MANCHESTER Giants have appointed Danny Byrne as the club’s new head coach.

The 41-year-old led the Giants second team to the National Basketball League Division Four title in 2016/17, earning himself the coach-of-the-year award.

He helped the British Basketball League team for the second half of last season and now makes the step up to replace Yorick Williams, who has moved to an ambassadorial role.

Byrne told the club's website: “It’s a good opportunity from a personal point of view, and one I couldn’t turn down.

“I’ve got my head round it now, being assistant has prepared me for it.

"I’ve learned a lot about the league and how teams are coached.

"I’ve been building and building to get to this point and it’s probably happened quicker than I thought.

“I want to put a team together and compete and win games.

"There are different parts to that and we’ll increase professionalism and have clear aims and objectives for the team."

Byrne, who hails from Plymouth, came through the Raiders junior ranks and played for Thames Valley Tigers and Rossendale Raptors, before cutting his coaching teeth with Lancashire Spinners.

He has already started discussions regarding recruitment for next season, and revealed he wants to build a pathway for young players from the now Division Three Giants seconds team to gain bench experience in a professional environment.