After two years supporting Launceston's best basketballers, Brad Kann is returning to his native Queensland.
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Basketball Tasmania's popular Northern development officer has accepted a director of basketball post at North Gold Coast and will finish up in the state late next month.
The 26-year-old said he was looking forward to taking on more responsibility after an invaluable apprenticeship with state head coach and national under-17 boss Mark Radford.
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"I'll be in charge of the basketball program there and basically being able to run my own program, so that's exciting and something I'm looking forward to," Kann said.
"When I first came down here I was probably in a position where I still needed further development and I've been very fortunate to be able to work with Mark.
"He's one of the best junior coaches in Australia and runs one of the best programs in Australia here in Tasmania.
"So to work with him and see what he does - and Nic Martin from the South - and get experience and continue to develop working with them and learning how they go about what they do in their programs, it feels like a good opportunity for me to be a little bit more of a leader of a program and put my stamp on it."
The move will put Kann within driving distance - albeit seven hours - of his family in Rockhampton and comes after he spent three years as Townsville's development officer.
"Unreal" Country Cup tournaments in Albury-Wodonga will go down as highlights from his time in Tasmania, as will the annual Ulverstone high performance camp.
"The best kids from Tassie come in and as well as the high performance athletes and it's just the best camp," he said.
"They stay in camp for like three days over the long weekend in March and it's unreal."
And yet it's the people Kann will miss most.
The coach of more than a decade's experience said he had quickly built strong relationships with state development program, high performance and under-18 athletes.
ELSEWHERE IN SPORT
"I'm going to miss the community," Kann said.
"People here are just so warm and welcoming and ever since I came very quickly everyone just became your family, it's got that feeling about it so it's going to be very sad to leave.
"Obviously I've got to move on and make sure I'm taking opportunities for myself, but it's going to be definitely sad and I think the players and coaches and relationships I've built is what I'm going to miss most.
"Launceston has been such a great community and a great place to live.
"The program Mark has built and that BTas has provided is second to none and it's one of those things where you're so happy and privileged to be a part of it."