Coach and protégé United again

Finn Delany is back in the NBL, and for the first time in his career, it will be with a team other than the New Zealand Breakers.

Delany is joining Melbourne United and reuniting with a familiar face in head coach Dean Vickerman, who he lived with as a development player for the Breakers early in his career.

“It’s an interesting story. I was down the other end of the country, and I was at university, so I didn’t really know if basketball was in my future at the time,” Delany told Code Sports. “He (Vickerman) gave me my first opportunity and gave me a room for a little while to work out and, I guess, trial as a development player.”

The 29-year-old owes a lot to Vickerman from that time, who helped put him in a position to succeed playing at the highest level.

That level included an All-NBL Second Team recognition in 2021, which is the form he is hoping to get back to under his new coach and for his new team.

His connection with United goes beyond the head coach, as Delany now joins a familiar face on the roster in Shea Ili – someone he has played consistently with for the Tall Blacks as well over the last decade.

“I’m very excited to play with Shea. We came up together as development players, and we’ve had a lot of shared experience,” he said.

Delany joins a strong local contingent of signings for United, who still have some key pieces to fill. With Jack White turning down his player option, Delany fits right into that position for Vickerman and provides a strong foundation to continue to add to.