Basketball: Giants name Whelton as new coach

The Manchester Giants have appointed Joe Whelton as head coach. Whelton was the last man to coach the Giants' franchise - then known as Manchester United - to major honours and he brings with him a wealth of experience gained in club and international basketball.

"Joe Whelton is the right man for the Giants," the general manager, Jay Goldberg, said yesterday. "He has won everywhere he has coached and we look forward to him continuing this."

Whelton won the 1985 play-off championships with United - and he was named coach of the year the same season. The 40-year-old American also guided Manchester to the British league title in 1986 and, two years later, coached them to the quarter-finals of the European Korac Cup.

He led the Great Britain team in 1988 to their best-ever performance - sixth out of 22 in the second qualifying round for the Seoul Olympics. After leaving Manchester, Whelton joined Fribourg in Switzerland where he took them to a league championship as well as collecting another coach of the year award. He moved to Bellinzona where he completed three successive league and cup doubles.