The coach of the senior national men’s and women’s basketball teams, Manuel ‘Lito’ Carballo, has been named as head coach of the Scottish First Division Basketball Team North Lanarkshire Titans.
In a Facebook announcement on Tuesday, the club said Carballo will be the new Head of Basketball Development and Head Coach of the Senior Men’s Division First Team.
Speaking to Nampa from Scotland, Carballo confirmed the appointment and said he had accepted a two-year contract with an option to extend.
“The club said I can stay for as long as I want, I just have to deliver. They have been very supportive and they are allowing me to continue with all my basketball duties in Namibia,” he said.
Carballo added that when the club made contact with him, he understood their vision as it tied in with his of building a strong foundation for the club and working for one common goal through learning, competing and winning.
The Namibian-born coach said his appointment is something great which proves that Namibia has capable sportsmen and women who can achieve big things in the world of sports.
“As a country, we need to dream big, we can compete with the rest. We have a FIBA (International Basketball Federation) accredited coach and referee as well as many young upcoming coaches in the regions. We now need the government and corporate world to come on board and support the sport the same way they do with athletics, football or rugby,” he said.
Carballo comes with a background in sports psychology and sports training and counts being a basketball coach with a Level II coaching qualification, a FIBA licensed coach and a FIBA-Africa Coaches Instructor amongst some of his qualifications.
He has worked with different national teams and clubs in Namibia, Senegal and most recently, Rwanda.
He has coached Namibia’s Under-16, Under-17 and 20 basketball teams and was recently appointed by the Namibia Basketball Federation as the head coach for the women and men’s senior national team, as well as the Technical Director.
Meanwhile, the Namibia Basketball Federation (NBF) has congratulated Carballo on his appointment, saying the sport is on the rise alongside international standards.
NBF President Nigel Mubita said the government must invest in the sport to enable the team to continue producing quality players and officials.
“This appointment gives more basketball-loving people the hope of being an international player or coach. Lack of support is hampering a lot of our young people’s dreams and aspirations,” he said.
Source: The Namibian Press Agency
