Former Tall Blacks stalwart Dillon Boucher has been announced as the new chief executive of Basketball New Zealand.
The 45-year-old takes over from departing boss Iain Potter and is eager to continue the momentum his predecessor established in growing the sport's popularity nationwide.
"Basketball has always been a great passion of mine," says Boucher. "Coming into Basketball New Zealand, especially at a time when it is once again poised to take another leap, is truly exciting and I can’t wait to get stuck in."
The Aucklander has been a mainstay of the basketball scene in Aotearoa since the turn of the century, starring for the Tall Blacks, helping the NZ Breakers to three ANBL championships and winning nine NBL titles.
In 2014, he was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for services to basketball - recognition for his long-time contribution to his sport.
"One of basketball’s greatest attributes is its diversity, not only the mix of age, ethnicity and gender, but also the many organisations throughout New Zealand that support the game, and we could achieve a great deal if we all worked together," he adds.
"We also want to continue pushing the success of the exceptional growth in participation, the ongoing media and broadcast success that the sport has experienced, driving our high-performance success and further developing commercial opportunities during what is a difficult time with the challenges of COVID-19.
"I'm also looking forward to joining and working closely with the team and the board at Basketball New Zealand. They have done a great job alongside Iain [Potter]."
Boucher also brings strong experience as a sport administrator. He was the commercial manager for NZ Breakers from 2014-16, before rising to general manager from 2016-19.
His experience includes board level governance, including the NZ NBL and Drug Free Sport New Zealand.
