This weekends loss to Westminster was the last straw as Medway Park Crusaders head coach Mads Olesen chose to remove himself from the post after two and a half seasons:

“At the start of the season I believed we had the players to compete, and I still believe that, so something else had to give. I accept responsibility for us not competing the way we should, and the team, the players and the club means too much to me to let my ego get in the way of success. After the loss at Westminster I did a lot of thinking and called club president Jesse Sazant and recommended that assistant coach James Vear be made the new head coach. He’s got a different style than me, a style I think will fit the situation the team is in now. By making the decision now James has a chance to put his mark on the team and compete for the rest of the season.”

Vear joined Crusaders last April moving over from Sevenoaks. Vear played junior basketball in Kingston, before going to high school in America. Upon his return he focused on coaching, most recently with Sevenoaks Under 16s and 18s. He also coached the South East under 17 regional team which finished as the runners-up in the national tournament this summer. He also coaches at the Crusaders Basketball Academy at The Canterbury High School and heads up the Crusaders community coaching programme and the Hoops 4 Health primary schools programme.

Vear is keen to get started in his new role stating, “I am really excited to be given the opportunity to coach at the mens level with the Crusaders and want to thank the club for this chance.”

Sazant is excited about the appointment of Vear saying, “James is a very good young coach and deserves this opportunity. He’s being thrown it at the deep end and it will be a steep learning curve but I’m sure he will cope just fine.”

While he is excited about the opportunity, Vear was also quick to thanks Olesen for the support he has provided, “Mads has laid good foundations for the team to move forward and I believe the team can go on to be successful this year.”  He knows that there is hard work ahead and that their current league position will be a huge obstacle, “I’m eager to get started and try and get the team out of its current position which I know is a big ask but I believe in the players we have at the club.”

Olesen replaced Jesse Sazant as head coach in 2007.  In his two full seasons in charge he led the team to their highest finish ever (5th in EBL2) narrowly missing out on promotion and to a Patron’s Cup semi-final. However, with the team 0-6 in the league he felt that changes needed to be made to secure the team’s place in EBL2. Olesen will remain a director of the club and will still play an integral part in its development.

Club Chairman, Jesse Sazant complimented Olesen on what he had achieved. “Mads has taken the men’s team forward in his time in charge with his hard work and professionalism.  I am very happy that he will continue to play a significant role in the club.”