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14 March 2026  8 min read

Homecoming: Oli Parr’s Manchester journey comes full circle with GB

This week, the Manchester native will take his place on the sidelines as assistant coach of the Great Britain women's basketball team when they face Austria tonight and Norway on Tuesday at the National Basketball Performance Centre — the same city where his own basketball journey began.

For Parr, the moment represents something of a full-circle milestone. Alongside his role with the national team, he currently leads Manchester Basketball domestically, continuing to build a reputation as one of the most promising young coaches in the British game. To now be part of the senior national team set-up in front of a home crowd makes the occasion all the more special.

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“I started playing because of my siblings,” Parr recalled. “They were encouraged to try a lot of different things in school and I was just the little kid watching on the side while they ran up and down. I liked it, they enjoyed it, and it became part of our family journey where we’d compete and play against each other growing up.”

Basketball quickly became a shared passion within the Parr household, with friendly competition helping fuel his early love for the game.

“I always played on their teams, which was a lot of fun, and they’ve all been very supportive of my journey.”

His first real steps in the sport came locally, growing up in Stockport and playing at the long-standing community venue Reddish Ball Hall. From there, he progressed through local teams before spending time in the United States for high school alongside his brother — an experience that would ultimately reshape his ambitions in the sport.

“My experience in the States gave me a perspective that playing was probably only going to take me so far,” Parr explained. “That’s when I started thinking coaching might be the better route for me to pursue a career.”

The shift made sense for someone who had always enjoyed helping others improve.

Oli Parr at GB practice in Manchester with Georgia Gayle

“I’ve always believed in helping people, teaching new things and helping them grow,” he said. “Coaching just felt like the natural path.”

After returning to the UK, Parr began to take coaching more seriously. But the foundation for that career had already been laid years earlier by teachers and mentors who helped nurture his passion for the game.

“I’ll always remember my PE teacher, Mr Ray,” he said. “He gave us fun challenges and opportunities in class, and I also had some really good coaches growing up who fuelled my passion for basketball.”

His coaching journey began modestly, running sessions in schools and community programmes as part of an apprenticeship. Before long, he returned to his roots in Stockport to coach at Reddish Ball Hall — the same venue where he had once played as a youngster.

That early work soon expanded into the national league structure, eventually leading to a role with Manchester Mystics. It was there that Parr’s path first crossed with Krumesh Patel, the current GB Women’s head coach.

“We actually first competed against each other in a friendly,” Parr recalled. “Then he recruited me to come to Loughborough.”

What began as a professional opportunity soon developed into a coaching partnership that has now spanned nearly a decade.

“Going to Loughborough was quite scary at first,” Parr admitted. “I was 23, going to university for the first time, and I didn’t really know Krumesh that well. Most of my experience had been at a smaller level.”

Parr and GB guard Holly Winterburn talk it through

But the challenge proved invaluable.

“Once I figured out how he operates, we started learning from each other,” Parr said. “In the beginning particularly he could be very intense and direct, whereas back then I was probably the one more social and happy chatting with anyone out of the two of us. I think we brought different sides out of each other.”

Eight years later, that relationship remains central to Parr’s development as a coach.

“As a coach he’s a great offensive mind, but his real superpower is defensively,” Parr explained.

“He can find ways to stop anybody from scoring and he’s proven that against some of the biggest teams. More than anything he’s opened my mind to the game and what it takes to be successful.”

Parr’s first involvement with the national team came in 2022 when he joined Patel’s staff with the Under-18 women’s team — a breakthrough that followed several unsuccessful applications.

“It was always a goal of mine to work with the national teams,” he said. “I’d applied a few times before and it didn’t happen, but I didn’t give up. When the opportunity came with Krumesh and the Under-18s I jumped at it.”

That persistence has now led him to the senior programme, where he recently experienced his first victory as part of the coaching staff.

“We’ve just had our first win as head coach and assistant coach for the senior team and it was a very cool experience,” Parr said. “The girls did what they were supposed to do. There are always tweaks to figure out, but that’s basketball.”

For Parr, however, the most rewarding aspect of coaching extends beyond tactics and results.

“The best part is always connecting with the players - hearing about their journeys, what they’re doing with their clubs, how they see the game,” he explained. “When you can put all those pieces together, that’s when something special happens.”

That sense of connection will feel particularly meaningful this weekend when the national team takes to the floor in Manchester.

“To have my first home game as part of the senior team be in Manchester is a crazy full-circle moment,” Parr said. “Being head coach of the women’s pro team in the city, taking them to a major final, and now making my home debut with GB in the same venue - it’s the kind of thing dreams are made of.”

What makes it even more special is the chance to share the moment with the people who supported him along the way.

“The coolest thing is that all my family and friends can come and watch,” he said.

Despite reaching a milestone many young coaches aspire to, Parr insists he remains firmly focused on the journey ahead rather than dwelling on what has already been achieved.

“I try to stay present in the moment rather than reflect too much,” he said. “But I do like to understand where I was and where I am now.”

And while he is proud of the progress he has made in a relatively short time, his ambitions remain firmly intact.

“I’m not satisfied - I want to go higher and do different things. But I’m happy with the progress I’ve made over the last eight years.”

Basketball in Manchester is booming

Beyond his own career, Parr is equally excited by the growth of basketball in his home city.

“Basketball in Manchester is booming,” he said. “We have the National Basketball Performance Centre, major finals being hosted here, GB games played here regularly, and a lot of success at junior level across the city.”

With Manchester Basketball Head of Operations Dominique Allen and others continuing to drive the local programme forward, Parr believes the future is bright.

“Manchester Basketball is really pushing the domestic scene and Dominique deserves a lot of credit for that,” he added. “She’s been a huge part of the GB programme and of preparing the team for camp.”

For Parr, being part of that momentum - both locally and nationally - is something he doesn’t take for granted.

“Manchester is on the up,” he said with pride. “And I’m just really proud to be a small part of it.”

GB v Austria roster

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