Paul Vervaeck (born 7 March 1956) is a Belgian professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of Athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

for

Den Helder Suns The Den Helder Suns are a professional basketball club based in Den Helder, Netherlands. The club was founded in 2016 and currently plays in the BNXT League. The team has played at the highest domestic level since years. The Suns play their home ...

of the

BNXT League The BNXT League is a professional basketball league in Belgium and the Netherlands. The league is the first tier in both the Dutch and Belgian system, replacing the Dutch Basketball League, DBL and Pro Basketball League, PBL. The inaugural season ...

. He coached several clubs in Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, as well as the Belgium national under-20 and Netherlands national under-18 teams.

Coaching career

Born in

Mechelen Mechelen (; ; historically known as ''Mechlin'' in EnglishMechelen has been known in English as ''Mechlin'', from where the adjective ''Mechlinian'' is derived. This name may still be used, especially in a traditional or historical context. T ...

, Vervaeck began his coaching career as an assistant with Maes Pils Mechelen in 1987. The following years he went on to coach

Duvel Willebroek Duvel Moortgat Brewery (Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat) is a Flemish family-controlled brewery founded in 1871 in Antwerp Province, Belgium. Its strong golden pale ale, Duvel, is exported to more than forty countries. Duvel is Brabantian, Ghent and An ...

, Bree,

Den Helder Den Helder () is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Den Helder occupies the northernmost point of the North Holland peninsula. It is home to the country's main naval base. From here the Royal TESO fe ...

(in the Netherlands),

CEP Fleurus Cercle d’Education Physique Fleurus, mostly referred to as CEP Fleurus or simply CEP, is a Belgian basketball club based in the city of Fleurus. The team plays in the Belgian Second Division. History After the establishment of the team in 192 ...

AB Contern Amis du Basket-Ball Contern is a semi professional basketball club from Contern, Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and nort ...

(in Luxembourg), Kangoeroes. In 2013, Vervaeck took over his biggest club thus far when he became the head coach of the

Antwerp Giants Antwerp Giants, named Windrose Giants Antwerp for sponsorship reasons, is a Belgian professional basketball club based in Antwerp. Their home arena is Lotto Arena. The club plays in the BNXT League, the highest tier of Belgian basketball. The c ...

. On 16 June 2016 Vervaeck was announced as head coach of

ZZ Leiden ZZ Leiden Basketball, also known as Zorg en Zekerheid Leiden, is a professional basketball club based in Leiden, Netherlands. The club plays in the BNXT League, the domestic first tier league. Their home games are played at Sportcomplex 1574. Z ...

. Under his guidance, Leiden finished as runner-up in both the

Dutch Basketball League The Dutch Basketball League (DBL), formerly the Eredivisie, was the highest professional basketball league in the Netherlands, run by the Federatie Eredivisie Basketball (FEB). Since 2021, the league has been replaced by the Belgian-Dutch BNXT Le ...

(DBL) and the

NBB Cup The Basketball Cup, for sponsorship reasons the TOTO Basketball Cup and formerly the NBB Cup (), is an annual cup competition for Netherlands, Dutch basketball teams organised by the Basketball Nederland. Every team in the Netherlands can partici ...

in the 2017–18 season. After his second season, he left the club for

Kangoeroes Mechelen Kangoeroes Basket Mechelen, also known as Kangoeroes or Kangoeroes Mechelen, is a basketball club based in Mechelen, Belgium. Founded in 2009, the club plays in the BNXT League. Kangoeroes have been playing in the top tier division in Belgium for ...

. In June 2021, he signed for

Yoast United United Basketball, for sponsorship reasons known as QSTA United, is a Dutch basketball club based in Bemmel, Gelderland. Established in 2020, the team plays in the BNXT League, the highest level of basketball in the Netherlands. Home games are pla ...

. Vervaeck announced his upcoming retirement after the season in April 2023, while stating his intentions to move to

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

and focus on his family rather than coaching. His assistant Jeroen van Vugt took over his job after the 2022–23 season. In May 2024, he signed with

of the

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vervaeck, Paul 1956 births Living people Antwerp Giants coaches Belgian basketball coaches Den Helder Suns coaches Kangoeroes Basket Mechelen coaches Yoast United coaches Zorg en Zekerheid Leiden coaches