Trailblazing basketball coach ready to make his mark in Manchester after success with London Lions

A South Asian coach hailed a trailblazer for his work in British basketball is now looking to make his mark in Manchester.

Krumesh Patel was named head coach of Manchester Basketball’s women’s team after the previous franchise, the Giants, was rebranded in the summer.

Earlier this year, Patel created history when he became the first British Asian to win the Euro Cup with the London Lions. And he hopes his new role will allow him to help improve the representation of British Asians in sports.

He said: “I push myself to be at the highest level so I can be a role model for other people. One thing I learned is, when you're in the South Asia community and you aspire to be something, they ask you who's done it?’”

He believes one of the reasons South Asian parents look away from sports as a career option is the financial security other career streams offer.

Patel said: “There is a belief in the South Asian community that if you are in sport, are you financially stable? Whereas, if you get a job in business, medicine or in law, it's quite stable and actually a higher profile can be raised.”

Having started his coaching career in women’s basketball with Leicester Riders, Patel created history when he became the first British Asian to win the women’s basketball league in 2018. He further added to his glory when he won the Euro Cup as an assistant coach to Styliani Kaltsidou.

“The first British team to do it, men or women, is huge,” he said. “So that was a great exciting time and not just for me, but for British basketball was amazing.”

One of the star players on his current team, Georgia Anderson, heaped high praise on Patel’s passionate coaching style.

She said: “I really like his coaching style, he’s a great coach, he’s really entertaining to watch from the sidelines. He’s done a great job and brought a really good group of players.”

Patel has also coached across the younger Team GB age groups and was officially appointed as head coach of the Under-18s girls' team who will compete in the FIBA Youth Eurobasket tournament.

His side, Manchester Basketball, has started their season with three blowout wins and a close three-point defeat to Sheffield Hatters.

“I think we’re in a good spot. We just need to build up slowly, building for the rest of the season,” said Patel.

The Manchester basketball team had a massive overhaul in the summer due to a change in ownership. But Patel is happy with where the roster is now and is looking forward to the season.

He added: “The roster build-up is good for what we had the time frame for. We've got the balance of professionals that played at a good level with some really good experience in the national team and some Mancunians in the team as well.”

Patel’s team won their most recent game against Essex Rebels by an 84-58 scoreline. They will next play Cardiff Met Archers at National Basketball Centre in Belle Vue on November 2.