Written by NBL (National Basketball League) Australian National team head coach, Brett Brown stepped aside late in 2020 amid issues of the NBA possibly delaying its 2020-2021 season which had caused uncertainty for the Tokyo Olympics campaign. There was a real concern that his sudden departure in such a climate would adversely impact the team by prompting high-profile players to leave the camp as well, including superstar Ben Simmons.
And though this issue in itself had no great bearing on Brown’s decision to leave, it had been suggested by Andrew Bogut on Twitter that…
“There is a lot more to this (and the last few years Boomers wise) than people will ever know.” — Andrew Bogut (@andrewbogut) October 13, 2020
The apparently cohesive and generous culture within the Boomers’ camp has been praised, but there were cracks detected beneath the surface. It is believed that Andrej Lemanis, current head coach for the Brisbane Bullets and former head coach of Australia national team from 2013 to 2019, had issues with players like Ben Simmons and Jonah Bolden, who weren’t fans his coaching style and often refused to play for him. Major issues like the budgetary decisions made by Basketball Australia for professional recovery and preparation were also the cause of considerable player consternation and tension.
And so began the recruiting campaign:
“To lead the world-ranked number three Boomers into a marquee event like the Tokyo Olympics is a highly desirable coaching opportunity, and it’s important we appoint the right person, not only for Australian basketball but our athletes.
“We will enter this process with an open mind and will take as long as needed to ensure we recruit the most suited candidate for this Olympic campaign.” – Jan Stirling, Basketball Australia
With Lemanis unwilling to take up the position again. Basketball Australia has confirmed that Brian Goorjian will lead the Boomers at the Tokyo Olympics scheduled to be contested July 23-August 8, 2021. Goorjian’s contract will take the senior men’s national team through to the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Goorjian has the unenviable task of restabilizing the Boomers in preparation for these monumental events in the Basketball calendar to remain viable on the international Basketball stage. He is certainly no rookie at the task of making a team Olympic Games ready, the six-time NBL championship coach having already filled the role as head coach of the Boomers in 2004 for Athens and in 2008 for Beijing.
As in any organization, any disruption to the hierarchy will cause a disruption one way or another. A newly recruited leader will take on the mantle of the driving force behind the culture that ensues. Cultural change or maintenance is top-driven, the wrong leader in the organizational jigsaw puzzle could cause untold damage to team coherence and ultimately to its success.
Only time will tell if Goorjian will be the right fit in the Boomer’s puzzle.
Brian Goorjian returns as coach of Australian Boomers basketball team (news.com.au)
Basketball Australia starts process to hire new coach after Brown exit (news.com.au)