. He was our for the 2019 team that won the championship, and you never forget the people you won in a championship with.”
In 2017, Addison left the Hume City Broncos to take up an assistant coaching position at the Jets under Lanard Copeland.
The following year he landed his first senior coaching role, with the Jets management trusting Addison to lead the club into the future.
With just one season of senior coaching under his belt, Addison steered the Jets to their first men’s championship in 10 years.
That 2019 series concluded with a 2-1 series win over the Warrandyte Venom, where the Jets came from one game down to clinch the championship away from home.
Earning promotion to the top flight Big V championship division, Addison has led the Jets through two seasons that have faced constant interruptions due to COVID-19 lockdown restrictions.
Sunbury Basketball Association director of coaching Kennedy Kereama thanked Addison for his “large contribution” to the Jets.
“Ryan has been an active contributor to all of our Jets programs during his time,” Kereama said.
“Ryan leaves a huge thumbprint on our senior men’s program after winning the 2019 Division One Men’s Championship and helping elevate our men’s program into the championship division.
“Ryan’s dedication and commitment to our club has been tremendous and it’s been a pleasure watching his growth over the last five years.”
Last week Basketball Victoria announced that the remainder of the Big V season would be scrapped as the state government announced COVID-19 restrictions would likely remain in place for the next three weeks.
The Jets finished the season in seventh place on the table, with six wins and eight losses.
Addison’s side sat on top of the ladder after six matches, but was unable to maintain their form in the latter half of the season.
Jayce Beasley finished the season as the Jets biggest offensive threat. He averaged 14.2 points per game on 43 per cent shooting.
Tighe said the club had already begun the process of finding Addison’s replacement.
The Jets will close applications for the club’s new senior coach on September 17 in order to fill the position before the 2022 preseason.
Oliver Lees
