Up Close: Thorsten Leibenath

Georgina Lennon sits down with Rocks head coach Thorsten Leibenath...

The Coach you see on the sideline is a far cry from the young boy he once was. 
In addition to basketball, Thorsten was equally interested in music.  He learnt to play piano, saxophone and clarinet. And although he still enjoys playing he says he much prefers the sweet sound of the fans cheering on his team.

Thorsten has been coaching since he was 16-years-old. As part player/part coach, Coach T continued to play until he was 21-years-old, choosing to retire after admitting to himself he would never be good enough to make it as a professional player. “I always knew I wouldn’t make it as a player in the big leagues,” said Thorsten. “I had back problems and knew I wasn’t physically strong enough to play the game. My playing career ended sooner than I thought but I took it as an opportunity to focus of coaching,” admits the Coach. However if it wasn’t for his sister, Coach T may never have even given basketball a try. “My sister, Antje, played basketball and got me interested in it,” said the Coach. “She was classmates with NBA star Det Schremph, and she really wanted me to give it a shot too.” If he hadn’t gone into basketball, Thorsten would have loved to have work with kids. “I think kids are the most honest people you can ever meet. You can’t pretend with them. They’ll always be up front and let you know if they don’t like something and they really give you their all,”  said the Coach. That’s one attribute Coach T looks for in a player and admits that a player’s character is at times more important than their skill. “I look for someone who I can go have a beer with, someone who really has a great work ethic and can encourage others,”  said Thorsten. Thorsten is relishing in the freedom given to him at the Rocks and is settling in nicely to his role of head coach.

“Ian Reid has really believed in me and shown me a lot of trust, giving me the freedom to mold the team as I like. It’s a great privilege to work for such a professional team both on and off the court,” admits Thorsten.

However, there’s still just one-thing Coach T dreams of and that’s to be part of an Olympic Games basketball squad. “I don’t care if I’m the water boy, I just want to be part of it,”  said the Coach.