The Taranaki Steelformers Mountain Airs have signed New Zealand basketball icon and current Tall Blacks Head Coach Pero Cameron as their new Basketball Director.
Cameron has inked a one year deal with the Airs, where he’ll work closely with Airs General Manager Mitch Langton to build a program that has a focus on youth development through basketball in Taranaki.
Langton, who’ll embark on his second year as Airs GM in 2022, sees locking Cameron in as a real coup for the sport in the region.
“The Airs are very excited to bring someone of Pero’s status to the region. Not only does he coach the Tall Blacks, but he also has a strong emphasis on culture, and developing the region is what we pride ourselves on.
“We worked really hard this year on getting out to as many schools as we could around the region during the season and we hope to make this a full year project going forward and Pero will be a really big part of this. We will be also building a core support network that focuses on supporting Māori and Pasifika in the region who don’t usually get the opportunity to play basketball, let alone spend some time with the Tall Blacks Head Coach”.
No one knows how to win in the Sal’s NBL more than Pero Cameron. He won a record eleven league titles, nine as a player and two as a coach. In early 2021, he was named the number one player in the history of the New Zealand National Basketball League
“It’s awesome to be returning to the league that gave me my start, and to be helping grow the game in the great region of Taranaki. The Airs have struggled on the court in recent years, but the work they do off the court has set them up for a great future, and it’s one I’m excited to be a part of.”
Cameron will be part of the process to appoint the 2022 Airs coaching staff in the coming months.
