Stoinis, 35, has coached the Stars once before during Maxwell’s absence last season. He had been a candidate for interim captain when Maxwell missed the entire 2022-23 BBL season due to his broken leg, but Stars opted to give the role to Adam Zampa.
Stoinis is only the second player behind Maxwell to play 100 BBL games for Stars and signed a three-year contract extension at the end of last season, meaning he will remain at the club until the end of 2026-27.
Stoinis said it was an honor to take on the role.
“I had the opportunity to captain the team during Maxi’s absence last year and I loved the opportunity, so to have the role full-time is a great honor,” Stoinis said.
“The Stars have been a constant in my life every summer for the last 10 years and I truly believe that the group we have assembled, both on and off the field, can bring the club some much-needed success.”
Stars general manager Blair Crouch recognized Maxwell’s contributions as a leader over the past five seasons.
“Firstly, I want to recognize and thank Glenn Maxwell for all his efforts in leading the team over the past five seasons and he will continue to be a wonderful asset to everyone at the club,” Crouch said.
“Marcus demonstrated his leadership ability last year and has been a standout member of the team for a long time.
“It is wonderful to have someone who has been at the Stars almost since our inception leading our club into BBL14.”
Stoinis is likely to lead a depleted lineup in the early part of the season. It is unknown when Maxwell will return from his hamstring injury, but it seems unlikely that he will play in at least the first game of the season. Scott Boland and Beau Webster will also miss out while they are with Australia’s Test squad. Foreign signings Ben Duckett and Osama Mir will also miss the first three games of the season.
