Townsville Fire’s Shannon Seebohm secures fourth Coach of the Year award

Shannon Seebohm could be the WNBL’s greatest head coach of all time. Here’s why.

Townsville Fire against UC Capitals at the Townsville Entertainment Centre. Fire Coach Shannon Seebohm and Stephanie Reid. Picture: Evan Morgan

Townsville Fire coach Shannon Seebohm has entered the conversation as the WNBL’s greatest head coach of all time.

It’s early days for the 36-year-old mentor, but securing his fourth Coach of the Year award on Sunday night – his third in four seasons – tied Tom Maher’s league record and put Seebohm in the drivers’ seat to become the outright leading recipient of the honour.

When you ask a Fire player why they wanted to join the North Queensland club, the answer is usually the coach.

Seebohm has a unique and widely appreciated basketball brain.

He’s not just a coach, he’s a former player and an avid fan of the sport.

Fire coach Shannon Seebohm looks on before the start of the WNBL match between Townsville Fire and Perth Lynx at Townsville Entertainment Centre, on December 31, 2023, in Townsville, Australia. (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)

If there’s a game on, you can assume Seebohm is watching it and considering how it could affect his team or noticing up-and-coming players to add to his mental database.

His work with the whiteboard, drawing up the Xs and Os of a game-winning play, are second to none in the WNBL.

Fire head coach Shannon Seebohm speaks to the team during the WNBL match between Melbourne Boomers and Townsville Fire at Melbourne Sports Centres - Parkville, on January 13, 2024, in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)

But Seebohm said it was the support he receives behind the scenes in Townsville that have allowed him to develop into the best in the league.

“It starts with the lady on the seat over there (Sam Pascoe, GM),” Seebohm said.

“Sam has, since day one, backed me and she’s given me confidence.

“She allows me to bring in the players that I believe are going to help us be successful. She helps me solve problems, all those types of things.

“Same with our board, they’re so supportive of me and my family. When we got here, in the first season we had we were losing games and not going well and the fans were annoyed and all that sort of stuff – they stuck with me and they backed me and I’m very grateful for that.”

Fire coach Shannon Seebohm speaks during a time out during the WNBL match between Townsville Fire and Bendigo Spirit at Townsville Entertainment Centre, on February 18, 2024, in Townsville, Australia. (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)

Seebohm’s first season in Townsville certainly didn’t go to plan.

The Fire finished dead last with just five wins in the 21-game season.

A year later in the 2020 “hub season,” Townsville soared to the grand final, losing to Southside 99-82. That success laid the foundations of last year’s championship season.

In his typical modest fashion, Seebohm deflected the attention after his award was announced.

“There was a lot of candidates this year that could have won it. Even some that were outside of that top three,” Seebohm said.

“We’ve talked about it in the locker room and it’s great to be recognised by (the award), but it’s not why I coach.

“I just care about the players. I want them to do well, I want to see the team be able to enjoy success and achieve the goals that they set out at the start of every year.

“I’m grateful for all the support that I get from Sam (Pascoe), the club and my assistant coaches, SSSM (Sports Science Sports Medicine) staff, and just being lucky enough to coach people like Courtney (Woods) that are so bought in to the way we want to play and how we do things as a club.”

Originally published as Townsville Fire’s Shannon Seebohm secures fourth Coach of the Year award