Bullets sack Schueller after two seasons

• The Brisbane Bullets have parted ways with coach Justin Schueller
• Brisbane missed the postseason in both seasons under Schueller
• The former Melbourne United assistant went 25-32 in his two seasons at the helm

The Brisbane Bullets have sacked head coach Justin Schueller with one year left on his contract after the team failed to make the NBL playoffs in his two seasons at the helm.

Brisbane announced the "coaching transition" on Monday afternoon amid a club review following a difficult season, where the Bullets showed glimpses of being a playoff team but were plagued with injuries to key players - something which ultimately ended their chances of playing postseason basketball for the first time since 2019 under Andrej Lemanis.

Schueller will finish at the Bullets immediately with the club starting an "comprehensive search" for their new coach.

“We are running a process to identify the best person to lead the next phase of the Brisbane Bullets resurgence. We are committed to ensuring the progress to date continues to take a significant step forward in NBL26,” Bullets CEO Malcol Watts said in a release following the shock decision.

“This is a crucial decision for the club, and we are committed to ensuring we have the best direction in place to drive our team forward and deliver a strong and competitive season.”

“The progress we’ve made off the court has always been part of our long-term strategy, however the job is not done and there is much more for our organisation to deliver.

“I want to acknowledge and thank Justin for his contributions. Coaching changes are always tough, and we respect the work he has done during his tenure.

“Over the last two seasons he has provided a platform for the Club to pursue new heights. I can see the experience has also enhanced his growth and look forward to seeing what is next for Justin."

Schueller arrived at the Bullets after a long tenure at Melbourne United as an assistant coach, where he was part of two NBL championships.

The Bullets narrowly missed the playoffs in Schueller's first year, finishing with a 13-15 record, with the New Zealand Breakers beating them out by percentage only. But Brisbane failed to make the postseason against in NBL25, finishing in eighth position with 12 wins from 29 games, missing the play-in by one game and percentage.

However, the closing months were made even more difficult for the Bullets to reach the playoffs due to the amount of absences through injury. Already without defensive stopper Sam McDaniel, who missed all but one game this season, Brisbane were without big men Tyrell Harrison (concussion) and Rocco Zikarsky (knee) for long stretches of the run home, Deng Adel was consistently sidelined with a wide array of injuries, Josh Bannan also missed significant time and the club even needed an exemption from the NBL to sign Callum Dalton for the last four games of the season.

NewsCorp have reported Bullets players had gone to management with concerns over the team’s intense pre-season regimen, which they believe contributed to the club’s unprecedented injury toll.

The Bullets have already announced Casey Prather will return to the club on a one-year deal while they have also locked in McDaniel on a new two-year deal. Bannan has a player option he is reportedly set to decline.

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