Welcome James McKinnon

We’re thrilled to welcome James McKinnon to the McKinnon Basketball Association as our new Performance & Pathways Manager and Big V Championship Men’s Head Coach.

James brings a wealth of experience across elite basketball environments in Australia and internationally. Most recently, he served as Director of Coaching at Ballarat Basketball, overseeing over 200 athletes and 35 coaches, while also leading development initiatives for Basketball Victoria Country’s high-performance programs and was appointed Head Coach with Basketball Victoria Country, including as Head Coach of the 2024 U16 Men’s State Team and Head Coach of the 2026 U18 Men’s State Team.

James has also held key coaching roles with Basketball Tasmania and the University of Lethbridge (Canada), developing high-performance programs and producing athletes who’ve progressed to national and professional levels.

In his dual role at McKinnon, James will lead the Cougars Basketball Development team in the delivery of athlete and coach development pathways across VJBL and Big V, aligning programs, mentoring coaches, and strengthening our athlete development and high-performance environment. He will also take the helm as Head Coach of our Big V Championship Men’s team with a focus on continuing to build a strong, competitive, and cohesive program as we prepare for the 2026 Big V season.

Please join us in giving James a warm Cougar welcome!