Liz Mills

Liz Mills is an Australian basketball coach who is currently the head coach of Moroccan men's basketball team AS Salé.

Since 2011 Mills has been a head coach and assistant coach in Africa of top league men's club teams, national men's university teams and national men's teams.

In 2021 Liz was the head coach of the Kenyan Men's National Basketball team, becoming the only woman in the world at that time in charge of a men's national team not only in basketball but in any major sport.^[1][2]

In August 2021 Mills made history as the first woman to head coach a men's national basketball team (Kenya) at a major FIBA continental championship when she led Kenya at the 2021 pan-Africa FIBA AfroBasket. She is the first and only female head coach in a men's continental championship since the International Basket Federation (FIBA) was founded in 1932, when she coached Kenya at AfroBasket 2021.^[3]

In 2022 Liz made history yet again when appointed Head Coach of the men's team AS Salé competing in the Division of Excellence, Morocco's premier men's professional league, becoming the first female head coach of men's team in Morocco and the Arab world, AS Salé will be competing in the pan-Africa men's Basketball Africa League (BAL) and Liz will become the first female head coach in the history of the BAL. As of 2022, there were no other female head coaches of men's teams in the top leagues or national teams in North America or Australia.

Coaching career[]

Mills began her coaching career in Sydney, Australia in 2002 whilst at Willoughby Girls High School. She has coached junior boys and girls club and representative teams for Northern (Sydney) Suburbs Basketball Association (NSBA), as well as senior women's representative teams at Norths.

Whilst in Australia she completed an undergraduate degree in Sports Science and Sports Management (2008) at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and in 2014 completed a Masters of Education in Sports Coaching at the University of Sydney (USYD).

Since 2011 Mills has been a head coach and assistant coach in Africa of top league men's club teams, national men's university teams and national men's teams.

Prior to 2011, Mills had never coached men.^[1] Mills started her coaching career in Africa in Zambia, where she was the head coach for Zambia's senior men's national league team during the 2011-2012 season and guided them to a national championship win.^[3] She went on to win another national title in Zambia's senior men's league in 2015/2016 as head coach of team Matero Magic. Whilst coaching in Zambia, Mills was also named as head coach for the Zambian men's national university team. This team competed in the 2012 CUCSA Zone VI University Games, finishing second and competed in All Africa University Games (FASU) later that year where they finished third.

At the club level, Mills worked with the Rwandan top league men's club team Patriots BBC for the 2019 pan-Africa Basketball Africa League Qualifiers. She led the team to the East Division Qualification Title, with the team going undefeated in the two rounds of qualifiers. The team went on to compete in the 2021 Basketball Africa League.

Having served as assistant coach of the national Zambia for the 2017 Afrobasket Zone VI qualifiers and Cameroon men's basketball teams for 2019 FIBA World Cup African Qualifiers, Mills joined the Kenyan Morans as Head Coach in January 2021. She steered Kenya to qualifying for their first AfroBasket championship in 28 years, after beating 11-time African champions Angola 74-73 in Cameroon in February 2021 at the 2021 FIBA AfroBasket Qualifiers.^[3] Previously Kenya had never beaten Angola. As head coach of the Morans at the 2021 FIBA Afrobasket Mills led Kenya to a 1-3 record. Kenya defeated Mali to pick up their first win at an AfroBasket and for the first time progressed past the first round group stage.

On February 12, 2022, she was announced as head coach by AS Salé a club in the Division of Excellence, the top professional men's league in Morocco. Mills is first female head coach of men's team in Morocco and the Arab World, Mills appointment as Head Coach of AS Salé is just ahead of the start of the 2022 BAL season kicking off in March 2022, Mills will become the first female head coach of a men's team in the Basketball Africa League.^[4] As a coach at most games during her career Liz finds herself as the only female on the court both players and officials on the side-line.

Liz says she is very grateful for the support she has received in Africa especially from the African men with the teams she has coached and competed against, both players and officials.

Liz says Africa leads the world in appointing a female coach.

Personal[]

Mills grew up in Sydney with a passion for coaching basketball since an early age.^[3] She and her identical twin sister, Vic,^[1] grew up playing multiple sports following their older sister Emma into netball. With Vic, she started playing basketball at the age of 15. Mills took her first basketball coaching position at age 16,^[1] on many occasions co-coaching with her sister Vic.

In 2021, Mills stated that she is proud to be a "pioneer" as a female coach.^[3] When coaching, Mills wears high heeled boots, which have become her trademark.

She remains private about her personal life.

References[]

External links[]

• Eurobasket.com profile