Great Britain coaching staff for EuroBasket Qualifiers confirmed
The British Basketball Federation has announced the coaching staff for the February EuroBasket 2021 Qualifying window.
Head coach Nate Reinking is unavailable for the GB Men’s games against Montenegro (away) and Germany in Newcastle later this month due to his NBA G-League commitments with Canton Charge, so assistant coach Marc Steutel steps up to act as head coach.
Long-time GB stalwart Jamie Smith returns as assistant coach, while former England Commonwealth Games head coach Andreas Kapoulas is a valuable addition.
BBF Independent director (Performance) Toni Minichiello said: “We have known since before Nate coached his first game for us that there would be periods when he may be unavailable because of his G-League commitments.
“The critical thing is to build trust, continuity and a way of playing that makes best use of the players we have, in our pursuit of EuroBasket qualification and success.
“Marc Steutel and Jamie Smith provide the valuable continuity with the brilliant unbeaten start Nate has made with the team. It’s important we build with British coaches and, in Andreas, we are also delighted to be able to add someone of real pedigree and experience.
“This is about building for the long-term with Nate as the driving force of this cultural change with a talented, experienced group in place around him.”
GB play Montenegro in Podgorica on February 21 and Germany at the Eagles Community Arena on February 24 (8pm).
Get tickets for GB v Germany HERE.
Marc Steutel – Head Coach
Marc Steutel begins his second season with the GB Men’s national team and will serve as head coach for this two-game FIBA window. A three-time Basketball England Coach of the year (2012, 2013, 2017), Steutel has led Northumbria University to five national championships across NBL Division 1, National Cup, and British Universities Colleges Sports (BUCS).
Steutel has been an assistant coach with the GB team since the beginning of the EuroBasket 2021 pre-qualifying campaign. During this time the team has a 7-1 (.875) record, contributed to a new programme record for most consecutive FIBA wins (7), and advanced to the final stage of EuroBasket 2021 Qualifying.
Prior to being elevated to the men’s national team, Steutel was the head coach of the GB U20 Men’s National Team and guided the U20s to a tenth-place finish at the 2018 Division A European Championships. Steutel’s first involvement with the GB program was in 2013 when he served as an assistant coach for the GB U20 Men who won the silver medal at the Division B European Championships and gained promotion to Division A.
Jamie Smith – Assistant Coach
Jamie Smith enters his sixth season with the GB Men’s team. Prior to returning to the UK in 2016, Smith enjoyed a 17-year coaching career in the United States which included stops in the NBA with the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers, and in NCAA Division I with Florida, Hawaii, North Carolina, and William & Mary.
A specialist in opposition scouting, Smith was on staff with the 2011-12 Atlantic Division Champion Boston Celtics during their Eastern Conference Finals run. He was also part of the University of North Carolina programme that won the 2005 NCAA Division I National Championship.
Since joining GB Basketball in 2011, Smith has been a part of four FIBA EuroBasket campaigns with Great Britain’s men’s and women’s national teams and has been on the sideline for 70 international games. Smith is also Head Coach of the Wales U14 Boy’s National Team.
Andreas Kapoulas – Assistant Coach
Andreas Kapoulas has been head coach of the Bristol Flyers since 2005. During this time, he has orchestrated the programme’s rise from EBL Division 3 to the BBL. He led the Flyers to a National Cup title in 2010 and followed that with an EBL Division One Championship in 2011.
The Flyers made the jump to the BBL in 2014 with Kapoulas being named BBL Coach of the Year that same season. Kapoulas has been involved with GB Basketball since 2014 when he was brought in as an assistant coach for the GB U20 Men.
In 2016, he was promoted to head coach, and in 2017 he led the U20s to a bronze medal at the Division B European Championships and promotion to Division A. Off the back of that success, Kapoulas was named head coach for England at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.