Heal quits Boomers role

Four-time Olympian Shane Heal has stepped down from his role as an assistant coach of the Australian Men’s Basketball team.

Heal, a former skipper of the Boomers, cited unavoidable time constraints following the recent expansion of his business ventures.

The former NBA guard has been as assistant to head coach Brett Brown since 2009.

"This was an extremely difficult decision for me but with the growth of my business it is no longer possible for me to continue with the 100 per cent commitment that Brett and the players deserve," Heal said.

"Brett is doing an outstanding job and the Boomers program is fortunate to have such a respected NBA coach at the helm. I will miss working with Brett and his staff and also with such a committed group of players."

Brown said Heal's experience around the team will be sorely missed.

"I have known Shane for some 25 years, some as his coach, and I know he did not make this decision lightly," he said.

"It would have been made after a lot of thought. Clearly he felt that he could not do the job he knows is required."

"His skill package was very unique for us. His significant international career, coupled with his passion for the Boomers made him a big asset to our program. I respect his difficult decision. I will personally miss having him around."

Brown will meet with the Basketball Australia High Performance Management department to appoint a successor for Heal later this week.