John Lavery returns as Cheshire Phoenix Head Coach

The rebuilding of Cheshire Phoenix over the summer sees John Lavery as their first major announcement who takes up the vacant role of Head Coach for the 2013-14 BBL season.

Lavery, a former England international, previously took charge of the franchise for the 2011-12 campaign, where despite difficult circumstances a fantastic final few weeks in the regular season saw his side claim sixth place in the BBL Championship, collected the BBL Coach of the Month award for April, and post-season almost prevented Newcastle Eagles from reaching the BBL Playoff Final.

His first task will be to appoint an assistant, before the focus switches on recruiting a side capable of bringing silverware back to the Northgate Arena in what will be the first full season for Phoenix as a Community Interest Club.

The added value in Lavery’s appointment lies in the connection with programmes to bring through local potential between the ages of 16-19, a great benefit for the club, and for the developing future of the national game.

Speaking soon after the signing of his contract, the newly installed Coach Lavery highlighted clearly what he hopes to achieve: “It was actually an easy decision to make. With a strong board and one of the best fan bases in the league, we share the same beliefs and passions – it’s a good fit all round.

“When I met the board, one of the first things I said was that I wanted to come back to win things, win some silverware and compete with the top teams in the league and right away we all agreed that we were on the same page!

“Stability is crucial and they have the right foundations in place. The recruitment starts now and my top priority at the moment is to get the right team on court.”

Andrew Donaldson, chairman of Cheshire Phoenix spoke of the delight from the entire Phoenix board in placing Lavery in charge: “We are delighted to have secured the services of such a quality Coach and look forward to working with him in order to build a strong team for next season. John also brings with him his knowledge and experience from his work with community programmes and we’re hoping that our existing Junior programmes will benefit from having John at the helm.”

• For information on the upcoming Cheshire Phoenix Summer Basketball Camp, and also how to purchase 2013-14 Cheshire Phoenix home season tickets – visit cheshirephoenix.co.uk