Basketball Australia is pleased to announce the appointment of Rob Pike as Head Coach of the Australian Wombats 3x3 Wheelchair Basketball program.
A respected figure in the wheelchair basketball community, Pike brings more than two decades of experience to the role as both a player and a coach.
He began his national league career in 2001 with the Perth Wheelcats and later represented the Red Dust Heelers.
After transitioning into coaching, Pike worked alongside some of the sport’s most respected names, including current Rollers Head Coach Brad Ness and former Gliders Head Coach John Triscari, and for the past five years, he has been at the helm of Basketball WA’s junior program, the Black Ducks.
“I just kind of fell in love with coaching. I enjoy the strategic part of it, working out the other teams’ strengths and weaknesses and all the chess of it,” Pike said.
“I love working with individuals and helping athletes improve their own skillsets. I really love the fact that I’ve been able to see some of my juniors come through the WA program and then go on to succeed in the green and gold.”
Pike led the Australian women’s team to bronze at the 2024 Asia Oceania Zone Championships, and now steps into a new challenge that will take him through to the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
“I’m really looking forward to taking this team and coming up with strategy that will help them be successful and lean into their strengths and almost let them experiment and try things on the basketball court that they probably never would have done in a 5x5 game.
“3x3 is quick, fast, intense and rough. It’s all very strategic, and it’s all the things that I love in sport.”
Australia already has a proud history of success in 3x3 wheelchair basketball, winning gold and silver in the sport’s debut at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, and Pike is eager to continue to build on that legacy.
“I’ve represented Australia a couple of times as a player, but being able to lead a team as a coach is exciting. To be able to strategise, put a plan in place and see our teams be successful would be an amazing achievement.”
The Gangurrus 3x3 & Wombats 3x3 Wheelchair teams are proudly supported and funded by Commonwealth Games Australia.
