Tall Blacks coach Paul Henare is taking up a new role in Melbourne.
He will be the assistant coach for Melbourne United, who are defending NBL champions.
With the 2018-19 season only a week old, Henare will step in immediately for the remainder of the season.
He says he's looking forward to working alongside former Breakers coach Dean Vickerman, who has been Melbourne head coach since the 2017 off-season.
"As a head coach you sort of have the responsibility of the whole group- and it's not just the players, it's support staff," says Henare.
"You look over the top of many, many people and how their lives are going. As assistant coach, I'm going to have a few clear roles to do - and to go home and not worry too much about it."
Henare will continue as Tall Blacks coach, despite his new role at Melbourne.
Melbourne's next game is a second round match-up against the Adelaide 36ers this Sunday, 21 October.
Melbourne defeated Adelaide last season to win the 2018 NBL Grand Final series, three games to two.
