VALE BRUCE PROUD
Bruce Proud came to Brisbane in the 1990s from the top Victorian association, Dandenong.
His involvement in Brisbane came at the then West Mitchelton Basketball Club, now known as North Brisbane.
He coached juniors and seniors for the Club, where his sons Ashley and Clinton also played, with Ashley later playing rep for Brisbane, and then carving a career in the coaching field. Bruce made a tremendous contribution to the development of the Club, players and coaches. He was the stalwart of the girls and women's' programs within the Club and would regularly coach a number of teams during each season. In addition to this direct coaching responsibility, Bruce also mentored some younger developing coaches, such as his son Ashley, Mark O’Neil and Nicholas Britts. He often attended their practices and games to provide support and advice.
Bruce was also heavily involved with representative and senior-level basketball. His involvement in the Brisbane representative program followed a similar course whereby he was willing to assist in any capacity with any team, player or coach. This heavy commitment to both programs speaks of Bruce's dedication to the sport and the development of players and coaches.
Bruce coached several Brisbane girls representative teams.
He was Under 20 Brisbane Women’s Coach in 1994, 1995 1996, winning the State Championships in one year.
Under 18 Brisbane Girl’s Coach - 1995 – 2000, winning the State Championships in 1998.
He also spent several years as coach of the Brisbane QBL Women’s team, where again he proved successful.
Head Coach Brisbane QBL Women’s - 1994, 1995, 2000 - 2002, winning the QBL in 2001 and 2002.
Assistant Coach Brisbane QBL Women’s – 2003
A huge legacy for BBI was his guiding of other notable BBI coaches, such as Murry Aldred, Dave Owens and James Hennessy as well as those mentioned at North Brisbane.
After succumbing to illness, he began doing Statistics for QBL games in 2004, and he still continues to do that, despite his illness. He has helped with the stats for about 14 years, and is responsible for the recruitment of persons doing stats, enabling the panels to exist and grow.
During his stats career he performed duties at the Brisbane Bullets NBL games, as well as helping at various South Queensland centres in the QBL.
Aside from all of his commitments to coaching, player development and coach mentoring Bruce was and remains a man of integrity, loyalty and dedication. These traits meant that his contribution to the Association, Club and individuals stretched beyond the game itself. He was a man whose involvement in the sport made it a richer place through his good humor, selflessness and collegiality. For this reason, he is remembered fondly by those who had any connection with him during their involvement in the sport at any level.
In 2010 Bruce was awarded the Male Official of the year by Basketball Queensland. This was for his contributions across Brisbane Capitals, Northside Wizards and the Ipswich Force, and NBL (Brisbane Bullets and Gold Coast Blaze) and WNBL programs.
Bruce was a great supporter of Brisbane Basketball over the 30+ years he had been in Brisbane and was awarded Life Membership of Brisbane Basketball Inc. in 2017.
