LONDON (EuroBasket 2007) - Former England captain Steve Bucknall has put his name forward to help coach the new Great Britain team ahead of their EuroBasket Division B qualification games.
"I would like to be a part of the programme and be on the coaching staff to be the link between the players and head coach," Bucknall said to PA Sport.
Bucknall, who spent last season at Leicester Riders as a player but also an assistant coach, played under American college basketball coaching legend Dean Smith at the University of North Carolina.
He had a brief spell in the NBA before embarking on a long career in Europe. The shooting guard/small forward also represented his country in numerous EuroBasket qualifying campaigns.
He recently took part in the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne and helped England capture a bronze medal. The federations of England, Wales and Scotland decided last year to move forward as Great Britain.
They have taken England's place in Division B of the EuroBasket, but no coaching staff is in place. Bucknall was among a talented group of English players over the past 12 years who sadly never reached the EuroBasket finals.
Financial problems at Basketball England constantly undermined their efforts. Nevertheless, England upset teams like Slovenia and Latvia and pushed others like Russia very close but never managed to advance to the finals.
Bucknall, Roger Huggins and Jon Amaechi were lynchpins in former coach Laszlo Nemeth's England squads and he always remarked on their professionalism and commitment. The players were also admired by their peers.
"They [players] have respect for us because we were the forefathers, in terms of myself - I was the first one," Bucknall said.
Bucknall says he has not made a formal approach to British Basketball. There is an argument, however, especially due to his status and experience, that Bucknall should be the one who is approached.
"I believe that if they believe in me they should come to me, as I've proved my credentials throughout my career," he said. "I know they may look at me and feel that I lack coaching experience but I was number two at Leicester Riders last season, but I've always been the leader on the floor for the teams I've played for.
"If you look at what has happened in the NBA, the powers that be have realised that they needed to change their coaching set-up. So they have brought a lot of former players in as coaches with a more experience to help him out.
"Because these young guys can't relate to a guy who is 60 or 70 but they will listen to the ex-player."
One of those NBA players who turned into a coach is Avery Johnson of the Dallas Mavericks.
Johnson was brought on board to assist Don Nelson and when he retired last year, Dallas owner Mark Cuban handed the reins to former playmaker Johnson, an NBA title-winner with the Spurs.
He has made a major impact, turning the Mavs into a much better defensive unit. He was so good that Johnson was recently voted this season's NBA Coach of the Year.
Bucknall believes GB have the talent to be successful and win promotion from Division B to Division A, which would allow them to try and qualify for EuroBasket 2009 in Poland.
The stakes are high.
Great Britain must convince FIBA they will be competitive enough to deserve a place at the 2012 Olympics which will be staged in London.
In their Division B group are Belarus, the Netherlands, Slovakia and Albania.
"We need a coach who has experience of European basketball but he's going to have to be able to link with the younger guys," Bucknall said.
"Also, we need to be able to convince the guys who are based in Europe and America like Mike Bernard, Andy Betts and Richard Midgely that things have changed and improved.
"These guys are used to having the best facilities and if we can get all our best guys out there, we'll do well but we need to get them out there first. Even the best coach in the world can't do a good job without his best players."
Interviews for the GB head coach position will be held on the 19th and 20th of May, with the appointment due to be a few days after.
The applicants' names will not be known unless they make the announcement themselves.
"It would not be fair to release the names of the candidates for the sake of the people who don't get the job," said Martin Brand, administration officer to British Basketball.
By Soriebah Kajue, PA Sport