The North Gold Coast Seahawks announced today that 2017 SBL men’s and women’s coaches Ricardo Lawyer & Robert Sleaford will take charge of the Seahawks QBL teams in 2018.  Both are long-time senior coaches for the North Gold Coast club and have enjoyed much decorated coaching careers.

Ricardo Lawyer has been coaching the top Seahawks men’s side since 2008.  In that time the team has been Champions in 2009, 2011, 2012 & 2013, while also collecting Runners-Up honours in 2010 & 2015.  In 2015 Ricardo was also name SBL Coach of the Year.  Ricardo has also been heavily involved with the junior program for the best part of the last decade.  He brings a wealth of coaching experience having also coached the Brisbane Blazers in the WNBL and coaching in Kuwait from 1998-2007.

“We’re thrilled to have Ric on board coaching the QBL men in their first year” explained Seahawks President Angelo Raguz.  “Ric has been such a big part of our club’s history and it’s only fitting that he is the one to lead us upward in to the QBL”.

Lawyer himself is ecstatic to be guiding his club in to the top-tier competition. “We’ve put in a lot of work over the years to get to this point”. “It’s a very exciting time to be involved with our club” Lawyer says with a grin from ear-to-ear”

Robert Sleaford has led the Seahawks SBL women to three Championships and one Runners-Up finish in five years and also picked up SBL Coach of the Year awards in 2016 & 2017.  Sleaford, like Lawyer, has also been heavily involved with the junior program for many years.  Raguz speaks glowingly about the club’s senior coaches involvement with the juniors, “It says a lot about the culture we have at Seahawks that our best coaches are also volunteering their time to be involved at the junior level”.  “The addition of QBL to our development pathway is not only for the players, but for the coaches too”.

Sleaford is keen to get to work right away preparing for the campaign ahead.  “In our first year I’m looking for players that want to be part of something special”.  “It’s no secret that we’re not going to have the kind of budget like the club’s in the North, but we hope to assemble a squad that want to set the tone for years to come”.

Both coaches are now looking to piece together their squads and are looking to add some high-level talent to support the predominantly local playing group.  “We’re very conscious of the fact that we want our teams to feature a large contingent of former Seahawks juniors, but we are looking abroad and domestically for some extra talent to compliment both teams in the maiden year” said Raguz.

The North Gold Coast Seahawks will be joining the QBL in 2018, after many years of success in the Southern Basketball League (SBL).  Read the full announcement by clicking here.