Eltham Wildcats – October 2026

CRAIG STRATFORD has concluded five years as Director of Coaching, and passes the role to Mitch McCarron. Craig remains our NBL1 Men’s head coach and coaching advisor.

As a club, we want to say thank you, so we caught up with Craig to reflect on his journey with the Wildcats.

When Craig and his family arrived from Mount Gambier, it was the Wildcats community that won them over. Craig remembers “so many high-quality people”, from playing families to the coaches, volunteers and staff who give their time to keep the club running. At their very first game they met the Harris family, three generations deep at Eltham. From that moment, Craig says, “we knew this was the right place for our family.”

From there, Craig became a familiar face across the club, from our juniors right through to our senior teams. In each one, he had a positive influence on players, coaches and the very culture of our club.

Along the way, he developed into one of the most respected coaches in the state. His coaching accolades speak for themselves. Among them are:

• Leading our NBL1 Men to the 2024 NBL1 South Championship, and runners-up in the 2026 NBL1 South Championship
• A decade of junior representative coaching
• Back-to-back U14 National Club Championships (2017 and 2018)
• Runners-up in the Victorian Youth Championship Men (2018 as assistant coach, 2019 as head coach)
• Gold medals as head coach at the National Junior Classic (2016 and 2018)
• Assistant coach of the gold medal-winning Victorian U18 Boys in 2019, then head coach in 2020 and 2021
• Head Coach of the Eltham U14 Boys at the 2018 Jr. NBA World Championships, and of the Asia-Pacific U15 Boys team at the 2019 Jr. NBA World Championships
• Lead coach at the Jr. NBA Indigenous Basketball Australia camp
• More than 150 senior games coaching the Eltham Wildcats

But the trophies aren’t his real legacy. It’s his philosophy. For Craig, the Wildcats have always been a community first and a basketball club second. He believes in investing in the person before the player, and in building teams full of good people, because that’s what creates the most successful outcomes.

Craig’s coaching philosophy took shape alongside great people like Carly Stones, Paul Maley and Rachel Wallace in his first years of representative coaching. Carly in particular shaped how he approached junior athletes. “We spent many hours on court together learning how to balance development, winning and fun.” Craig says those years were “an enjoyable time spent with talented kids and plenty of fun experiences with good families” and framed his approach as Director of Coaching. He was a driving force behind giving junior players more time on the court, more scrimmage time and more teams training together, building the kind of competitive environment that allows players to genuinely improve.

Those closest to Craig agree and with Craig staying on as NBL1 head coach and as a coaching advisor, their tributes are a celebration, not a farewell:

“Craig has been an incredible support for me during our extensive time together in the senior program, and vital in my development as a player. However, his off-court mentorship has had the biggest impact on me and many others across our program. His legacy will live on in the respect, unity and enjoyment he built into everything we do.” – Sam Whelan, NBL1’s Men Captain  

“Craig’s legacy lives on in the philosophy he built and demonstrated: a strong club culture that put people first, balancing high standards with fun and inclusion. He had an innate ability to leave a lasting, positive impact on everyone he met, and that philosophy remains a strong foundation for the club going forward.”  – Chris Cameron, NBL1’s Men Assistant Coach

Craig is quick to credit those who came before him. When he first stepped into coaching leadership, Chris Cameron, Leighton Lewis and then-CEO Greg Jeffers were already shaping the club’s junior program, and their continued support, Craig says, “made my time in the role enjoyable.”

Craig has passed the role on to Mitch McCarron, who has worked closely alongside him for the past two years. Mitch joined Eltham as an NBL1 player, became the club’s Head of Junior Pathways Development, and now will move into the Director of Coaching role. This will be a handover with strong continuity. Mitch isn’t just inheriting a role; he’s taking on the philosophy and standards that Eltham embodies and that Craig continued to foster during his time in the role.

Craig is confident the club is in “amazing hands”. “His basketball credentials are well known,” he says, “but what I am excited about most is what he is going to bring as a person.” He believes Mitch’s expertise and professionalism will be “huge for our athletes and coaches” and adds that he “can’t wait to see him flourish in his new role.”

“This club has grown so large because of the contributions of so many, and I’m now grateful to be part of it. My focus will be on supporting our coaches and players to keep learning, improving and enjoying the game.” – Mitch McCarron, Director of Coaching & Pathways

Craig always put community first and basketball second, and the Wildcats are better for it. His journey with the club is far from over, but for everything he’s given us so far: thank you, Craig.