Basketball coach;
Born: April 17, 1968; Died: May 29, 2012.
Stevie Duff, who died suddenly last month, helped transform the state of basketball in Scotland, initially as an immensely talented player but more significantly as an inspirational coach and a pioneering sports development officer.
His interest in, and talent for, the sport was clear from an early age. Stevie Duff played for Scotland at the under-19 European championships when he was just 15, up to four years younger than the other participants, and went on to become one of the first Scots to play regularly in America at the age of 17.
Sadly this promising playing career was curtailed by a serious knee injury in 1985, but Stevie Duff’s love of basketball remained undimmed, and he arguably went on to contribute far more to the sport — as a coach, mentor and administrator — than he could ever have done as just a player. Not only did he support and encourage numerous individuals at all levels of the game — for six years he coached City of Edinburgh Basketball Club — but he went on to establish what have since become two successful teams: the East Lothian Peregrines, which to this day has a flourishing youth setup, and Lothian Phoenix, Scotland’s largest and most active wheelchair basketball team. As East Lothian Council’s Healthy Living Manager, Eamon John, said of him: “He leaves a tremendous legacy with the flourishing youth basketball setup in the county.”
In 1991, having worked for several years as an English teacher, Stevie Duff chose to focus full time working in sports development, joining East Lothian Council’s Sports Development team as its Basketball and Disability Sport Development Officer. During the next decade, in which time he rose to the position of Principle Sports Development Officer, he became a particularly influential figure in the burgeoning field of wheelchair basketball, not least as “the father” of Lothian Phoenix, which he set up after playing with a West of Scotland team. As the club’s secretary, Davie Gilmour, said: “When he started up our club we had seven or eight players; we’ve now got over 20, and we’ve got kids in as well. We’re certainly going to continue and make him proud of what he started.”
Falkirk Fury Basketball Club head coach John Bunyan knew Stevie Duff for more than two decades. “His innovative organisation and running of the first National Primary School competition at Tranent went on to be a great annual event — purely through the hard work and efforts of Stevie. As a fellow Tutor, I saw first hand how Stevie always had the best interests of aspiring coaches close to his heart and, of course, his passion for wheelchair basketball and the work he did in this field is without equal.”
In his time, Stevie Duff was chairperson of the Scottish Wheelchair Development Group and also a coach with both the GB junior and women’s teams at the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing.
At the end of 2011 his skills and expertise in the sport were confirmed by his appointment as Head of Basketball role at national body, basketballscotland. “Stevie’s enthusiasm, drive and commitment to the sport made him the perfect candidate for the Head of Basketball,” said a spokesperson. “During his time with us, Stevie demonstrated his passionate belief that we could work as a team to create better opportunities for everyone involved in the game in Scotland. He was a fantastic addition to our team and will be greatly missed by all of his colleagues.”
Stevie Duff is survived by his wife Shirley-Anne and their three young children Sophia, Lemoni and Holden.
First published by The Herald, 12 June 2012
