Paternostro Is Molten BBL Coach of the Year

And, the play-caller is now setting his sights on racking up a sparkling treble, having taken his team into the last four of the 2013 BBL Play-Offs.

The prestigious award was determined by the Basketball Journalists Association, who voted for Paternostro and in the process, delivered his second Coach of the Year accolade, having previously been a winner during the 2008-09 BBL season.

It has certainly been a remarkable campaign for Paternostro, who masterminded the first piece of silverware for Riders in over a decade with a pulsating 85-80 BBL Cup Final success against Newcastle Eagles in front of 7,500 fans at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham.

He then led his team into the BBL Trophy Final at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow last month and whilst dreams of a potential clean-sweep were ended with a nail-biting defeat to One Health Sharks Sheffield, any disappointment was tempered just a few weeks later, when they romped to their first ever BBL Championship title.

They won the league in commanding fashion to see off defending champions and their main title rivals, Newcastle Eagles. Paternostro presided over a stunning 30 wins, with his team suffering a paltry three losses during a demanding seven month schedule.

Two other coaches also made it onto the podium, with Atiba Lyons of One Health Sharks Sheffield taking second place, having landed the BBL Trophy with that thrilling success against Riders.

Meanwhile, Creon Raftopoulos of Surrey Heat took third place in recognition of leading his team into the top four and being bona-fide title contenders for a considerable chunk of the regular season.

Since voting closed, Raftopoulos has also guided Heat into the semi-finals of the BBL Play-Offs.

Story – BBL

Photo of Creon – BBL