Caledonia Gladiators has appointed one of the UK’s most decorated female basketball stars as its permanent head coach.
Chantelle Handy is the second most capped women's player for Great Britain with 142 caps to her name.
Last season, the 37-year-old lead the club to an impressive second-place finish in Women’s British Basketball League last season as interim head coach.
Now, Scotland's basketball franchise has rewarded Chantelle by appointing her as permanent head coach of the women's side at East Kilbride.
Chantelle, whose retirement from playing was announced in May, will continue to work closely with Miguel Ortega - the club’s first head of basketball.
She said: “I’m so proud to be taking up the role on a permanent basis. It’s a new challenge for me and I’m excited to get going.
“Caledonia Gladiators is a really progressive club, that value both the women’s and men’s team equally, so it’s a great place to be.
“Our ambition is to win as many games as possible. I’ve played my whole career to win and it’s the same with coaching.
“It won’t come overnight but our ultimate goal is to win Super League Basketball and to compete at as high a level as possible in Europe.”
Chantelle competed at the 2012 Olympics and later won a silver medal for England at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022.
She played professionally across Europe for 12 years, including competing at the highest level of the women’s game on the continent – EuroLeague Women.
The former shooting forward moved to Caledonia Gladiators two seasons ago. She retired from playing to focus on coaching, which came months after the club had moved into its new multi-million-pound stadium.
In recent months the women’s team has welcomed record crowds for a women’s basketball team in Scotland, with a high of 917 fans attending the club’s game against Newcastle Eagles.
Chantelle added: “Retiring was tough as playing basketball is all I’ve ever known, but I’m loving the new role.
“You couldn’t have a better mentor than Miguel, and the new facilities here are a dream for our coaching team. The new stadium is phenomenal, and the crowds have been terrific.”
Chantelle has already started making new signings to shape her squad for this coming season, including Essex Rebel guard Katharine Tudor, who was in the WBBL Team of the Year, and re-signing former club star Téa Adams from Valur Reykjavik in Iceland.
Miguel Ortega, head of basketball, said: “Chantelle has had an incredible career, and is already showing real promise as a coach of our women’s team.
“She was a real leader on the court, and she’s made the move into coaching really well so far.
“It’s an exciting season ahead and we all believe Chantelle is the best person to take us to the next stage.”
Tony McDaid, chief executive of the Caledonia Gladiators, said: “We’re really pleased to confirm Chantelle as our new permanent head coach of the women’s team.
“She’s a class act, who is showing real potential as a head coach, and we want to keep her here longer term.
“It’s a really exciting time for the sport here in Scotland, and Chantelle is a big part of our future plans.”
