About Us

Head Coach & Founder of Aspiring Basketball Academy.

I came to New Zealand in 2018 from  Scotland and have been living in Wanaka since early 2019. I was playing professionally in the British Basketball League for  Caledonia Pride, before an injury forced me to retire and I moved to  New Zealand on a whim!  

In my youth, I played every age group for Scotland, representing my country for years throughout Europe. I went on to compete for our Senior Women's National Team both domestically and abroad, a goal of mine since I was just 10 years old! 

After 2 years in New Zealand I began representing Central  Otago and then was recruited to the Otago Gold Rush Women's professional programme as an import in 2021.  

My heart is still very much with the game of basketball but my passion is in coaching and the future of the game here in New Zealand. This is how Aspiring Basketball Academy was born!

There is a huge gap in the opportunities available to young people in basketball, especially here in Central Otago. I want to see those kids have the same opportunities I had through this sport and help produce the next generation of New Zealand basketball players! 

Coach - Aspiring Basketball Academy.

Dave brings years of experience in basketball development and coaching from both Scotland and Australia.

With professional playing experience of his own and caps for Scotland, Dave has been involved in basketball his whole life. 

As a basketball development officer in Scotland Dave specialised in youth and club development.

Then he moved to Geelong Australia, where he was a coach at Basketball Geelong running the youth league programme and voted coach of the year. 

He is now a stable in the Wanaka basketball community, as a head referee, junior coach and pathway advisor.