Boomers great Andrew Bogut has urged Basketball Australia to go “open slather” in the search for Brian Goorjian’s replacement as head coach of the men’s national basketball team.
Goorjian confirmed he is stepping down after the Boomers failed in their Olympics medal hunt, exiting at the quarter-final stage in a heartbreaking 95-90 overtime defeat to a Nikola Jokic-inspired Serbia.
“This was always the plan … I think I’ve been an important piece of this process and it’s time to move away,” Goorjian told reporters outside the Games precinct.
“When I get off the plane, I’ll walk away feeling proud of my contribution over the 16 years I’ve been involved with the Boomers.”
Goorjian led the Boomers to four Olympic tournaments in his two stints as head coach, from 2002-08 and 2020-24.
The 71-year-old famously steered the side to their first Olympic medal when they claimed bronze in Tokyo.
He then oversaw a rebuilding of the roster, which was “maxed out” after Tokyo, and believes the future is bright.
“I like the culture, I like where the team’s at,” Goorjian said.
“I like the group I finished with, and I like the group I’ve left moving forward with – including staff.
“I just think it’s a really exciting time for Australian basketball and if you viewed these Games, there’s nothing I’m embarrassed about.”
Goorjian will now turn his eye to the NBL after signing a three-year deal to return to the Sydney Kings, who he led to three consecutive titles from 2003 to 2005.
His Boomers exit is signals a changing of the guard, with veteran trio Patty Mills, Joe Ingles and Matthew Dellavedova all unlikely to be involved in the next World Cup and Olympic campaigns.
NBA star Josh Giddey is poised to take the reins as the Boomers’ next on-court leader.
Basketball Australia will consider whether to appoint a full-time replacement for Goorjian or potentially a fly-in, fly-out NBA coach who combines their day-to-day role with the national team job.
Former Boomers and NBA centre Bogut warned against the part-time option.
“From a sustainability of a national team program, you want someone that probably knows the Australian system a little bit better and the way things run over here,” Bogut said on NBL Media’s The Gold Standard podcast.
“I would go open slather. Basketball Australia need to start from zero, start with a pool of maybe 10 to 15 (candidates), narrow that down to five and then have your hardcore interviews.
“That’s the best way to go. Have some Australian candidates, have some Euro candidates, have some American candidates.”
Fellow Boomers great Shane Heal felt Goorjian’s team should have at least reached the final four in Paris, where they only won one of four games.
“They would be the first to admit that they probably underachieved,” Heal told Stan Sport.
“It was our most talented Australian team of all time, with so many international players in the NBA, so they’ll obviously be disappointed.”
