Our mission is to inspire, connect and empower youth in Australia through the power of basketball.
Who’s behind NBA Basketball School Australia?
Basketball Magic, an Australian-owned sports management company focused on grassroots basketball development, has partnered with The National Basketball Association (NBA) to launch and operate the first NBA Basketball School in Australia.
NBA Basketball School provides an additional avenue for young players to learn the game and refine their skills under the tutelage of established coaches with proven training techniques. Together with Basketball Magic, beginners and advanced players alike will experience world-class training to elevate their game.
Ben O’NeillManaging Director and Owner
Ben O’Neill is the Managing Director and Owner of Basketball Magic, the licensed operator of NBA Basketball School Australia. Ben played Div 1 College Basketball at the University of Hartford, USA, and is currently the Head Basketball Coach with the Cranbrook School Firsts.
In recent years, Ben was on the coaching staff of the Australian Boomers at the 2016 Rio Olympics and the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China and spent several years working under the guidance of Andrew Gaze with the Sydney Kings.
Ben was a Staff member at the 2022 NBA Basketball Without Borders Asia Camp, has consulted for multiple NBA teams, and has scouted for the Dallas Mavericks.
With a Master of Education (Sports Coaching) from the University of Sydney and a Performance Coaching accreditation from Basketball Australia, Ben is excited to oversee and play an integral role in the success of the NBA Basketball School Australia program.
Nico LoureiroTechnical Director
Nico is a FIBA accredited coach with experience working at all levels of the NBA development programs, from grassroots to elite. Most recently, Nico was the Basketball Operations Leader for NBA Latin America, where he oversaw the player and coach development for the region.
Prior to that, Nico spent three years serving as an assistant coach to the NBA Global Academy in Australia, where he contributed to the development of current NBA players Josh Giddey and Dyson Daniels.
Nico’s experience with the NBA extends to 4 countries, with professional coaching staff roles in Canada, Mexico, Ecuador and Australia. He has been part of 6 national championships and has led clinics for players and coaches worldwide.
Josh CardozaBasketball Operations Lead
Josh brings a wealth of experience to the management team, with expertise in teaching, sports management, and youth coaching.
He has worked in the front-end operations of large-scale sporting events around the world for organisations, including the NBA, Tennis Canada, the Australian Open, and the Toronto Raptors.
At the NBA, Josh served as a supervisor of several Basketball Without Borders Camps around the world.
He is from Toronto Canada, where he worked as a youth basketball coach for the Toronto Raptors Academy from 2014, with a passion for creating positive opportunities and experiences that inspire young people.
Sydney Staff
Our coaches are at the very heart of our organisation.
With a passion for youth basketball, each one of our coaches is hand-picked for their expertise, dedication, and ability to inspire youth. We are growing our coaching team, so if you are keen to join us, get in touch.
Nico is a former FIBA accredited coach with experience working at all levels of the NBA development programs, from grassroots to elite. Most recently, Nico was the Basketball Operations Leader for NBA Latin America, where he oversaw the player and coach development for the region. Prior to that, Nico spent three years serving as an assistant coach to the NBA Global Academy in Australia, where he contributed to the development of current NBA players Josh Giddey and Dyson Daniels. Nico’s experience with the NBA extends to 4 countries, with professional coaching staff roles in Canada, Mexico, Ecuador and Australia. He has been part of 6 national championships and has led clinics for players and coaches worldwide.
Eze brings a wealth of experience working with basketball players and teams of various age groups and levels around the world in countries including Argentina, USA and Australia. With a masters in Sports Psychology, Eze combines his former playing experience, his sports psychology education, and his coaching experience, to ultimately bring the best out of athletes while providing tools to enhance technical, tactical, physical and mental skills. Prior to arriving in Australia, Eze was a professor in charge of Applied Sports Psychology for Argentina’s Coach Education Courses, and a “cognitive coach” for the Basketball Camps of former Olympic Championship Coach, Ruben Magnano.
Linden has over 20 years playing experience including earning a scholarship to NCAA Division I school Nicholls State University and currently plays for Inner West Bulls in NBL1 East. Has been the head coach for a number of different age groups at Waverley College. He is currently involved with player development and is the Lead Assistant Coach for the Firsts. Previously, Lindens fulfilled Head Coach and Assistant Coach duties across several seasons for the Waratah Women and Youth League Woman’s teams at Norths Basketball.
Bruno has 17 years of basketball experience as a player and 2 years as coach. 8 seasons as a professional player in Brazilian National League (NBB) and also in top level international tournaments with the Brazilian national team. Competed in tournaments in USA, Germany, Latvia, etc. Throughout playing career, developed a strong understanding of the sport and have honed skills in leadership, teamwork and strategic thinking thanks to the great coaches. Played under Ruben Magnano, Olympic champion with Argentina in 2004. As coach, worked with junior teams in Brazil where the focus was on helping young players for transitioning from junior to professional, improving their individual skills, fitness level and game awareness.
Laurie has coached basketball for 10 years, starting out coaching for St Pius X College in Chatswood. Equipped with skills from a Teaching Degree, Laurie has a passion for designing positive learning environments for children to develop as both people and basketball players. He currently works for Northern Suburbs Basketball Association as the Development Manager and has been involved in Basketball New South Wales State Performance Programs as well as multiple school programs in both grassroots and high performance.
Jess is a former NCAA D1 athlete that played at Northwestern University in the Big Ten Conference, where she claimed the first ever conference championship. As a coach, Jess has worked individually and in teams with many players in Australia, while helping them reach their dreams of getting college scholarships and competing professionally.
Anna has extensive experience in both coaching and playing. Her accomplishments include securing the gold medal at the Italian Championship U15 in 2011 with her team. She broadened her playing expertise by participating in Paraguay during a year abroad, followed by six years in one of Italy’s major leagues before transitioning to play in Spain. In 2016, she shifted her focus to coaching in the national wheelchair basketball category, guiding players aged 6 to 25 with physical disabilities and a range of cognitive and relational challenges.
Newcastle Staff
Mariano has been a lead skills coach for NBA Basketball School Australia in Sydney since its opening, and has worked as an international head coach for various global events such as: Nike Basketball Camp in Hong Kong and Danillo Gallinari’s (NBA Player) Basketball Camp in Italy.
Luciano has experience coaching at all levels, from grassroots to professionals, as a head coach and assistant coach, in three different countries (China, Italy and Argentina). In China, Luciano helped children from 4 to 14 years old with their first steps in Basketball, working in a continuously growing academy.
In Italy he coached the U13 team of the former Euroleague team Mens Sana, in the beautiful city of Siena. In Argentina, coached two seasons at a professional level, as well as participating in the local representative teams for several years.
Martin began his basketball journey in Newcastle, playing for the Hunters, 4 years in SEABL (now NBL1) and 9 years in the NBL, before moving to the front office of the Falcons.
Since then, he has filled most positions at an Administrative and governance level within Newcastle Basketball. Chairman of the Board for 3 years, Coaching Director for 5 years, Regional NITP Coach for 10 years, Operations Manager for 5 years, State Junior Head Coach 6 years (National Champions 2015 U18 Boys), BNSW Coach of the year 2016, BNSW Administrator of the year 2017.
Got what it takes to be an NBA Basketball Schools coach?
