Basketball Australia is pleased to announce the appointment of Jeremy Synot as Head Coach of the Australian Devils, the national Under-25 Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Team.
Widely respected within Australia’s wheelchair basketball community, Synot brings a wealth of experience from both domestic and international programs. Most recently, he was Assistant Coach of the Australian Spinners under Head Coach Brett Stibners OAM, helping lead the side to a top-four finish at the 2025 IWBF Men’s Under-23 World Championships in São Paulo, Brazil.
His experience also includes leading Queensland’s Spinning Bullets in the National Wheelchair Basketball League (NWBL) and serving as Assistant Coach with the Australian Rollers ahead of the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.
Synot also leads the Wheelchair Basketball Program at the Victorian Institute of Sport, which he credits with advancing his professional development within a world-class high-performance system.
Earlier this year, he was recognised as WNWBL Coach of the Year at the 2025 Wheelchair Basketball Australia Awards after guiding the Victoria Wonders, the state’s first women’s wheelchair basketball team since 2019, to a competitive return to the national league.
Having long championed the growth of women’s wheelchair basketball in Australia, Synot said the appointment represents both a personal and professional milestone.
“This role will give me my first opportunity to be a head coach at the international level, which I am incredibly excited about,” Synot said.
“It allows me to further my development as a coach in the international environment while contributing to a space I’m deeply passionate about: women’s wheelchair basketball in Australia. This is a chance to continue the amazing growth of athletes in this program.”
Synot said the team’s mix of returning and emerging athletes provides a strong foundation for success.
“We have a number of athletes who will be undertaking a second cycle, which gives me great confidence knowing we have people who understand what it takes to be successful at this level,” he said.
“But there’s also an exciting crop of athletes underpinning them. This opportunity serves as a great building block for them to begin their careers on the world stage.”
Synot emphasised the importance of aligning closely with the Gliders program to create a seamless transition for athletes as they progress through the pathway.
“Working closely with the Gliders, I see this as a chance to expose athletes to the demands of international wheelchair basketball while adopting the Gliders’ style of play to create top-down alignment,” he said.
“That consistency will allow athletes to execute their craft at a high level.”
He also praised the collaboration across Australia’s high-performance system.
“We’re so fortunate to have Basketball Australia and the National Institute Network working closely to prepare our wheelchair basketballers for success,” Synot said.
“The world standard is incredibly high right now, but if we continue developing and supporting our athletes, the tide will turn and we’ll be back on the podium.”
Basketball Australia’s Executive General Manager of High Performance, Jason Smith, said Synot’s appointment reflects the next phase of growth for the women’s wheelchair basketball pathway.
“Jeremy’s appointment reinforces Basketball Australia’s commitment to strengthening the women’s wheelchair basketball program,” Smith said.
“He’s a strong communicator who knows how to develop the technical and tactical skills of athletes and bring the best out of them. His leadership will be instrumental as we build our depth and experience towards future international campaigns.”
Synot added that he is determined to see the Devils continue to evolve on the global stage.
“We want to be really competitive internationally and play a style of basketball that not only allows us to succeed but also develops the technical and tactical capabilities of our athletes in an ultra-competitive environment,” he said.
“It’s also about continuing to expose the outstanding wheelchair basketball coaches we have in Australia to the demands of international success.”
