Duncan Fenech appointed head coach of men’s basketball national team

The Malta Basketball Association have announced the appointment of Duncan Fenech as the new head coach of the men’s national team.

The local governing body has been looking to appoint a new head coach following the departure of Alan Walls at the end of last year.

In the past months, the MBA, spearheaded by president Paul Sultana, has been working hard to revamp the national teams’ coaching setup.

Last month, the MBA announced that they had ended their working relationship with women’s national team coach Angela Adamoli and appointed Charles Bonnici as the new man in charge.

“The Malta Basketball Association (MBA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Duncan Fenech as head coach of the men’s national basketball team,” the MBA said in a statement.

“Fenech has long established himself as one of the most respected coaches in the Maltese basketball scene. In addition to his vast experience at club level where he currently occupies the role of head coach of Luxol Basketball Club in the men’s senior competitions, Fenech has been involved in the national basketball coaching set-up for several years.

“He served as assistant coach of the Malta Under-16 and Under-18 selections that competed in FIBA tournaments in 2021 and 2022.

“Last year, Fenech took charge of the Malta U-18 men’s team for the FIBA U-18 European Championship and also occupied the role of assistant coach with the senior national men’s team that won a silver medal at the 2023 Games of the Small States of Europe, held in Malta.”

Commenting on Fenech’s appointment, Sultana, the president of the Malta Basketball Association, said: “We are very pleased that Duncan Fenech has accepted our proposal to become the coach of our men’s national team. Over the years, Duncan has proved himself as one of the most competent basketball coaches in Malta, showing a great willingness to learn, improve, and progress through the ranks.

“We strongly believe that Duncan’s coaching experience with our Under-16 and Under-18 national teams, and his knowledge of the senior team’s set-up in his previous capacity as assistant coach, will stand him in good stead in his new role.”

On his part, Fenech expressed his delight at his appointment as national coach.

“I’m honoured and delighted to have been entrusted with this prestigious role,” he said.

“Being part of the coaching set-up of the national basketball teams in different age-groups has been a learning curve and an enriching experience which will surely help me in my new position.

“I’m aware that coaching the senior men’s national team is also a big responsibility but I’m approaching this challenge with a positive mindset and fully motivated to give my utmost to help our players grow, individually and collectively, and achieve the best possible results for our national team in international competitions.”

The Malta Basketball Association thanked Alan Walls, the outgoing national team coach,
for his contribution and wish him every success in the future.