Tracy York to take over as Darwin Salties NWBL head coach

The Darwin Salties have announced a new coach with plenty of pedigree to build on their back-to-back national titles. Read what she hopes to bring to the role.

Tracy York is set to join the Darwin Salties wheelchair team in 2025. Picture: Mike Owen/Getty Images

The Darwin Salties Wheelchair team are eager to build on their back-to-back national titles and have announced a new coach with plenty of pedigree to continue the legacy.

Tracy York has plenty of experience in the Australian basketball world coaching both wheelchair and able-body teams, including the Australian Gliders, to success.

She spent six years with the Gliders, including two Paralympic Games, has coached Australian junior teams and spent seven years in the WNBL, four as a head coach.

York was also an assistant coach with the Adelaide 36ers in the NBL for six years and has coached in the NBL1 and in international leagues too.

Tracy York while coaching the Spirit during the WNBL Picture: Mark Evans/Getty Images

Now she will draw on her experiences from all ends of the sport to continue the run of success the Darwin Salties have enjoyed in the past couple of years under coach Jason Ivinson.

“I’m really excited to come up and join the group,” York said.

“They’ve obviously been really successful in the past couple of years so it’s going to be a hard act to follow but it’s about continuing to build the program and developing the younger players.

“I’ve spoken to every player individually asking what their strengths are and areas they would like to build on both as an individual and as a team.

“I’ve come from an able-bodied program so then it’s about having different eyes on things and identifying what I can add and bring to the side as the coach.”

The Salties have plenty of talent that’s featured on the national stage with Darwin locals Tom O’Neil-Thorne and Clarence McCarthy-Grogan leaders in the group.

Tom O'Neill-Thorne was named player of the finals series after leading the Darwin Salties to back-to-back championships.

Salties’ Sam White, Jaylen Brown and Jannik Blair were all in the Paralympics squad alongside O’Neil-Thorne, while Top Ender Weston Tedcastle has been earmarked as a Roller of the future.

For York it will be about balancing the squad around the point system in place in the wheelchair game knowing most of them will return for the 10 week season.

“I’m very familiar with the point system having worked on both sides of the sport and the skills from both are very transferable,” she said.

“They’re not hugely different, the size of the courts and rings are the same, it’s just played in chairs rather than not and having coached both sides I believe I have something extra to offer there.

“A lot of the same group will be coming back, they loved the program and the Darwin atmosphere and how welcoming it was.”

The Darwin Salties went back-to-back in the NWBL after winning the 2024 finals.

York will be in the Top End for the entire season hoping to immerse herself in the basketball community and Darwin surrounds beyond coaching.

“I’ve travelled a bit with basketball overseas but whenever I tell people what time of year I’m going to Darwin they say it’s the perfect time,” she said.

“I’d love to get out into the community a bit and have the able-bodied and wheelchair setups working together and supporting each other.

“We know there’s some really good support in Darwin and while the able-bodied teams aren’t there this year we want to promote our guys as much as we can.”