GB coach Steutel lands in NBL for 2020/21

Great Britain Men’s assistant coach Marc Steutel has found a new role for next season after being announced as the head coach of the Teesside Lions.

Steutel played an integral part in helping the GB Men to a 7-1 record across 2019/20, including stepping up to lead the team to an outstanding 81-73 victory over Germany in the recent EuroBasket 2021 qualifers.

The Lions compete in Basketball England’s NBL, lining up in the third tier and sporting a 9-10 record in 2019/20. Originally founded in 2007, the North East side had been competing regionally until their re-emergence as an NBL outfit last season.

Discussing the appointment, Steutel said: “Firstly I would like to thank James [Thompson, club director and former head coach] and Martin [Anderson, club director] for this opportunity. They have shown me an ambitious, yet credible and achievable vision and it is genuinely exciting for me.

“I have known James and his abilities in basketball for many years and the meteoric strides Lions have made in just a short year are incredible. To attract crowds of 500 is yet another indication of something special happening at the club.

“The ambitions of James and Martin align with my own and I am looking forward to working with them. I am excited about the project, helping to develop the club and ultimately producing an exciting and successful brand of basketball here on Teesside.”

When asked if he was put off by the Lions current standing within the NBL structure, Steutel replied: “I have recently turned down jobs in Europe, BBL and the States, so I can see why it may surprise some people that I have chosen this offer.

“In all honesty, the project is really exciting and to help drive this from an early beginning is appealing.”

A three-time Basketball England Coach of the year (2012, 2013 and 2017), Steutel led Northumbria University to five national championships across NBL Division 1, National Cup, and British Universities Colleges Sports (BUCS) since 2011. In 2016/17, he steered Northumbria to the NBL D1 regular season title with a 23-3 record, though the team couldn’t convert that to a playoff title as they lost 75-57 to Loughborough in the semi-finals.

GB’s next game is scheduled for 26 November 2020 as they host France as part of their Group G campaign in a quest to reach EuroBasket 2021.