Carrie Graf

Carrie Graf

Carrie Graf at a national team training camp
Sport(s) Women's basketball
Current position
Title Head coach
Team Canberra Capitals
Australia women's national basketball team
Biographical details
Born 23 June 1967
Accomplishments and honors

Awards

Australian Sports Medal, WNBL Coach of the Year

Carrie Ann Graf AM (born 23 June 1967) is an Australian basketball coach. She competed in the WNBL as a player starting during 1983–1989, after which she attended RMIT. Graf has coached teams in the WNBL, WNBA and Australia's national team, and has been honoured for her contribution to basketball coaching.

Personal

After having earned a diploma of coaching from the Australian Coaching Council in 1991,[1] Graf attended RMIT in Melbourne, Victoria, where she earned a Bachelor of Applied Science in Physical Education in 1992.[2][3] She has several hobbies including listening to music and cooking.[1]

Player

Graff started her professional basketball career as a 15-year-old with the Nunawading Spectres in the WNBL.[1][3] In her first year of a seven-year stint with the Spectres from 1983 until 1989, she was named the Rookie of the Year and competed in the league Championships.[1] She also played on the team for RMIT when she was a student there.[3]

Coaching

Graff, in white, walks in front of the scoring table during a Capitals game

Graf has coached women's basketball for over 20 years.[2]

WNBL

In 2007 and 2008, Graf was named the WNBL Coach of the Year.[2] As of 2010, she holds the most records in the WNBL for coaching wins, with over 200.[2]

Sydney Flames

From 1993 to 1996, Graf coached the Sydney Flames.[4] In 1993 and 1996, her teams finished first, and had only one loss alongside seventeen wins.[4]

Canberra Capitals

Graf has coached the Canberra Capitals.[2] She became the coach in 1999.[4] She was the coach of the team in 2008/2009 when the team won the WNBL Championship.[2]

WNBA

Graf was the first Australian to be named as the head coach of a team in the American WNBA.[2] In 2004, she coached the Phoenix Mercury.[3] Prior to holding that position, she was an assistant coach with the team for four years[3] in 1998, 1999, 2001 and 2003.[1] She did not coach during the 2000 season because of her commitments to the Australian national team.[1]

National team

Lauren Jackson, Jenna O'Hea and Carrie Graf at a 14 May 2012 press conference at the Australian Institute of Sport
Graf during a game between the Capitals and Logan Thunder at AIS Arena

Graf was an assistant coach for the national team that competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics, when the team won a bronze medal[2] and when the team won a silver medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics.[2] Graf became the coach of the Australia women's national basketball team in December 2008.[2] In 2009, she coached the Australian side that won the FIBA Oceania Championship.[2]

Graf coached the Australian side that competed at and won the 2007 World University Games.[2]

Recognition

In 1996, the Australian Coaching Council awarded Graf with the High Performance Coach Award and Young Coach of the Year Award.[1] In 2000, Graf was honoured with being given an Australian Sports Medal for service to basketball.[2] She has also been honoured by being named life member of the WNBL in 2006.[2] ACTsport named her the Sportsperson of the year in 2008.[2]

At the 2015 Australia Day Honours, Carrie was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for her significant service to basketball, particularly as a coach, mentor and athlete, and to the community.[5] She also awarded the Australian Sports Medal in 2000 in recognition of her results at the 2000 Olympics.[6]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 "Coaches". WNBA.com. 2004-04-13. Retrieved 2012-01-11.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 "Canberra Capitals: Carrie Graf". WNBL.com.au. Retrieved 2012-01-11.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 "RMIT Alumni - Alumni Profile - Carrie Graf". Alumni.rmit.edu.au. Retrieved 2012-01-11.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Carrie Graf". Canberra Capitals Media Guide 2010-2011 (Canberra, Australia: Canberra Capitals): 58. October 2010. Retrieved 2012-01-11.
  5. ↑ "Memebr (AM) of the Order of Australia in the General Division" (pdf). Official Secretary to the Governor-General of Australia. 26 January 2015. p. 37. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
  6. ↑ "Carrie Ann Graf". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 13 September 2000. Retrieved 29 January 2015.

External links

Wikinews has related news: Australian media focuses on Olympic prospects against US for women's basketball