Paul Henare is set to cross the ditch to continue his Australian NBL coaching career.

Tall Blacks coach Paul Henare is returning to the Australian National Basketball League, set to reunite with former Breakers boss Dean Vickerman at Melbourne United.

A league source told Stuff that Henare has accepted an offer from defending ANBL champions Melbourne United to step in immediately as an assistant coach for the remainder of the 2018-19 season, which is just a week old.

It's understood Henare would replace current United assistant Simon Mitchell who is set to be unveiled as the new head coach of the expansion South East Melbourne franchise that comes into the competition from 2019-20.

Henare's deal is for an initial one-year term, but both parties would reassess at the end of the season with a view to it becoming a longer-term commitment.

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Henare was not available to comment on the new job, but it is understood that his familiarity, and closeness, with Vickerman meant it was not a tough decision. Henare was Vickerman's assistant for the 2014-15 championship run at the Breakers, and was a long-serving point guard at the club under the coaching duo of Andrej Lemanis and Vickerman before that.

Vickerman turned immediately to his old Breakers assistant as soon as it became clear he was to have an opening on his staff.

The new job will not impact on Henare's role as Tall Blacks coach, which was a condition of his acceptance. Melbourne are happy for Henare to continue to guide the New Zealand men's team towards the 2019 World Cup and do not see it impacting on his ability to support Vickerman.

Henare was a shock off-season departure from the Breakers when he and the new owners of the club could not agree terms for him to continue a job he was a long way from finishing. The Kiwi club had just been eliminated in the semifinals by eventual champions Melbourne.

At the time Henare stayed steadfastly silent around his reasons for walking away from the club, though it is understood philosophical differences around the direction the new ownership group were taking was a big part of it.

The Breakers defeated United 88-81 in Melbourne on Sunday to complete the opening round with a 1-1 record following a first-up home defeat to the Brisbane Bullets.

Melbourne also started with a win and a loss, with an epic quadruple overtime 123-122 victory at the Illawarra Hawks followed by the Breakers defeat less than two days later.

United also played Sunday's clash against the Breakers without import DJ Kennedy who rolled his ankle late in the Illawarra victory.

Vickerman will not be the only familiar face for Henare at Melbourne. Tall Blacks Alex Pledger and Tohi Smith-Milner are both part of Vickerman's 11-strong contracted squad.

Henare's appointment is expected to be confirmed soon, once the expansion South East Melbourne club has unveiled its new head coach.