RAY TOMLINSON
ASSISTANT COACH WOMEN 1988 SEOUL OLYMPIC GAMES
Ray Tomlinson played 344 games for the Australian Men’s Basketball Team. He represented Australia at the 1968 Mexico Olympic Games, the 1970 World Championships in Yugoslavia, the 1972 Munich Olympic Games, the 1974 World Championships in Puerto Rico and the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games. A three time Olympian as a player he is one of Australia’s outstanding players in the history of the game in Australia.
HOW DID YOU GET INTO COACHING?
WHO WERE YOUR MAJOR INFLUENCES?
EARLY CLUB COACHING AND STATE TEAM ETC
Ray Tomlinson’s first coaching appointment with Australian teams was in 1978 when he was Assistant Coach with the Australian Women’s Basketball Team on their 1978 tour to Europe and China. In 1980 he toured with the National Team to Europe for lead-up games and the games in the 1980 Olympic Qualification Tournament in the Soviet Union. The team failed to qualify for the Moscow Olympic Games.
Ray’s coaching commitments to Australia increased substantially in 1985. That year he was Assistant Coach for the National Team and was Head Coach of Australian Women’s Youth Team when it participated in the First Women’s Youth World Championships in the USA (6th place). In all he acted as Head Coach of the Junior Women’s/Youth Teams in 165 games over a sixteen year period from 1985 to 2001. In that time he coached the Junior/Youth Women’s Basketball Teams all over the world. These games included the 1989 Women’s Junior World Championships in Spain (Bronze Medal), the first Youth Olympic Rally in 1991, the 1993 Women’s Youth World Championships in Korea (Gold Medal), the 1997 Junior Women’s World Championships in Brazil (Silver Medal),and the 2001 Junior Women’s World Championships in the Czech Republic (4th).
Ray coached Australian Junior/Youth Women’s teams to win Australia’s first medal (Bronze) and Australia’s first Gold Medal at a World or Olympic Championships. His successes paved the way for all future Australian Women’s Teams at all levels. His successes also included grooming and developing Australia’s future stars on the Australian Women’s Teams. These players included the likes of Sandy Brondello, Michele Timms, Shelley Gorman, Carla Boyd, Michelle Brogan, Kristi Harrower, Jo Hill, Jenny Whittle, Lauren Jackson, Penny Taylor, HollieGrimma and Laura Summerton.
Ray’s role as Assistant Coach with the Australian Women’s Team continued after the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games Qualification Tournament with the 1985 Oceania Tournament and the 1986 Women’s World Championship in the Soviet Union where the team finished in 9th position.
In 1987 he was Assistant Coach when the National Team toured Europe for 11 games and the USA/Canada for 4 games. This was followed in 1988 with a test match against Japan, 5 games against Canada, the Seoul Goodwill Tournament and the 1988 Olympic Qualification Tournament in Malaysia.
The Australian Women’s Team secured 6th place in the tournament in Malaysia and qualified for the Seoul Olympics. Thus Ray Tomlinson joined that elite group of athletes who played for their country and then coached their country at Olympic Games. It was Ray’s fourth Olympic Games.
The Australian Women’s Team played wonderfully well in Seoul and surprised the basketball world by gaining fourth place. They were only one basket and less than one second away from playing in the Gold Medal Game when they were defeated by Yugoslavia.
Ray was Assistant Coach for the Australian Women’s Team at the 1989 Oceania Championships in New Zealand and on the 1989 tour to the USA for 11 games.
These tours were the last for Ray in his role as Assistant Coach for the Women’s National Basketball Team. After this time he concentrated his efforts on the Australian Women’s Junior/Youth Teams.
During his many years with the national women’s teams, senior and junior, Ray had continued coaching in national leagues in Australia. From 1977 to 1981 he was Head Coach of the Coburg Giants and coached the Club in the National Basketball League (NBL). In 1977 and 1979 he coached the Giants to the Australian Club Championships title. From 1981 to 2006 he was the CEO and Director of Melbourne Tigers Women’s Basketball Club and was Head Coach of the Women’s Team until 2001. In 1994 Ray was named as the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) Coach of the Year. In all, he coached 273 WNBL games. He was made a Life Member of the WNBL in 1996.
Ray Tomlinson has been one of Australia’s most successful basketball coaches. He has proven this at all levels, men and women. His effect on Australian women’s basketball has been profound. His coolness, game tactics, expertise, skill, drive and belief in his players and their belief in him made him one of the premier coaches not only in Australia but in world basketball. Ray continues to contribute to basketball.
Ray Tomlinson was inducted into the Basketball Australia Hall of Fame in 2006.
ANY QUOTES? LOOKING BACK?
HIGHLIGHTS?
BELOW ARE JUST NOTES
1994 – WNBL Coach of the Year1995/96 – Life Member WNBL2006 – Basketball Australia Hall of Fame
That first appointment as Head Coach commenced a Women’s Youth and Junior Women’s Australian Teams coaching achievements unequalled in basketball.
Ray
Below are the amazing basketball achievements of this very unassuming man.
As a Player:1966-1976 Melbourne Tigers Basketball Club - Australia1968 Mexico Olympics 1970 World Championships in Yugoslavia1972 Player - Munich Olympic Games -1973 World Championships Puerto Rico1976 Montreal Olympics
As a Coach with Australian teams:1980- Assistant Coach Australian Women’s National Team – Qualifications for the Olympic Games in Moscow1985 Head Coach – Australian Junior Women’s Team – 1st Junior World Championships – Colorado Springs – USA – 6th Place1986 Assistant Coach – Australian Women’s National Team – World Championships – Moscow – USSR1988 Assistant Coach – Australian Women’s National Team – Seoul Olympic Games -1989 Head Coach – Australian Junior Women’s National Team – 2nd Junior World Championship – Bilbao, Spain – 3rd Place Bronze Medal1993 Head Coach – Australian Junior Women’s National Team – 3rd Junior World Championships – Seoul, Korea – 1st Place Gold Medal 1997 Head Coach – Australian Junior Women’s National Team – 4th Junior World Championships – Natal, Brazil- 2nd Place Silver Medal2001 Head Coach – Australian Junior Women’s National Team – 5th Junior World Championships – Bruno, Czech RepublicDomestic Honours:1977-1981 Head Coach - NBL Coburg Giants1977 National Mens Club Champions – Coburg Giants1979 National Mens Club champions – Coburg Giants1981-2006 CEO and Director of Melbourne Tigers Women’s Basketball Club and Head Coach of Melbourne Tigers WNBL team to 20011997 Head Coach – Australian Junior Women’s National Team – 4th Junior World Championships – Natal, Brazil- 2nd Place Silver Medal2001 Head Coach – Australian Junior Women’s National Team – 5th Junior World Championships – Bruno, Czech Republic1994 – WNBL Coach of the Year1995/96 – Life Member WNBL2006 – Basketball Australia Hall of Fame
WOW - that is about all I can say...
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Like so many young Australian boys I played the traditional sports Aussie rules, cricket, tennis and golf. But as a ten year old boy I saw a movie on Television. It was called simply The Harlem Globetrotters with a very young Sydney Poitier. I remember saying to myself I want to play this game. The major influences on the growth of basketball throughout the world was the YMCA, Harlem Globetrotters, and the American Armed Forces. After the Second World War the migration of Europeans from war torn Europe added to the influence. The Spotswood YMCA which does not exist today but the building is now the Spotswood Golf course club rooms. My introduction to the game was miniscule. Then some friends from school told me about Kingsville YMCA so we started playing games for Spotswood YMCA in the Kingsville competition.
I attended Footscray High School that was where things happened for me. Ian Whitten he was two years ahead of me and was a state player. Today Ian is a multi millionaire and owns Buffalo Sports and I often have contact still with him. Ian introduced to a competition played at the Melbourne Show grounds on saturday mornings. In my latter years at Footscray High school I met up with twin brothers Eric and Andrew Ozziels who had me join the Melbourne Latvian basketball club of which they were members. We played in the Victorian Under 18 state championships we finished second to the Melbourne Tigers in my final year. I was very fortunate to make the Victorian Under 18 state team which was coached by Lindsay Gaze. It was the first time that Victoria had won the Australian Championships. After winning the Championship I joined the Melbourne Demons YMCA. We played in the summer final and won, I had one of those games, where I could have thrown baskets over my head and they would have gone in. After the game Art Kim who was the owner of the Ice-capades, he asked if I would like to come to the USA and play against the Harlem Globetrotters on a tour of the United States for eight months. We went to 46 states in the eight months truly a great experience. Upon my return to Australia I joined
Coach of the first ever Aust junior women’s team 1985.
Jun World Champs Bronze 1989.
First ever Gold Medal Junior Worlds Korea 1993
Life Member of the WNBL
Inducted into the Hall of fame 2006
WNBL coaching 273 games