Basketball New Zealand announced yesterday it is ''well down the road'' to finding former head coach Paul Henare's replacement.
He will be signed to a short-term contract - until the end of next year's Olympics.
BBNZ also said the successful applicant would probably come from the existing team set-up, which has included Pero Cameron, Ross McMains and Mike Fitchett as assistant coaches.
High performance manager Leonard King said High Performance Sport New Zealand and the New Zealand Olympic Committee were consulted.
''From all of that it became clear that our best-case scenario was to make a short-term appointment, and that the successful applicant would need to have a thorough understanding of the team, the culture and the path they have been on throughout this Olympic window.
''As a result of that, we have not advertised extensively for the role, but have spoken directly to those we think fit the role we have identified.
''There is simply no time for a new coach to come in and implement a completely new system given the restrictions we have on getting the team together.
''While we did not get out of our group at the recent world championships, it was clear for all to see the progress the team made and the impact they had on the tournament, ending with a strong win over European heavyweights Turkey.
''We don't have that time to start from scratch again ahead of our 2020 programme.''
