TROY MCCARTHY - President

Troy didn’t just want to start another basketball club — he wanted to shake things up. In 2022, he launched BDU (Ballarat District United) with a vision: to create a development-first program focused on teamwork, inclusion, and mateship. Less politics, more play. Less pressure, more progress.

As a father of four (Laura, William, Ollie, and Aislinn) with his wife Simone, Troy knows a thing or two about keeping things organised, on and off the court. All four kids have grown up with basketball in their veins, and Ollie and Aislinn have been pivotal players in BDU’s early success — making it truly a family-built club.

Troy’s coaching resume reads like a full season’s fixture list: long-standing president of Phoenix Basketball Club (he’s lost count of the years), director of coaching at Phoenix Basketball, head coach of BDU Lightning since its inception, coach with the Ballarat Miners, and coach of Maryborough Blazers for the 2024 CBL Season.

Troy’s passion lies in finding the overlooked talent — the kids who don’t always make the spotlight, but have just as much potential. Through BDU, he’s creating a space where development comes first, and more players get a real shot at developing their game. He is the kind of coach who’ll yell encouragement louder than criticism, who sees potential before performance, and who probably knows every BDU player by name.