PORTLAND Coasters have retained the services of Rebel Noter for the upcoming 2023-24 Country Basketball League season, albeit in a different capacity.

Noter, who coached the Coasters’ men’s side in the most recent 2022-23 season, will instead take the reins of the women’s side this time around, with the experienced coach saying he’s “looking forward” to the opportunity.

“We’ve got a great crop of young players that Brooke (Morrissey) has brought through the under-18s, and hopefully they’ll be able to contribute to the senior side,” he said.

“We’ve also got some talented senior ladies who will be out there as well… I think we’re on track to have some more success this season.”

Noter’s move across to the women’s side comes after Ellen Zeunert, who coached them to their 2021-22 premiership, elected to step down after two seasons in charge.

Noter is no stranger to women’s basketball, having coached Warrnambool’s CBL side as well as being appointed Portland’s women’s coach previously however the season did not get underway.

He said he is excited to build off the work that Zeunert has done in the past, and also said he would work alongside newly-appointed men’s coach Hayden Annett as well as the junior Coasters sides.

“We’re going to have a lot of players who are junior eligible, hopefully what they learn in CBL can move across to the junior sides and vice versa,” he said.

“Hayden has done extremely well for himself over the years, we’ve always been able to bounce ideas off one another and that will continue to take place.”