Dean's 'Happiness' at taking over league champs

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Australian Boomers associate head coach Dean Vickerman is the new boss of the 2025-26 Japan B League champions Nagasaki Velca.

“I am deeply honoured and excited to be appointed as the next Head Coach of Nagasaki Velca,” the former Melbourne United coach said.

“I look forward to competing in the new B.LEAGUE Premier Division and playing in front of the best fans in the league at Happiness Arena.

“I would like to thank and congratulate Coach Mody, his players, and his staff for bringing Velca its first championship.

“My job now is to bring sustained success to this club and challenge for more championships.”

Vickerman, 54, takes over from former New Zealand Breakers head coach Mody Maor, who left the club for an assistant coaching role at the Michigan Wolverines in the NCAA.

"There were a number of opportunities that came up that were at a level that needed more investigation, and then the further you got into it, there was an excitement about the opportunity to go and coach in another country again," Vickerman told Cut to the Jase in an exclusive interview with basketball.com.au this week.

"This game always has, for me, been about taking the path that you haven't travelled before and doing something different and going to different places.

"Same as the one where we just won a championship with the Tigers and then the Singapore job came up, and I was like 'that's what I want to go do, I want to go and be with the first year of a franchise and see what that's like'.

"Now in the first year of the B.League to go over there and test my abilities over there, I'm looking forward to it."

Vickerman is a three-time NBL champion head coach (2015, 2018 and 2021) and three-time NBL coach of the year (2018, 2019 and 2024).

He joins fellow Aussies Andrej Lemanis as well as Shawn Dennis and Mick Downer as head coaches in Japan.

Surprisingly, Vickerman told Jason Cadee he failed after not bringing another championship to United in the last three seasons.

"(I have) a picture on my wall of a jersey from New Zealand that had the nine years and the four championship pictures and it's like 'oh man, I just got to this nine-year mark again'," the 54-year-old mentor said on the latest edition of Cut to the Jase with Jason Cadee.

"I've kind of done these cycles of three years and, you know, the first three years as head coach in New Zealand, we won a championship and went to two grand finals.

"The first three in Melbourne, same thing. The second three in Melbourne, same thing.

"Then this third three, we go to two championship games and miss out last year, and it's kind of like 'oh, I did fail'. To me, I failed these last three years because I didn't bring a championship to the club.

"So there was a part of like, yeah it's time for someone else to reinvent this and to do it different."

Nagasaki Velca won the 2025-26 B League championship 2-1 against Ryukyu Golden Kings.

Dean Vickerman's coaching career

• 1997: North Melbourne Giants (assistant)
• 1998–1999: Rockhampton Rockets
• 2000–2001: Sydney Panthers (assistant)
• 2002–2003: Wellington Saints
• 2004–2006: Melbourne Tigers (assistant)
• 2006–2007: Singapore Slingers (assistant)
• 2007–2013: New Zealand Breakers (assistant)
• 2009–2011: Waikato Pistons
• 2013–2016: New Zealand Breakers
• 2016–2017: Sydney Kings (assistant)
• 2017–2026: Melbourne United

2025-26 Japan B League Standings