MICHAEL WILSON IGNITING A NEW ERA IN YORKSHIRE WITH HELP FROM HIS FRIENDS
By John Hobbs
The power of friendship can be the best of things.
And 25-year-old head coach Michael Wilson’s journey to the Yorkshire Dragons certainly epitomises that.
Happy at Liverpool Basketball Club, Wilson saw a job advert on social media advertising the new Dragons head coach position. However, despite little thought going into it, and despite obvious glances, a current Yorkshire player swayed his interest.
“Being totally honest with you, I didn't fully apply for the first week and up to two weeks,” Wilson would concede. “I think the biggest thing for me was I'm still new to coaching. But I got a message from a good friend of mine and Dragons player, David Ulph, who asked me if I had gone for it.
“I kept thinking about it, and I had a couple of people send it to me, and I wasn’t really sure if I was ready, but then sometimes, you never know if you're ready until you actually do it.”
From there, Wilson registered his interest after nearly a fortnight of sitting on it, and before long, he was on a Zoom call with Dragons chairman Roger Murie; from there, the rest is history, but the delay in applying wasn’t so much hesitation, but more so wondering how he could make it work.
“For me, you know, it wasn't as much hesitation; it was more me having to think about a lot of things,” Wilson explained.
“It's a big commitment on top of being a full-time PE teacher, you know, a lot of the coaches in our league are full-time coaches or at least they are in roles that are within basketball; mine is the complete opposite.
“But Roger put his belief in me, and I certainly believe that I can do a job here. Roger obviously spoke to other people about me, and he heard good things, it would seem, and after our conversation, it didn't take long for me to tell him that I was in.”
Wilson’s journey from the banks of the Mersey to the valleys of Yorkshire
Michael’s basketball journey began at age 10, after a primary school drop-in event at the M&S Bank Arena held shortly before the Mersey Tigers’ final season in the old British Basketball League.
Long-time coach Tony Walsh led the first skills session and introduced Michael to community basketball sessions in Wavertree, Liverpool.
Tony would become a lifelong mentor and played a lasting role in moulding his development and passion for basketball.
Michael spent 15 years involved with Liverpool’s National League setup as a player, developing and understanding the game. However, his interest gradually shifted from playing towards coaching.
At 20, university commitments led him to step away from playing, allowing him to focus more fully on his growing passion for developing players and teams.
While completing his higher education, he balanced his studies with coaching responsibilities, taking charge of up to six teams in a single season at Liverpool.
“I loved it, but admittedly, it took a lot out of me, but I just loved basketball, loved coaching,” Michael admits.
His dedication and commitment saw him progress through the Aspire programme, advancing from volunteer assistant coach to head coach for the North-West, and then for the North. During this period, he guided the Under-15 team to an undefeated campaign.
Wilson’s coaching experience extends beyond the Aspire programme. He has contributed to the England Under-14 boys’ pathway as an assistant coach as well as coach of Liverpool’s Division 1 men’s team.
These roles have enabled him to work across different levels of the game, supporting player development and contributing to basketball on Merseyside, and they have led him deservedly to a head coaching job in the BCB.
He attributes it all to his mentor.
“I have been fortunate to have a lot of great people guiding me, but Tony Walsh started it all for me and continued to believe in me,” Wilson said. “We still talk daily, and he is honest; he tells me like it is and doesn’t tiptoe around things, which is good; it’s healthy.”
Breathing new fire into the Dragons
Michael enjoyed a good start as head coach of the Dragons, finishing with a 3-1 record in the BCB Trophy group stage to advance to the quarter-finals.
But that ‘honeymoon period’ seems to be over, and Wilson admits the real challenge is just beginning.
“Trophy-wise, I was happy, but we should have gone 4-0. So far this season, we’ve faced our challenges, but it’s a long season, and I want to build something positive here with the Dragons,” he says.
“We’ve got a solid foundation left by Chris Mellor and Paul Cantwell, I just want to help it grow and further build on it.”
