Melbourne United have bolstered their NBL coaching department with the acquisition of current New Zealand national team head coach Paul Henare.
The former New Zealand Breakers player and coach will be courtside this week when the defending champions host the Adelaide 36ers on Sunday.
Henare has history with United coach Dean Vickerman, having worked under him at the Breakers from 2013-16 before succeeding him in the role and their families remain close.
His departure from the Breakers followed a breakdown of talks between him and the club's new US-based owners at the end of the 2017-18 season.
Henare said the opportunity to reconnect with Vickerman was the driving factor in accepting the role with Melbourne.
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"Nothing against all the other coaches I've worked with - but because it was Dean I thought it would be an awesome opportunity to come and work with him and be a part of a great organisation like Melbourne United," Henare said.
"We had the three years working together when he was the head coach of the Breakers, so we have the benefit of having a good personal and working relationship."
With Melbourne searching for back-to-back titles, Henare admits he's been impressed with the club as an outsider.
"From the outside looking in you can tell they've obviously made great progress in such a short time and winning the championship, they've had some on-court success," he said.
"I think it's a really good situation for me to be able to come into."
Henare will continue to coach the New Zealand national team through until 2020, including at the 2019 FIBA World Cup should the Tall Blacks qualify.
