NBL coaching royalty, Brian Goorjian, is reclaiming his throne as head coach of the Sydney Kings, after reportedly signing a multi-year deal with the franchise.
Current Australian Boomers coach Brian Goorjian is set to rejoin the team he had incredible success with the early 2000s, after Sydney parted ways with their head coach Mahmoud Abdelfattah, who was only at the helm for one season.
Experience is the main asset the Kings are gaining in the rehiring of Goorjian, as the 70-year-old basketball legend boasts an incredible six NBL championships, and an equivalent amount of NBL Coach of the Year awards.
Goorjian became the target Sydney desperately wanted, after the Abdelfattah appointment proved to be a failed venture. The franchise won back-to-back titles under Chase Buford, but the two parties mutually agreed to part ways after the team’s successful title defence. Abdelfattah became Buford’s successor, but was unable to get the best out of a talented roster and the side was ultimately eliminated in the Play-In, going down to the New Zealand Breakers.
The loss meant the Kings didn’t secure its second franchise three-peat — a rare accomplishment that was only ever achieved by – you guessed it – Brian Goorjian himself.
The reported agreement with Goorjian hasn’t come out of nowhere, with speculation beginning immediately after the axing of Abdelfattah.
Brian Goorjian to sign with the Sydney Kings: Key details
The Sydney Kings are moving onto their third coach in three years, with the franchise reportedly signing NBL coaching royalty Brian Goorjian to a multi-year starting from next season.
Goorjian has been at the helm of the Kings in the past, winning three straight champions between 2003-2005 in his six-year tenure with the team. Previously, he has been the head coach of three other NBL franchises and brings an unprecedented wealth of knowledge back to the franchise.
Since the Kings parted ways with now former head coach Mahmoud Abdelfattah, Goorjian and Sydney have reportedly been closely linked, with detail emerging that the two parties had been mutually interested in working together.
“Listening to their thoughts, we’re on the same page moving forward, it’s attractive,” Goorjian told News Corp.
“It’s a great club. They’ve gone on and won two more (titles since the three-peat), the professionalism off the court, it’s just a great basketball club.”
“It has a great chance to win, (the) team wants to move forward from where they are now and there’s a vacancy. I said from the start of this thing I wanted to go into a place where I feel like my skill package is needed and useful and I want to win so, for me, it ticks a lot of boxes.”
What happened when he last coached the Kings?
Brian Goorjian was head coach of the Sydney Kings between 2002 and 2008, hauling in an incredible three NBL championships, and winning Coach of the Year twice during his reign.
Those three titles all came in succession from 2003-2005, and Goorjian coached the side to five Grand Final series across his six year tenure, despite being forced to constantly rebuild the team after every season due to talented players going elsewhere.
Where-else has Goorjian coached?
Interestingly, Brian Goorjian boasts the most games ever coached in NBL history of 683 games, and has the second highest winning percentage of any coach that has been at the helm for more than two games.
His NBL coaching journey started way back in 1988 with Eastside Melbourne Spectres, where he coached them for four years. On top of that he’s bee the head coach of South East Melbourne Magic, Victoria Titans, South Dragons, Illawarra Hawks and obviously the Sydney Kings.
Here’s the breakdown of Brian Goorjian’s NBL coaching history:
Eastside Melbourne Spectres – 100 games, 60 wins
South East Melbourne Magic – 188 games, 144 wins, 2 championships
Victoria Titans – 112 games, 78 wins
Sydney Kings – 189 games, 141 wins, 3 championships
South Dragons – 30 games, 22 wins, 1 championship
Illawarra Hawks – 64 games, 38 wins
Will this effect him coaching the Boomers?
Goorjian has also had an extensive history with Boomers – Australia’s national basketball team – having first taken over the top job in late-2001 up until 2008, and then again was reappointed head coach in 2020.
He has been coaching in the NBL since taking over the Boomers once again with the Illawarra Hawks, so this shift to the Kings won’t stop him from coaching the side at the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics.
One Response
This is the best news the kings can get as he is an outstanding coach and one the kings players will get respect from and such a great defensive coach as well