Chance at glory: Melbourne United appoints new Head Coach

Melbourne United has announced Jacob Chance as its Head Coach and Head of Basketball Operations for the next four seasons.

Following a global search, the 32-year-old will take the reins of the team he spent two years with as an assistant under Dean Vickerman, helping United to a pair of Championship Series.

He enjoyed success with the Tasmania JackJumpers as lead assistant alongside Scott Roth, and previous to that in multiple coaching roles in Perth.

Since departing United, Chance has been the Head Coach at the Austin Spurs in the NBA’s G League.

“I couldn’t be happier to be coming back to Melbourne United with the aim of building on the success and culture that Dean established here,” Chance told the club’s website.

“When you get into coaching and you start this journey, you kind of never really think these things are possible. I've been really lucky to work in great programs and for great people, and after an amazing 12 months over here in the US,
I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to come back and lead a club that I really enjoyed my time at.

“I’m looking forward to getting to work with a really good roster and help build the club over the next couple of years, hopefully winning a bunch of championships along the way.

“I'm certainly coming back as a better coach. I can't thank San Antonio enough for the last 12 months, it's certainly going to put me in good stead here for the next four years.”

Chance led the Spurs to a Playoffs appearance this season with a 23-13 record, and is eager to bring Championship success to United for the first time since the Hungry Jack’s NBL21 Season.

“You get so close for so many years and you're just constantly looking for ways to improve, but I know that there's a really hungry group of players in Melbourne and a staff that is fully committed to winning,” he said.

“We want to be playing those big games come February and March.
We want to be there every year. We want to be sustainable with our success and we understand that comes from our process and how we attack things.

“I know that the fan base is hungry. I know the players are hungry and the staff's hungry, and I’m motivated to put the club in the best position to succeed every year we play.”

Melbourne United CEO Nick Truelson said Chance’s appointment marks an exciting moment for the club.

“From the first moment we started this search, we were blown away by Jacob’s vision for what this next era of Melbourne United could look like,” Truelson explained.

“We believe he is the perfect candidate to lead this organisation moving forward, while living and building upon our culture and values.

“Throughout our global Head Coach search we made sure we remained patient and stayed the course, as we knew with NBA, European and Asian competitions running through until mid-June, there would be some great coaches across the globe available to have as part of our process and that’s how it played out.

“While there were a collection of amazing candidates that we interviewed, ultimately we knew that Jacob was the right person for the role and we couldn’t be more excited for the direction he has laid out for the club.

“A huge thank you to all of the coaches who were part of the process and we wish them all the very best.”